The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from
airline
An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines for ...
s and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...
for the
High Speed Train
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
(HST).
Originally conceived as locomotive-hauled coaching stock, the first coaches built were for the prototype HST in 1972. Production coaches entered service between 1975 and 1988, and multiple-unit designs based on the Mark 3 bodyshell continued to be built until the early 1990s. Most of the surviving fleet of the Mark 3 and its derivatives are still in revenue service on the British railway network in 2020, however, as of 7 April 2021, 300 carriages have been sent for scrap.
Introduction
File:BR Mk3 12000.jpg, Prototype Mark 3 as delivered
File:BR Mk.IIIa TSO No.12014 (6771037103).jpg, Cargo-D Mark 3 in as delivered
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
livery at
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...
in June 2008
File:BR Mk.IIIa TSO No.12604 (8074749189).jpg, Chiltern Railways Mark 3 with retrofitted plug doors at
London Marylebone
Marylebone station ( ) is a Central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the Marylebone area of the City of Westminster. On the National Rail network it is also known as London Marylebone and is the southern te ...
in August 2012
File:HST Mark III TS 2006 Interior.jpg, The interior of a GNER 'Project Mallard' refurbished Mark 3 Standard Class
File:HST Mark III TF 2006 Interior.jpg, The interior of a GNER 'Project Mallard' refurbished Mark 3 First Class
Under the chairmanship of Stanley Raymond, it was decided to reduce journey times further on long-distance trains by increasing line speed to , where practical – the maximum considered possible on Britain's Victorian-age railways. At the end of 1968, proposals were submitted to the Commercial and Operating Departments of British Rail for a new fleet of third-generation standard coaching stock, designed to run at 125 mph.
The rapid development required for the HST in 1969 made the Mark 3 coach design the obvious choice for that train and, in 1972, the first ten Mark 3 coaches were built for the prototype HST.
Construction
The Mark 3 looks similar to Mark 2D, 2E and 2F coaches, but is of a completely different design. It has a ridged roof and under-frame skirt, compared with a smooth roof and visible below-frame equipment on the Mark 2.
The bodyshell is long, almost longer than the Mark 2, of full
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
construction with an all-welded mild steel stressed skin, and has a reputation for its exceptional strength and
crashworthiness
Crashworthiness is the ability of a structure to protect its occupants during an impact. This is commonly tested when investigating the safety of aircraft and vehicles. Depending on the nature of the impact and the vehicle involved, different crit ...
. An important advance over its predecessor was the adoption of secondary
air suspension
Air suspension is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor. This compressor pumps the air into a flexible bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. Unlike hydropneumatic suspension, ...
between the body and the bogies, giving an exceptionally smooth ride. The bogies, classified BT10 (BT5 on the prototype vehicles), were designed specifically for the Mark 3 and have coil-spring primary suspension with hydraulic dampers, enabling a maximum speed of – the Mark 2 is limited to . Disc brakes in place of the Mark 2 clasp brakes completed the engineering package enabling – in conjunction with wheel slip protection (WSP) – efficient deceleration from 125 mph and almost silent brake operation.
Ancillaries, such as electrical and air-conditioning systems, were grouped together in discrete modules housed behind an aerodynamic skirting between the bogies; on the Mark 2, these were mounted above and below the passenger seating area. The lighting and air-conditioning fittings were for the first time integrated into the ceiling panels. Other new features were the pneumatically operated automatic gangway doors triggered by pressure pads under the floor. From 1993, after fatal falls from moving trains, a central door-locking system operated by the train guard was installed to protect the passenger operated slam doors.
The main difference between the HST vehicles and the loco-hauled Mark 3A relates to electrical supply arrangements. HST coaches take an industrial voltage/frequency 3-phase supply directly from an auxiliary alternator in the power car to supply on-board equipment such as air conditioning; loco-hauled vehicles take a standard 1000 V DC or single-phase AC train heat supply from the locomotive and convert it through motor generator units under the floor. These convert the train supply to 3-phase 415/240 V 50 Hz AC to power air conditioning and other ancillaries. The two types are non-interconnectable in service conditions. The other main difference is the lack of buffers on HST coaches.
The later Mark 3B build provided first class loco-hauled vehicles for the West Coast Main Line. These are similar to Mark 3As, but have an improved motor alternator unit with compound-wound motor and seating derived from the Advanced Passenger Train (APT).
Prototype
Ten coaches were constructed to run between a pair of Class 41 power cars as the prototype HST, exploring different seating and layout options for first and standard class passengers, and evaluating different designs of catering facilities. In 1973 the prototype HST was evaluated as an 8-coach formation. The two spare coaches, 2903 and 2904, were rebuilt and redeployed in the
Royal Train
A royal train is a set of railway carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of a royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.
Australia
The various government railway operators of ...
, where they remain.
Development
Initial plans for a large fleet for almost all InterCity services were amended prior to construction to provide stock for the planned HST fleet, resulting in a much smaller fleet of loco-hauled coaches for the West Coast Main Line. A much reduced number of coaches were manufactured, requiring many Mark 2D, 2E and 2F coaches to remain in service.
The table below lists manufacturing variants as built, showing the quantity of each type/designation and original running numbers.
See
British Rail coach type codes
British Railways coach designations were a series of letter-codes used to identify different types of coaches, both passenger carrying and non-passenger carrying stock (NPCS). The code was generally painted on the end of the coach but non-gangwa ...
for the meaning of RSB, TRUK, BFO etc.
Usage
Since 1977, the
Royal Train
A royal train is a set of railway carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of a royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.
Australia
The various government railway operators of ...
has included some specially equipped Mark 3 coaches.
Mark 3s remain in service as part of HSTs with CrossCountry, Great Western Railway and ScotRail much as they have since introduced. These were refurbished when their operators were privatised, with all except East Midlands Trains' receiving new seats between 2006 and 2009.
The introduction by
Virgin CrossCountry
Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom operating the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Virgin CrossCountry operated some of the longest direct rail services in t ...
221
__NOTOC__
Year 221 (Roman numerals, CCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Vitellius (or, less frequently, ...
''Voyagers'' in the early 2000s rendered many Mark 3s surplus. After periods of storage, all have now returned to service with other operators.
The introduction by
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from ...
of Class 390 ''Pendolinos'' in the early 2000s resulted in the withdrawal of the locomotive hauled Mark 3s. Some were cascaded to One to replace Mark 2s on the
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
, while a few replaced Mark 2s on the ''
Night Riviera
The ''Night Riviera'' is a sleeper train operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). It is one of only two sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom (the other being the
''Caledonian Sleeper'' services between London and Scotland). ...
''. Most were placed in store at Long Marston. Many have since been returned to service, both as locomotive hauled coaches with Arriva Trains Wales, Chiltern Railways as well as being converted for use with HSTs by Grand Central and CrossCountry. This required modifications to the coupling mechanisms and electrical systems to make them compatible with Class 43 power cars.
Mark 3 sleeping cars are used on the ''
Night Riviera
The ''Night Riviera'' is a sleeper train operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). It is one of only two sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom (the other being the
''Caledonian Sleeper'' services between London and Scotland). ...
'' services.
Virgin Trains retained one complete Mark 3 set. It was initially used to cover peak-time
London Euston
Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city rail ...
to
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
services while the Pendolinos underwent modifications, but later covering the loss of 390033, written off after the
Grayrigg derailment
The Grayrigg derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at approximately 20:15 GMT on 23 February 2007, just to the south of Grayrigg, Cumbria, in the North West England region of the United Kingdom. The accident investigation conc ...
in 2007. In July 2009, it was refurbished and repainted at
Doncaster Works
Doncaster Railway Works is a railway workshop located in Doncaster, England.
Also referred to as The Plant''", it was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston and Peterborough. Until 1867 it u ...
in the same style as the Pendolino and Voyager fleets, but with the British Rail seats and interior fittings retained. This set was nicknamed the "Pretendolino" by enthusiasts. It was transferred to
Abellio Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Abellio East Anglia Limited) is a train operating company in Great Britain owned as a joint venture by Abellio, the international arm of the state-owned Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, and the J ...
in November 2014. In 2016 it moved to
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express (TPE), legally First TransPennine Express Limited, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regional and inter-city rail services between the major ci ...
to be used as a crew trainer in the lead-up to the introduction of Mark 5s.
Sewage discharge
Legally in the UK, train operators are allowed to discharge up to 25 litres of untreated waste at a time on to the track and the discharge from each toilet flush is considerably less than this. Most Mark 3 carriages have no retention tanks, discharging onto the track via a U-bend/pipe near the bogies, and in the 2000s both the RMT trade union and politicians were concerned at the environmental impact of this legacy issue. The problem was first raised in 2003 after
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from 1994 until 2002. It was created as part of the privatisation of ...
staff at abandoned local clean-up and then track maintenance procedures due to an excessive build-up of sewage waste in the area. In 2006 the RMT agreed waste tank and clean-out developments at
Northern Rail
Northern Rail, branded as Northern, was an English train operating company owned by Serco-Abellio that operated the Northern Rail franchise from 2004 until 2016. It was the primary passenger train operator in Northern England, and operated th ...
's
Heaton TMD
Heaton TMD is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in the Heaton area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, it is located next to the East Coast Main Line, around east of Newcastle Central station. Heaton was a sub-shed of Gateshead bet ...
in 2006 with
GNER
Great North Eastern Railway, often referred to as GNER, was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by Sea Containers, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, No ...
, and new clean-out procedures at all other depots, to solve an ongoing dispute over the previous 18 months.
By 2011, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
had begun a formal investigation to see whether trains composed of such carriages were breaking EU environmental and health laws, although the Environment Agency confirmed that train companies claimed special exemptions to dump waste on the track. In 2013, Transport Minister Susan Kramer branded the practice "utterly disgusting" and called on the industry to take action. ATOC responded by stating that, as all new vehicles had to be fitted with compliant toilet tanks, withdrawal of the HSTs by the end of 2017 would solve the problem. The use of HSTs without retention tanks continued after the end of 2017, but sets being transferred to ScotRail and shortened HST sets retained by GWR are being fitted with retention tanks. ScotRail operated brown waste discharging sets until the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
facilitated cuts to service in April 2020.
Train formations
HST vehicles
File:East Midlands Trains Mark III TS Interior.jpg, left, The interior of refurbished East Midlands Trains Mark 3 Standard Class with improved fluorescent lighting
File:East Midlands Trains Mark III TF Interior.jpg, The interior of refurbished East Midlands Trains Mark 3 First Class with improved fluorescent lighting
File:ScotRailMK3INT.jpg, left, The interior of a refurbished ScotRail Mark 3 Standard Class with electronic destination displays.
Original formation
The original coaches were delivered in HST sets for Western Region ( Class 253) with Trailer First (TF), Trailer Restaurant Unclassified Kitchen (TRUK), Trailer
Second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
(TS), and Trailer Buffet Second (TRSB) cars in the formation TF-TF-TRUK-TS-TRSB-TS-TS. Complaints from guards about engine noise in the guards' compartments in the power cars led to the Trailer Guard Second (TGS) in 1980, based on the TS but with the end vestibule and one seating bay replaced by a guard's compartment. This replaced the last TS in all sets from 1980 onwards. Sets delivered for
Eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
and Scottish Regions ( Class 254) contained eight coaches, originally in the formation TF-TF-TRUK-TS-TS-TRSB-TS-TS. The TRUK cars were quickly replaced by a TS on the Western Region and most had been replaced on the Eastern Region by 1985 (many later rebuilt into loco-hauled buffet cars). TRUB cars (Trailer Restaurant Unclassified Buffet) were built from 1978 to replace the TRUK cars, these were reclassified as TRFB (Trailer Restaurant First Buffet) from 1985 on the Eastern and London Midland Regions and from 1989/90 on the Western Region. The original interiors were fitted out fully carpeted with InterCity 70 seats. First Class had orange and red stripes on both carpet and seating, whilst Standard Class had a blue and green scheme. From May 1987 onwards, both HST and Mark 3 loco hauled sets were repainted and refurbished into the Intercity swallow livery.
Previous formations
Virgin CrossCountry
Virgin CrossCountry was a train operating company in the United Kingdom operating the InterCity CrossCountry passenger franchise from January 1997 until November 2007. Virgin CrossCountry operated some of the longest direct rail services in t ...
proposed operating HST sets in shortened 2 power car and 5 trailer formations to be known as Challenger sets painted in the silver and red livery. This would give the trains better acceleration, similar to the Voyager units. Approval was not granted for this however.
Current formations
East Midlands Railway operates HST sets in 10 or 8 car sets (2 powercars and 8 or 6 coaches), CrossCountry 9 (2 Powercars and 7 coaches), Following the May 2019 timetable change, GWR now run exclusively "Castle" sets formed of 4 coaches and 2 power cars.ScotRail have operated 4 coach sets with 2 power cars, on Scottish InterCity routes since 2018. Most ScotRail sets will be extended to 5 coaches.
Hauled stock
File:Virgin Trains Mark 3 LHCS WB64 Pretendolino Set TSO Internal.jpg, left, The interior of Virgin Trains refurbished Mark 3 Standard Class
File:Virgin Trains Mark 3 LHCS WB64 Pretendolino Set FO Interior.jpg, The interior of Virgin Trains refurbished Mark 3 First Class
File:Chiltern Railways Mainline Mark IIIA TSO Interior.jpg, left, The interior of Chiltern Railways refurbished Mark 3 with the original InterCity 70 seats
File:Chiltern Railways Mainline Mark IIIA RFM First Class Interior.jpg, The interior of Business Class aboard a Chiltern Railways refurbished Mark 3
File:Abellio Greater Anglia Mark 3A TSO Interior.jpg, left, The interior of a Greater Anglia refurbished Mark 3 Standard Class with original InterCity 70 seats
File:Abellio Greater Anglia Mark 3B FO Interior.jpg, The interior of a Greater Anglia refurbished Mark 3 First Class with revised interior lighting and InterCity 80 seats as per the APT
Mark 3A coaches were deployed on
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
expresses out of Euston to bring the three main long-distance routes from London up to the same standard. Initial variants were Second Open (TSO) and First Open (FO). Catering and sleeper vehicles continued to be Mark 1 stock until the introduction of Restaurant Buffet (RUB) vehicles in 1979-80 and the sleeper (SLEP) vehicles in 1981–82. In 1988 the process was completed with the elimination of Mk 1parcels vehicles and their replacement by Mk 3-derived
Driving Van Trailer
A Driving Van Trailer (DVT) is a British purpose-built control car railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate with a locomotive in push-pull formation from the opposite end of a train. A key benefit of operating trains with DVTs is t ...
Scottish Region
The Scottish Region (ScR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex- London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and ex- London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines in Scotland. It existed from the creatio ...
push-pull services were initially made up of four TSO and one FO Mark 3A coaches with a Mark 2F
DBSO
A Driving Brake Standard Open (DBSO) is a type of railway carriage in Great Britain, converted to operate as a control car; this is not to be confused with DVTs, such as those in InterCity 225 sets. Fourteen such vehicles, numbered 9701 t ...
. The FO was later converted to a Composite Open (CO) by the declassification of half a coach and installation of a partition between the two classes and an SO was removed. These vehicles were removed from the Scottish regional routes in 1989 when they were replaced with Class 158 multiple units.
Chiltern Railways employs several rakes of Mark 3 carriages, hauled by Class 68 locomotives in push-pull configuration with Mark 3
Driving Van Trailer
A Driving Van Trailer (DVT) is a British purpose-built control car railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate with a locomotive in push-pull formation from the opposite end of a train. A key benefit of operating trains with DVTs is t ...
s. These Mark 3 carriages have been extensively refurbished and modernised with the following enhancements:
* Application of new Chiltern Railways Silver Mainline livery based on the former, defunct Wrexham and Shropshire livery of two tone silver
* Automatic plug doors in place of the original slam doors (except for the two doors adjacent to the buffet car counter, which are no longer for public use)
* Large doorway vestibule areas
* Installation of economical controlled emission toilets with retention tanks
* Retrimmed carpets in new trim
* Retrimmed seats in new trim
* New dado side panels and repainted wall end coverings
* Power sockets at each seat
* Improved ceiling mounted LED interior saloon lighting diffusers
The Driving Van Trailers have been modified with diesel generators to provide
Electric Train Supply
In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive (or a generator car) at the front or 'head' of a train, p ...
to the coaches when the locomotive is not running, such as when in terminus stations and when stabled.
Greater Anglia have refurbished their Mark 3 carriages, hauled by Class 90 locomotives in push-pull configuration with Mark 3 Driving Van Trailers. These carriages have been refurbished with the following enhancements:
* Application of new Greater Anglia livery – a white bodyside with black window surrounds and red highlighted doors
* Installation of economical controlled emission toilets with retention tanks
* Retrimmed carpets in new trim
* Retrimmed seats in new trim
* New dado side panels and repainted wall end coverings
* An increase in Standard Class seating capacity by adding another eight seats to each TSO carriage, thus creating 80 seats per a TSO vehicle
* Removing the kitchen equipment and 24 First Class seats in the former Restaurant Car vehicles, replacing them with 54 Standard Class seats
* Power sockets at each seat
* Improved ceiling mounted LED interior saloon lighting diffusers
Current coaches (2015) typically have 74 or 76 seats (80 seats on InterCity Anglia) in Standard Class to the 2+2 layout or 46 to 48 seats in First Class to the 2+1 layout.
Abellio Greater Anglia used a mix of eight, nine and ten coaches in their trains.
Manchester Pullman
Mark 3 carriages were used on the
Manchester Pullman
The ''Manchester Pullman'' was a first-class-only Pullman passenger train operated by British Rail, targeted at business travellers. The service began in 1966, operating between and , and offered an at-seat restaurant service to all passengers ...
from May 1985, with a batch of Mark 3b carriages being built at Derby as Intercity Pullman cars, some named. This was part of a revival of the Pullman brand by InterCity, with Merseyside and Yorkshire services being launched on the same day.
Entertainment carriages
In 2009
First Great Western
Great Western Railway (GWR) is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The service, originally charged for, eventually became free, although users either had to provide their own
headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an au ...
(standard 3.5mm stereo mini-jack plug) or purchase a pair from the on-board Express Cafe for £1.50.
In addition to radio and video feeds, a
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
train-location screen allowed passengers to check and track train progress. For this purpose an aerial had been fitted to the roof of these coaches. With the advent of portable media devices and tablet computers, the Volo TV service was discontinued in 2014.
Sleeping carriages
In 1979 British Rail ordered 236 Mark 3 SLEP sleeper carriages. Because of cost overruns partly caused by more stringent regulations in the wake of the Taunton sleeping car fire the order was cut back to 207. However even this was too many, as by the time they were delivered British Rail were withdrawing sleeper services.
In 1987, ten were leased to Danish State Railways"BR sleepers for Denmark" ''
The Railway Magazine
''The Railway Magazine'' is a monthly British railway magazine, aimed at the railway enthusiast market, that has been published in London since July 1897. it was, for three years running, the railway magazine with the largest circulation in ...
'' issue 1034 June 1987 page 391 while in 1994, three were sold to Swiss bogie manufacturer
Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
SIG Combibloc Group AG, originally founded as ''Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft'' (German for Swiss Industrial Company; in French, as ''Société Industrielle Suisse''; and, in Italian, as ''Societa Industriale Svizzera''), and later know ...
for tilt train testing."Swiss-bound sleeping car" ''Rail'' issue 234 31 August 1994 page 14 In 1995
Porterbrook
Porterbrook is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO), created as part of the privatisation of British Rail. Together with Angel Trains and Eversholt Rail Group, it is one of the three original ROSCOs.
Porterbrook was established in March 19 ...
experimentally converted one to a day carriage.
GNER
Great North Eastern Railway, often referred to as GNER, was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by Sea Containers, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, No ...
purchased 13 with the intention of converting to High Speed Train carriages, but the project was aborted.
Five were converted to generator vans for the aborted '' Nightstar'' service. One was purchased by
UK Rail Leasing
UK Rail Leasing (UKRL) is a railway company offering locomotive leasing and rolling stock engineering services to various train operating companies. It is based in Leicester.
UKRL was founded in September 2013; within two months, it had secure ...
for use as a carriage heater at its
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
depot in 2016. English Welsh & Scottish investigated converting Mark 3s for use on high speed freight trains.
801
__NOTOC__
Year 801 ( DCCCI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Emperor Charlemagne formally cedes Nordalbian territory (modern-day Schleswig-H ...
and
802
Year 802 ( DCCCII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* October 31 – Empress Irene is deposed after a 5-year reign, and banishe ...
sets.
The East Midlands Railway Mark 3s were withdrawn in May 2021. Former Great Western Railway Mark 3s were leased to ScotRail from 2018 for use on Edinburgh/Glasgow to Aberdeen/Inverness and Aberdeen to Inverness, routes. Great Western began trials of shortened HST sets with new power-operated external doors in 2018, and intend to run 11 of these 'Castle' sets on local services on the main lines.
The
Caledonian Sleeper
''Caledonian Sleeper'' is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom, the other b ...
Mark 3 sleeper sets were withdrawn in October 2019. Grand Central then withdrew their Mark 3s in 2017. These were transferred to
East Midlands Trains
East Midlands Trains (EMT) was a British train operating company owned by the transport group Stagecoach, which operated the East Midlands franchise between November 2007 and August 2019.
Following the Department for Transport (DfT) award of ...
Some former Mark 3 sleeping carriages were sold to railway preservation organisations for use as volunteer staff accommodation vehicles, and a range of additional vehicles have been preserved at a number of heritage railways, including HST vehicles. Others have been acquired for charter work on the main line.
A Buffet Mark 3 has been preserved at the
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...
site in Shildon since March 2020.
Multiple units based on the Mark 3
The Mark 3 design proved to be highly adaptable and formed the basis of BR's ''Second Generation'' multiple unit fleet, introduced from the early 1980s, with the following classes having Mark-3-based bodyshells:
* DMU Classes
** Class 150
** Class 210
*AC
EMU
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The emu ...
Classes
**
Class 317
The British Rail Class 317 is an electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train constructed by British Rail Engineering Limited in two batches, 48 sets being produced in 1981–82 and 24 sets in 1985–87. They were the first of several classes ...
Class 769
The British Rail Class 769 ''Flex'' is a type of bi-mode multiple unit (BMU) and tri-mode multiple unit (TMU) which is currently being converted by Brush Traction, and running in service with Transport for Wales Rail and Northern Trains. The t ...
** Class 799
The cars for Classes 150, 210, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 325, 455 and 456 units are built to a shorter 20 m 'suburban' design. Those for Class 442 are 23 m and are very similar to the Mark 3 coach. The main visual difference is the swing plug automatic doors rather than the traditional manual "slam-doors".
The Class 153 and Class 155, while of the "Sprinter family", are built by
British Leyland
British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
and have no connection with the Mark 3, neither does the Class 156, built by
Metro-Cammell
Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. Purchased ...
.
The final batch of "Sprinters" of Class 158 (some rebuilt as Class 159) are of a different design built from aluminium extrusions. Its design being intermediate between that of the Mark 3 and the
Networker (train)
The Networker is a family of passenger trains which operate on the UK railway system. They were built in the late 1980s and early 1990s by British Rail Engineering Limited (which became part of ABB in September 1992) and Metro Cammell. The tr ...
Derby Litchurch Lane Works
Derby Litchurch Lane Works (formerly Derby Carriage and Wagon Works) is a railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England. It was opened in the 19th century by the Midland Railway. The plant has produced rolling stock under the ownership of the ...
for
Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways, also known as Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) ( ga, Iarnród Thuaisceart Éireann); and for a brief period Ulster Transport Railways (UTR), is the railway operator in Northern Ireland. NIR is a subsidiary of Translink, whose paren ...
using Mark 3 bodyshells and
Mark 1
Mark 1 is the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.
Text
The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 45 verses.
Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts conta ...
underframes, together with refurbished power units and traction motors, recovered from the former Class 70 units.
The last Mark-3-based EMUs built are the Class 325 EMUs built for Royal Mail in 1995.
Mark 3 coaches overseas
Ireland
The
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
's national rail operator, Iarnród Éireann, ordered Mark 3 carriages built between 1980 and 1989, with bogies for the Irish gauge of 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in). The fleet consisted of 124 Mark 3 and nine Mark 3A Internationals, which worked only the
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
–
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
service, branded ' or ''Hound of the Seas'' as it was a coast-to-coast route.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s they were the backbone of the Irish InterCity rolling stock.
They were built with automatic
plug door
A plug door is a door designed to seal itself by taking advantage of pressure difference on its two sides and is typically used on aircraft with cabin pressurization. The higher pressure on one side forces the usually wedge-shaped door into its ...
s, which initially caused some concern as additional time and resources were required to perfect them. The design was later used on the Class 442 "Wessex Electrics". Most of the fleet was air-conditioned, except for a small number of coaches built as outer-suburban stock, which ran in push-pull configuration. A number of coaches were first class, and there were several
dining car
A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant.
It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...
s and five
driving van trailer
A Driving Van Trailer (DVT) is a British purpose-built control car railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate with a locomotive in push-pull formation from the opposite end of a train. A key benefit of operating trains with DVTs is t ...
s (DVTs) that included passenger seating. There were also a number of accompanying generator vans to supply power.
In 2006–07, Irish Mark 4 carriages were introduced on the Dublin-Cork route, with the displaced Mark 3 coaches to other InterCity routes.
In 2008, Iarnród Éireann began taking delivery of 22000 Class railcars, which led to withdrawal of all Mark 3 coaches. The type's final service was a Dublin-Cork relief train on 21 September 2009.
Efforts were made to sell the 130 carriages but some were still stored in various locations. During 2015 some carriages were refurbished for use on '' the Grand Hibernian'' luxury train, which began operating on 30 August 2016 and ceased operating in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
; in 2021 Belmond confirmed the service would not return.
Between 2013 and 2014, most of the Iarnród Éireann Mark 3s were scrapped at
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
,
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
.
Denmark
In 1987, ten sleepers were leased to Danish State Railways. They returned in November 1998 and placed in store at
MoD Kineton
Defence Munitions (DM) Kineton occupies the site officially known as MOD Kineton, and is a Ministry of Defence property located close to the village of Kineton, Warwickshire, England.
History
Developed from 1941 onwards on land neighbouring th ...
."Danish Mk3 sleepers return to England" ''The Railway Magazine'' issue 1174 February 1999 page 47
Switzerland
In 1994, three sleepers were sold to Swiss bogie manufacturer
Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
SIG Combibloc Group AG, originally founded as ''Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft'' (German for Swiss Industrial Company; in French, as ''Société Industrielle Suisse''; and, in Italian, as ''Societa Industriale Svizzera''), and later know ...
Coaching stock of Ireland
A wide variety of hauled coaches have been used on the railways of Ireland. This page lists all those since 1945.
Ireland
When formed in 1945, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) inherited from its constituents a motley collection of coaching stock ...