This type of vehicle came into being in 1934 as a result of the railways trying to find something suitable to replace the horse drawn method. It was therefore refered to as the'mechanical horse' featuring automatic coupling to a trailor and with its single front wheel remarkable manouverability. The vehicle shown would first have appeared in the late 1940s and production continued until 1967. It would be fair to say that no other vehicle is more associated with British Railways than the 'Scarab'. This gem was spotted at the Crewe Works Open Weekend 2003.
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Photo from James & Martin's Picture Collection (Jampics) m.hawkes7@ntlworld.com