• Source: British Rail Mark 3

The 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from airlines and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 became the rolling stock for the High Speed Train (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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 bodyshell continued to be built until the early 1990s. Most of the surviving fleet of the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 and its derivatives were still in revenue service on the 3/info/british" target="_blank">British railway network in 2020, however, as of 7 April 2021, 300 carriages have been sent for scrap.




Introduction


Under the chairmanship of Stanley Raymond, it was decided to reduce journey times further on long-distance trains by increasing line speed to 125 mph (200 km/h), 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 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 coach design the obvious choice for that train and, in 1972, the first ten 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 coaches were built for the prototype HST.




Construction



The 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 looks similar to 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 2.
The bodyshell is 75 feet (23 m) long, almost 10 feet (3.0 m) longer than the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 2, of full monocoque construction with an all-welded mild steel stressed skin, and has a reputation for its exceptional strength and crashworthiness. An important advance over its predecessor was the adoption of secondary air 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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 and have coil-spring primary suspension with hydraulic dampers, enabling a maximum speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) – the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 2 is limited to 100 mph (160 km/h). Disc brakes in place of the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3B build provided first class loco-hauled vehicles for the West Coast Main Line. These are similar to 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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, 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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail coach type codes for the meaning of RSB, TRUK, BFO etc.




Usage


Since 1977, the Royal Train has included some specially equipped 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 coaches.
3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s remain in service as part of HSTs with 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 of 220/221 Voyagers in the early 2000s rendered many 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s surplus. After periods of storage, all have now returned to service with other operators.
The introduction by Virgin Trains of Class 390 Pendolinos in the early 2000s resulted in the withdrawal of the locomotive hauled 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s. Some were cascaded to One to replace 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 2s on the Great Eastern Main Line, while a few replaced 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 2s on the Night Riviera. 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.
3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 sleeping cars are used on the Night Riviera services.
Virgin Trains retained one complete 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 set. It was initially used to cover peak-time London Euston to Birmingham services while the Pendolinos underwent modifications, but later covering the loss of 390033, written off after the Grayrigg derailment in 2007. In July 2009, it was refurbished and repainted at Doncaster Works in the same style as the Pendolino and Voyager fleets, but with the 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail seats and interior fittings retained. This set was nicknamed the "Pretendolino" by enthusiasts. It was transferred to Abellio Greater Anglia in November 2014. In 2016 it moved to TransPennine Express to be used as a crew trainer in the lead-up to the introduction of 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 5As.




= 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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 staff at Nottingham 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 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail's Heaton TMD in 2006 with GNER, and new clean-out procedures at all other depots, to solve an ongoing dispute over the previous 18 months.
By 2011, the European Union 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 facilitated cuts to service in April 2020.




Train formations






= HST vehicles

=



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 (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 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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 loco hauled sets were repainted and refurbished into the Intercity swallow livery.



Previous formations

Virgin CrossCountry 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. Cross Country previously ran 7 coach HST sets (with 2 Powercars) until 2023 when they were withdrawn from service.



Current formations

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

=

3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3A coaches were deployed on West Coast Main Line 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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 1 parcels vehicles and their replacement by Mk 3-derived Driving Van Trailers, making the WCML push-pull.
Scottish Region push-pull services were initially made up of four TSO and one FO 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3A coaches with a 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 2F DBSO. 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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 carriages, hauled by Class 68 locomotives in push-pull configuration with 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 Driving Van Trailers. These 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 to the coaches when the locomotive is not running, such as when in terminus stations and when stabled.
Greater Anglia previously operated the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 carriages hauled by Class 90 locomotives in push-pull configuration with 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 Driving Van Trailers on the West Anglia Main Line. In 2014, Greater Anglia refurbished their 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 carriages; these carriages were 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
The coaches typically had 74 or 76 seats (80 seats on InterCity Anglia) in Standard Class with a 2+2 layout or 46 to 48 seats in First Class with a 2+1 layout. Abellio Greater Anglia used a mix of eight, nine and ten coaches in their sets up until their retirement in 2020




Manchester Pullman



3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 carriages were used on the Manchester Pullman from May 1985, with a batch of 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 introduced 'entertainment carriages' with at-seat television screens known as Volo TV. The system, which FGW claimed was a "world first", was fitted to Coach D in Standard Class. The service, originally charged for, eventually became free, although users either had to provide their own headphones (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 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, 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail ordered 236 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail were withdrawing sleeper services.
In 1987, ten were leased to Danish State Railways while in 1994, three were sold to Swiss bogie manufacturer Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft for tilt train testing. In 1995 Porterbrook experimentally converted one to a day carriage. GNER 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 of these was purchased by UK 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail Leasing for use as a carriage heater at its Leicester depot in 2016. English Welsh & Scottish investigated converting 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s for use on high speed freight trains.




Future



Many of the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s were scheduled to be withdrawn by 2020. Great Western Railway and London North Eastern Railway sets were replaced by Class 800, 801 and 802 sets.
The East Midlands Railway 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s were withdrawn in May 2021. Former Great Western Railway 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 sleeper sets were withdrawn in October 2019.
Grand Central then withdrew their 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s in 2017. These were transferred to East Midlands Trains.
Great Western Railway and London North Eastern Railway withdrew its 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 sets in 2019, with GWR reforming many 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 sets as 4 car refurbished "Castle" sets.
Greater Anglia withdrew its 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 sets in March 2020.




Preservation


Some former 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 has been preserved at the National Railway Museum site in Shildon since March 2020.




Multiple units based on the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3



The 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark-3-based bodyshells:

DMU Classes
Class 150
Class 210
AC EMU Classes
Class 317
Class 318
Class 319
Class 320
Class 321
Class 322
Class 325
DC EMU Classes
Class 442
Class 455
Class 456
Bi-mode EDMU Classes
Class 768
Class 769
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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/british" target="_blank">British Leyland and have no connection with the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3, neither does the Class 156, built by Metro-Cammell.
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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 and the Networker (train).
Nine 450 Class DMUs were built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works for Northern Ireland Railways using 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 bodyshells and 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 1 underframes, together with refurbished power units and traction motors, recovered from the former Class 70 units.
The last 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark-3-based EMUs built are the Class 325 EMUs built for Royal Mail in 1995.




3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 coaches overseas






= Ireland

=

The Republic of Ireland's national 3/info/rail" target="_blank">rail operator, Iarnród Éireann, ordered 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 and nine 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3A Internationals, which worked only the Dublin–Galway service, branded Cú na Mara 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 doors, 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 cars and five driving van trailers (DVTs) that included passenger seating. There were also a number of accompanying generator vans to supply power.
In 2006–07, Irish 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 4 carriages were introduced on the Dublin-Cork route, with the 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3 coaches displaced to other InterCity routes.
In 2008, Iarnród Éireann began taking delivery of 22000 Class railcars, which led to withdrawal of all 3/info/mark" target="_blank">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 - however, the final cancellation was announced only in 2021. A year later the carriages were transported from Ireland, and in the upcoming time redesigned as Belmond's new luxury train Britannic Explorer, which is scheduled to run from July 2025.
Between 2013 and 2014, most of the Iarnród Éireann 3/info/mark" target="_blank">Mark 3s were scrapped at Waterford, Dundalk, and Adelaide Depot in Belfast.




= Denmark

=
In 1987, ten sleepers were leased to Danish State Railways. They returned in November 1998 and placed in store at MoD Kineton.




= Switzerland

=
In 1994, three sleepers were sold to Swiss bogie manufacturer Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft for tilt train testing.




Gallery



























See also


InterCity 125
Class 43 power cars
Coaching stock of Ireland




References



Cooper, B K (1981). 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail Handbook. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1027-7.
Fox, Peter (1984). Coaching Stock Pocket Book sixth edition. Sheffield: Platform 5. ISBN 0-906579-35-X.
Haresnape, Brian (1979). 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail 1948-78: A Journey Through Design.
Mallaband, P; Bowles, LJ (1976). The Coaching Stock of 3/info/british" target="_blank">British Railways 1976. Oxford: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-39-8. ISBN 0-901115-39-4; (corrected).
Mallaband, P; Bowles, LJ (1980). 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail Coaching Stock 1980. Oxford: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-50-9.




Further reading


Vehicle Diagram Book No. 200 for Loco Hauled Coaches (PDF). Derby: 3/info/british" target="_blank">British Railways Board. January 1989 – via Barrowmore MRG.




External links


Media related to 3/info/british" target="_blank">British 3/info/rail" target="_blank">Rail Mk3 coaches at Wikimedia Commons

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