British Rail produced a variety of railbuses, both as a means of acquiring new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide economical services on lightly used lines.

Railbuses are a very lightweight type of railcar designed specifically for passenger transport on little-used railway lines.

In the late 1950s, British Rail tested a series of small railbuses, produced by a variety of manufacturers, for about £12,500 each[1] (£261,000 at 2014 prices).

Most of the lines they worked on were closed following the Beeching Cuts and, being non-standard, they were all withdrawn in the mid-1960s, so they were never classified under the TOPS system.

[5] The LEVs spent a substantial amount of time abroad in the hope of attracting export orders, however none were ever made.