BR Mark 1 (Suburban) Set

Build Date 1954-1955
Operators British Railways
Livery Crimson
Status: In Service
Owned By
 NNR

BR Mark 1 (Suburban) Set

The Mark 1 family was the final design for UK passenger coaches to be constructed during the steam age. Following nationalisation of the post-war railways in 1948, British Railways continued constructing pre-war designs inherited from the previously merged companies until modernisation dictated their own design of carriage, to be known later as the Mark 1. These aimed to utilise the best elements of all the older designs married to the latest innovations.

They were to become very successful and were produced in great numbers over a ten-year period to a multitude of configurations. Compartment and open saloon types were built including bespoke examples intended for suburban commuting work.

Whilst still belonging to the same Mark 1 family, the lack of corridor connections on the ends and the significantly different door/window arrangements meant that the “suburbans” (or “block enders”) were often considered as a separate fleet, supported by the fact that they often ran on separate duties formed solely of suburban stock.

Preservation

With so many types built, the changing railway during the second half of the 20th century meant that certain types of Mark 1 were made obsolete before others and despite some examples running for over 40 years, others were withdrawn and made available for preservation much earlier.

As vacuum braking and compartments became less favoured, Mark 1’s fitted with such equipment were condemned and made available to heritage railways, including the suburban fleet which had been displaced by multiple units and electrification of the busier routes which suburbans served. Consequently, widespread withdrawals were made in the 1970’s with many suburbans having a lifespan half that of the more successful “mainline” Mark 1’s.

The NNR was steadily growing in the 1970’s, obtaining carriages as finances allowed. It would be some years before mainline Mark 1’s were withdrawn in large numbers but British Railways had surplus Suburbans available by the middle of the decade.

They were thought to be in reasonable condition and had very high seating capacities relevant to their length and weight so were good candidates to be hauled behind the small industrial steam engines that formed the NNR’s fleet at that time, as they could only haul a limited number of carriages over long distances.

Around half a dozen such vehicles were purchased and moved to the NNR, some entering service very quickly whilst others were stored awaiting restoration. The 1980’s and 1990’s saw the suburbans intensively used on most NNR trains.

Regrettably however they were not being restored at a sustainable rate to keep up with their decline and slowly the suburban vehicles became more and more dilapidated with an increasing number stored out of service. The number of doors, so useful for London commuters entering and exiting quickly, had become a curse with corrosion and lack of functionality becoming unmanageable. The resultant water ingress caused much interior damage and by the mid 2000’s only one vehicle was still in NNR service with all the others having seemingly been replaced by the mainline Mark 1 types which had joined the NNR fleet.

The NNR had reached a turning point and it was realised that the suburbans should either be dispensed with, or meaningful resource directed towards a quality restoration project. Fortunately following a successful Heritage Lottery Fund grant a massive scheme to restore a representative fixed set of four suburbans was undertaken in the 2010’s.

A themed set of four vehicles showcased one each of the four surviving configurations to survive in preservation. Two of the four were retained vehicles drawn from the NNR’s original fleet bought in the 1970’s, whilst two more were brought in from other railways as they were in superior condition than their NNR equivalents. Once the “suburban four” had been chosen, the remaining stored vehicles not part of the scheme were sold to other heritage lines.

Following over five years of intensive rebuilding work, the resplendent 4-coach suburban set was formally launched in April 2017 and now operates regularly on supporting services alongside the standard mainline Mark 1 sets. When not in use the set is kept undercover so the NNR is optimistic that the set will remain in good order for far longer than similar vehicles have in the past.

Number Type Built
E43041 Composite Lavatory 1954 Doncaster
E43357 Brake Third 1955 York
W46139 Third 1954 Wolverton
E48001 Third Lavatory Open 1955 Doncaster