British Railways Mark 2

Infobox DMU
name = British Rail Mark 2

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imagesize = 240px
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caption = British Rail Mk2 coach operated by First ScotRail at Euston, part of the "Caledonian Sleeper"
Manufacturer = BREL
Operator = Arriva Trains Wales
First ScotRail
Network Rail
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InService = 1964-Current
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MaxSpeed = 100 mph (160 km/h)
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British Rail's second design of carriages was designated Mark 2. The Mk 2 has a semi-integral construction, giving it more strength than a Mark 1 in the event of an accident.

The Mark 2 coach was once the mainstay of British Rail's InterCity network, but new rolling stock introduced in the post-privatisation era has virtually ended the use of the stock on main line inter-city routes. First ScotRail Caledonian Sleeper services between London Euston and Scotland continue to use Mk 2 stock for seated accommodation and lounge cars, whilst Arriva Trains Wales has purchased several vehicles for use on services from Cardiff to Rhymney and Fishguard.

Development

The prototype Mark 2 carriage (First Corridor coach number 13252) was built in 1963, and is now preserved at the National Railway Museum, York.

The final Mark 2 carriage was departmental carriage no. 999550, in 1977. It is still in service, with Network Rail as part of the New Measurement Train. The later versions (2D onwards) look similar to, and are often confused with, the later Mark 3 design. The Mark 3 is longer (by around three metres), has a large skirting between the bogies to conceal the ancillary equipment, and has a "ridged" roof as opposed to the smooth roof of the Mark 2 series. The development of the High Speed Train overlapped with that of the final production run, and as a result the Mark 2F "previewed" many features incorporated into the Mark 3 design such as new seating, plastic interior panelling, and floor sensor-operated automatic gangway doors.

ales abroad

A number of vehicles have been sold for further use abroad. In addition, both Northern Ireland Railways and Iarnród Éireann purchased various types from new.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Railways purchased eight British Rail Class 488 unpowered electric multiple unit coaches that originally been converted from Mark 2F coaches for the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport. The coaches have been renumbered 8941 to 8948. The NIR coaches were withdrawn on 19 January 2005, having been replaced by new C3K units. They have recently been reintroduced to provide extra capacity on the Portadown to Belfast (Central) service, making one trip every morning, hauled by Class 111 locomotives.

In 1970 NIR purchased a number of new Mk 2Bs for the new Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin. These were painted in an attractive maroon and blue livery and hauled by maroon Hunslet Bo-Bos. This rake included No 547 which is the only MK2B dining car. This carriage has recently(2008) been restored by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

In 1972 CIÉ placed an order with BREL for 72 new coaches based on the British Rail Mark IId design. These were built at the Litchurch Lane workshops in Derby. With air conditioning as a principal feature they became known as “AC Stock” and ran on type B4 bogies, with vacuum brakes.The order consisted of 6 First Class coaches (5101 to 5106), 9 Composites (5151-5159), 36 Standard Class (5201-5236), 11 Restaurant / Buffet / Standard Class (5401-5411) and 11 Generator Vans (5601-5611). Internal fit-out was done in Inchicore, and was quite different from the original BR design, using bench seating rather than individual seats and made extensive use of wood veneer panelling.Their electrical system also differed from the BR and NIR versions. The Generator Van contained two engine / generator sets, each supplying 220 / 380 Volts 50 Hz AC to two separate "busses" in the train. The air conditioning loads were divided in half, each half fed from each "bus". In the case of failure of one generator set, the other set automatically supplies both "busses". Air conditioning output power would then be halved, but all other loads including Cooking, Lighting and Battery Charging continue to be supplied. This has remained the model for the electrical power supply on all subsequent IE coaches.To accommodate changes in traffic, five of the Composites, 5153-5156 and 5158 were re-classed as "Standards", while one of the Restaurant / Buffet / Standards, 5408, was converted for use as the Presidential Coach.

Iarnród Éireann also purchased 15 carriages from a UK scrap dealer in 1989 in exchange for a similar number of scrap diesel locomotives. All had been sold as scrap by British Rail. Older Mk 2A/B/C carriages were scrapped in 2004, as they were heavily corroded.

he remaining MK 2 carraiges were gradually phased out during 2007 and 2008, with the last remaining set operating its final service, the 0505 Athlone - Heuston, on March 31st, 2008. There are no plans to preserve any of the class, so after 36 years service, all will be scrapped.

New Zealand

New Zealand rail operator Tranz Rail bought 69 carriages (1 damaged by fire after arrival) in 1996 (some had already been imported by Mainline Steam). Eight were extensively refurbished for the Wellington – Palmerston North Capital Connection service, classified S (for Scenic), with new Japanese-assembled narrow-gauge bogies. The carriages featured new auto plug doors and interiors. The initial refurbishment proved more costly than expected, and the remaining carriages were laid up until a rebuilding programme began for the Auckland Regional Transport Authority for use on Auckland suburban services. These carriages, classified SA / SD, have two sets of sliding doors each side and are operated by Veolia for MAXX in push/pull mode, powered DC class locomotives leased from Toll NZ. The SD carriages include a driver's cab.

In the Northern Hemisphere spring of 2006, Mark 2E and 2F carriages formerly operated by 'one' Anglia that had been replaced by ex-Virgin Mk 3 stock were exported to New Zealand. These have been bought by Greater Wellington Regional Council for operation by Toll Rail's Tranz Metro on the Wairarapa Connection service between Wellington and Masterton. They are being rebuilt at Hillside Workshops in Dunedin, and will be classified SW, SWG and SWS.

More carriages have been bought by Greater Wellington Regional Council for operation on Tranz Metro Hutt Valley Line. These are being refurbished by Hillside Workshops for service between Wellington and UpperHutt, being classified SE, SES and SEG.

References

* Michael Harris "British Rail Mark 2 Coaches - the design that launched InterCity" [http://www.mdsbooks.co.uk/detail.html?this=aaVPL48 Venture Publications] ISBN 9781898432487

External links

* [http://www.semgonline.com/coach/brmk2_1.html Southern e-group page on Mk2a/b/c]