The Altcar Bob was a train service introduced in July 1906 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...

 on the Barton Branch of the Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway

Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway

The Liverpool, Southport & Preston Junction Railway was formed in 1884, and totaled 7 miles. In 1897 it became part of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and on 1 May 1901, its northern terminus switched from to ....

. The service was so named because it terminated at , though from 1926 it only went as far as . The Bob was a diminutive steam railmotor

Railmotor

Railmotor is a term which was used by several British railway companies for a steam railcar.-Overview:William Bridges Adams started building railmotors as early as 1848, but only in small numbers...

: a locomotive permanently attached to a single coach. The coach was supported by only a single bogie at one end, and the locomotive at the other. Remote controls located at the rear of the coach meant that the vehicle did not require turning.

The origin of the term "Bob" is uncertain. Old railwaymen claim that it was named after one of the original drivers, while others insist that this was a common term given to many small locomotives. Another theory is that it relates to the cost of a journey in the early days of the service, "bob" being a slang term for a shilling coin.

The service ceased when the line closed to passengers on 26 September 1938.

The railmotor was one of a class of 18, built for the L&YR between 1906 and 1911. The last survivor (it is unclear if this was the railmotor used for the Altcar Bob) was numbered 10617 by the LMS

London, Midland and Scottish Railway

The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...

. Although allocated a new British Railways number of 50617, it never received this and was withdrawn in 1948.

External links

• "On The Track of Altcar Bob", written by John Ashcroft 1972
• "Our Ticket to Ride", newspaper article