Propelling Control Vehicle - Definition

A Propelling Control Vehicles (PCV) is a type of railway coach specially converted for use as a mail van. The coaches were converted from former Class 307 driving trailers, and therefore have a cab at one end. This allows the PCVs to be used to propel a mail train at low speed into a railway terminus, with the locomotive being remotely driven at the rear of the train.

Forty-four PCVs were converted from former passenger vehicles by Hunslet-Barclay in Kilmarnock from 1994-96. The rebuilding work including removal of the windows and slam-doors, the fitting of roller-shutter doors, and modernisation of the cab. The vehicles were given the TOPS code NAA and were numbered in the range 94300-94343. The first two vehicles converted were prototypes, and were extensively tested to iron-out any problems. The subsequent 42 vehicles incorporated modifications as a result of this testing. At the same time these vehicles were converted, the Class 47/7 locomotives that hauled mail trains were modified to be able to work in push-pull mode with the PCVs.

When first converted the vehicles were used by the Rail Express Systems parcels sector of British Rail. They were painted in Rail Express Systems red/grey livery with light blue flashes. PCVs would be marshalled at either end of mail trains that worked into London termini, which removed the need for the locomotive to run round the train at its destination. A train would only be propelled by a PCV into or out of a terminus, and would never be propelled for long distances.

In 1996, Rail Express Systems was sold to EWS, who continued to operate mail trains on behalf of Royal Mail. PCVs were used on routes into or out of London on mail trains to Norwich, Plymouth, Bristol, Swansea, Newcastle and Glasgow. PCVs were also incorporated into Travelling Post Office trains from London to Plymouth, Newcastle, Norwich, Carlisle and Glasgow.

The first two prototype PCVs (nos. 94300/94301) were non-standard compared to subsequent converstions. Consequently, they were used as standard mail coaches on a new high-speed mail train from Walsall to Inverness. Both were painted in EWS maroon/gold livery, and renumbered to 95300/95301 to reflect that they were not used to propel trains.

In early-2004, EWS lost the contract to transport mail by trains. As a result, with the exception of vehicles 95300/301, all PCV vehicles have been withdrawn from service, pending new traffic, sale or scrapping.