BRITISH RAILWAYS STANDARD COACHES

British Railway’s ‘standard’ coaches, now known as the Mark 1’s were introduced in 1951, and at first were used in set trains as part of the Festival of Britain, held in that year. Over time, many variations were built, obviously 1st. and 2nd. Class; side corridor and open coaches and even catering and sleeping cars. This idea was to combine the best features of pre- nationalisation practise and build a vehicle able to travel widely on a railway system with its many space restrictions.

All ‘standard’ passenger stock includes a very strong underframe (chassis) with heavy steel upright pillars at each end. The body is formed of steel sections, with plate used for the outer skin and either plywood panels or patent finishes within. A heavy automatic coupler, often combined with the corridor connection holds the train together, and was a great improvement on the flexible arrangements used by two of the ‘big four’. Electric tungsten lighting was at first universal, the power provided by a bulbous dynamo slung between the bogies and belt driven from an inner axle. Toilets were provided in many of the coaches and emptied directly onto the track, as ours still do.

The original bogie was a weak point, having been copied from a previous design. Excellent riding qualities when new soon became much less obvious and a high speed run in a worn coach was a mind rattling experience, particularly if the passenger realised that the wheels were trying to climb the rail. Many variations were tried and at last, either the British B4 or US inspired ‘commonwealth’ bogie gave a smoother ride. Brakes operated by a vacuum created by the locomotive were at first the standard, but surviving stock on the main line is now often stopped by compressed air. Vertical cylinders seen between the bogies, operate the brakes on each wheel through a series of rods and cranks. Heating was at first by steam from the engine, but electric power from the same source became usual after the 1955 modernisation programme. Mk. 1. day coaches weigh between 32 and 37 tons.

You are riding in No. 3103, an Open First (FO) with 42 armchair seats grouped at tables in three saloons and built in June 1961 at Wolverton for the Scottish Region (later London Midland) of British Railways. The coach is fitted with ‘Commonwealth’ bogies; tungsten lighting and steam heat, while the windows are of a later pattern, with the glass set in rubber and aluminium frames on to the body side to prevent leaks and the formation of rust, always the greatest enemy of these vehicles.

The seat cushions are covered in the golden version of the First Class cloth and there are curtains to each passenger window. There is a single toilet compartment at each end of the vehicle.

The vehicle was last overhauled in January 1997 at Bewdley, and is in the 1957 maroon livery of the pre- Dr. Beeching years, fully lined, crested and with black ends from the early years of that scheme.

The coach, is usually paired with Restaurant Buffet car No. 1682, came to the SVR after use as an SAS training vehicle (many broken table legs and a seat scorched by a stun grenade) from Oxley in July 1984. It belongs to the S.V.R. (B.R.) Buffet Car Fund.