British Rail Mark 3

The British Rail 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 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 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 livery at Marylebone in June 2008
File:BR Mk.IIIa TSO No.12604 (8074749189).jpg, Chiltern Railways Mark 3 with retrofitted plug doors at London Marylebone 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 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 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, 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 for the meaning of RSB, TRUK, BFO etc.

Usage

Since 1977, the Royal Train 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 of 220/221 ''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 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, while a few replaced 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.

Mark 3 sleeping cars are used on the ''Night Riviera'' services.

Virgin Trains retained one complete 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 British 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 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 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'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

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 (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 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.

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 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 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 Mark 3A coaches with a 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 Mark 3 carriages, hauled by Class 68 locomotives in push-pull configuration with Mark 3 Driving Van Trailers. 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 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 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

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