I would have to guess that the odd car behind the locomotive is some sort of conversion vehicle whose purpose is to have a standard knuckle coupler on one end and a special mass transit coupler on the other end. In order to "run around" there must be another conversion vehicle on the other end of the transit set with a standard knuckle coupler on it's trailing end. Such conversion cars are not seen very often, but they do exist in the real world. Conversion cars are often used in model railroading, when converting from "trainset" supplied couplers to the more desired knuckle type couplers. Thanks for posting this very interesting photograph Ian.
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The van behind the locomotive provides power for the braking system while the Xtrapolis set is being hauled over long distances on non-electrified lines. The set is also fitted with a transition coupler which allows an easy connection to a standard auto coupler.
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