British Rail Mark 4
Encyclopedia
British Rail
's fourth design of passenger carriages was designated Mark 4, designed for use in InterCity 225
sets on the newly-electrified East Coast Main Line
between London
, Leeds
, and Edinburgh
.
and Mark 3
designs, the coaches were built between 1989 and 1992 by Metro-Cammell/GEC-Alsthom at its Washwood Heath
works in Birmingham
. The whole fleet of 302 vehicles is currently operated by East Coast
in 30 fixed formations of nine coaches with a Driving Van Trailer
and Class 91 locomotive
.
The Mark 4 is an all-steel coach incorporating a number of improvements over the Mark 3 stock that preceded it, notably the inclusion of automatic pushbutton operated plug-type doors in place of the earlier manually operated slam-doors. After a period of evaluation in 1988, Swiss SIG type BT41 bogies were selected rather than BREL type T4 bogies when BREL could not provide commercial guarantees on the demanding lateral ride comfort required for 140 mph running. However during the first year of operation in 1989 complaints were made about the "lively" ride of the coaches, this required modifications to the damper and spring rates of the bogies and the fitting of inter-coach "car coupler dampers" to further improve damping between the vehicles.. Disabled access was another priority of the design, so the door vestibules were enlarged to allow a more generous turning circle for a wheelchair. With the ever-increasing spectre of overcrowding the so-called 'gangway passenger' had become an important consideration, so the vestibule environment was improved with carpeted walls, better lighting, sealed gangways and carriage doors, and four flip-down seats per vestibule (since removed).
Many of these innovations came courtesy of the abandoned Advanced Passenger Train
, upon which the Mark 4 was heavily based. This influence was most obvious with the Mark 4's profiled sides, which were intended to allow the retrofitting of tilt mechanism equipped bogies derived from the much criticised APT. This would have allowed up to 6° of tilt; modified coaches would then have been designated "Mark 4 T" but this plan was abandoned by BR in January 1986. British Rail's initial business case for the Mark 4 anticipated them also being operated on the West Coast Main Line as a follow-on order after the East Coast Main Line electrification. After the failure of the InterCity 250
project to gain Treasury support, British Rail ordered a small number of Class 90
locomotives, which were used to supplement existing locomotives on the West Coast Main Line until the introduction of Class 390 'Pendolino'
units a decade later.
The Mark 4, like the Mark 3 before it, has gained widespread praise in the railway industry for its exceptional crashworthiness, something that was proven in the Hatfield
and Selby
crashes, where experts identified the integral construction of the vehicles as being a key factor in restricting the death toll.
The Class 158
and Class 159
diesel multiple units, although superficially similar, are not based on the Mark 4 bodyshell, however the Mark 4 is derived from the Class 156
.
Unlike Mark 2 and Mark 3 carriages, the Mark 4 design was not adopted by Iarnród Éireann
(Irish Rail); the IÉ Mark 4 push-pull carriages introduced in mid-2006 are of a different design, manufactured by the Spanish manufacturer CAF
.
Via Rail
uses carriages derived from British Rail's Mark 4 on some of their inter-city and sleeper services in Canada. These carriages were built for the abortive Nightstar
services to Europe, and adapted by Bombardier Transportation
to meet Canadian service requirements.
The Mark 4 was the first BR vehicle not to use the iconic Rail Alphabet
typeface for any of its interior signage and operating notices.
undertook a rebuilding and refurbishment programme for the Mark 4 stock, called Project Mallard. Trains with these rebuilt coaches became known as Mallards, to distinguish them from unrefurbished sets during the upgrade programme, named after the Mallard steam locomotive, (which was built in the 1930s by the London and North Eastern Railway
, and holds the world speed record for steam locomotive
s).
The Mallard refit gave the Mark 4s all-new interiors with new seats and carpeting, and power points at every seat for charging laptops and powering appliances. The vestibule areas lost their flip-down seats near the entrances, and perch-type seats were put in their place. As part of the Mallard programme, the buffet coach in each set was turned around and half-converted to provide more standard-class seating. Wheelchair-width doors were fitted and the overall seating capacity
of a full-length train was increased by fitting airline-style seats in place of the previous groupings of pairs of seats facing each other across a table.
The buffet was remodelled as 'cafe-bar' in a similar style to the 'shop' concept developed by Virgin
on their Voyager
and Pendolino
trains. However, the range of products offered by GNER was smaller than on Virgin trains: they did not sell CDs or magazines, for example.
GNER introduced wireless Internet connectivity as a trial from December 2003, and introduced it into service from April 2004, making it the first service of its kind in the United Kingdom (similar services are now offered by Virgin Trains
and Southern
). All Mallard trains now offer 802.11b/g wireless LAN
access to the Internet
. Prior to National Express East Coast (NXEC) taking over the franchise on Sunday 9 December 2007, access to the Internet was free in first class and chargeable in standard class. With the advent of the new franchise, access to the Internet became free for all passengers. In October 2010, under the temporary Directly Operated Railways
ownership, East Coast reintroduced charges for standard class passengers. After a free 15-minute period, access can be purchased for £4.95 an hour or £9.95 for 24 hours .
liveries. The new livery will be applied during a vehicle overhaul at Wabtec Rail in Doncaster. The new livery has been dubbed 'Silver Link', is similar to the one used for temporary franchise holder East Coast
The first rake of vehicles to be repainted left the Doncaster works on Friday 20 June 2010.
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
's fourth design of passenger carriages was designated Mark 4, designed for use in InterCity 225
InterCity 225
The InterCity 225 is a locomotive-hauled domestic train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer...
sets on the newly-electrified East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
History and construction
A small build compared to the earlier Mark 2British Rail Mark 2
The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975...
and Mark 3
British Rail Mark 3
British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
designs, the coaches were built between 1989 and 1992 by Metro-Cammell/GEC-Alsthom at its Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath
Washwood Heath is a ward in Birmingham, within the formal district of Hodge Hill, roughly two miles north-east of Birmingham city centre, England...
works in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The whole fleet of 302 vehicles is currently operated by East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
in 30 fixed formations of nine coaches with a Driving Van Trailer
Driving Van Trailer
A Driving Van Trailer is a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train. Trains operating with a DVT therefore do not require the locomotive to be moved around to the other end of the train at terminal stations...
and Class 91 locomotive
British Rail Class 91
The British Rail Class 91 is a class of , electric locomotives ordered as a component of the East Coast Main Line modernisation and electrification programme of the late 1980s. The Class 91s were given the auxiliary name of InterCity 225 to indicate their envisaged top speed of...
.
The Mark 4 is an all-steel coach incorporating a number of improvements over the Mark 3 stock that preceded it, notably the inclusion of automatic pushbutton operated plug-type doors in place of the earlier manually operated slam-doors. After a period of evaluation in 1988, Swiss SIG type BT41 bogies were selected rather than BREL type T4 bogies when BREL could not provide commercial guarantees on the demanding lateral ride comfort required for 140 mph running. However during the first year of operation in 1989 complaints were made about the "lively" ride of the coaches, this required modifications to the damper and spring rates of the bogies and the fitting of inter-coach "car coupler dampers" to further improve damping between the vehicles.. Disabled access was another priority of the design, so the door vestibules were enlarged to allow a more generous turning circle for a wheelchair. With the ever-increasing spectre of overcrowding the so-called 'gangway passenger' had become an important consideration, so the vestibule environment was improved with carpeted walls, better lighting, sealed gangways and carriage doors, and four flip-down seats per vestibule (since removed).
Many of these innovations came courtesy of the abandoned Advanced Passenger Train
Advanced Passenger Train
The Advanced Passenger Train was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s....
, upon which the Mark 4 was heavily based. This influence was most obvious with the Mark 4's profiled sides, which were intended to allow the retrofitting of tilt mechanism equipped bogies derived from the much criticised APT. This would have allowed up to 6° of tilt; modified coaches would then have been designated "Mark 4 T" but this plan was abandoned by BR in January 1986. British Rail's initial business case for the Mark 4 anticipated them also being operated on the West Coast Main Line as a follow-on order after the East Coast Main Line electrification. After the failure of the InterCity 250
InterCity 250
InterCity 250 was the name of a proposed rolling stock, track and signalling upgrade project on the West Coast Main Line by British Rail in the early 1990s. The InterCity 250 train would have consisted of a Class 93 electric locomotive, nine Mark 5 coaches and a Mark 5 Driving Van Trailer...
project to gain Treasury support, British Rail ordered a small number of Class 90
British Rail Class 90
The British Rail Class 90 electric locomotives were built by BREL at Crewe from 1987-1990. Each locomotive weighs 84.5 tonnes and has a top speed of . They operate from 25 kV AC overhead wires and produce...
locomotives, which were used to supplement existing locomotives on the West Coast Main Line until the introduction of Class 390 'Pendolino'
British Rail Class 390
The Class 390 Pendolino is a type of train used in Great Britain. They are electric multiple units using Fiat's tilting train pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fifty-three 9-car units were originally built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line , with...
units a decade later.
The Mark 4, like the Mark 3 before it, has gained widespread praise in the railway industry for its exceptional crashworthiness, something that was proven in the Hatfield
Hatfield rail crash
The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. Although the accident killed fewer than other accidents, Hatfield exposed the major stewardship shortcomings of the privatised national railway infrastructure company Railtrack and the failings of...
and Selby
Selby rail crash
The Great Heck rail crash, widely known as the Selby rail crash, was a high-speed train accident that occurred at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, England on the morning of 28 February 2001...
crashes, where experts identified the integral construction of the vehicles as being a key factor in restricting the death toll.
The Class 158
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
and Class 159
British Rail Class 159
The British Rail Class 159 is a class of diesel multiple unit of the Sprinter family, built in 1989 - 1992 by BREL at the Derby Carriage and Wagon Works as Class 158...
diesel multiple units, although superficially similar, are not based on the Mark 4 bodyshell, however the Mark 4 is derived from the Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
.
Unlike Mark 2 and Mark 3 carriages, the Mark 4 design was not adopted by Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
(Irish Rail); the IÉ Mark 4 push-pull carriages introduced in mid-2006 are of a different design, manufactured by the Spanish manufacturer CAF
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
.
Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
uses carriages derived from British Rail's Mark 4 on some of their inter-city and sleeper services in Canada. These carriages were built for the abortive Nightstar
Nightstar (train)
The Nightstar was a proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of Britain to continental Europe, via the Channel Tunnel. To run alongside the Eurostar and north of London day time Regional Eurostar services, the Nightstar was the last part in a round the clock passenger train...
services to Europe, and adapted by Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
to meet Canadian service requirements.
The Mark 4 was the first BR vehicle not to use the iconic Rail Alphabet
Rail Alphabet
Rail Alphabet is a typeface designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert for British Railways. First used by them in signing tests at London's Liverpool Street Station, it was then adopted by the Design Research Unit as part of their comprehensive 1965 rebranding of the company.Rail Alphabet is...
typeface for any of its interior signage and operating notices.
Project Mallard
Between late 2003 and April 2006, GNER (the former franchise owner) and Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
undertook a rebuilding and refurbishment programme for the Mark 4 stock, called Project Mallard. Trains with these rebuilt coaches became known as Mallards, to distinguish them from unrefurbished sets during the upgrade programme, named after the Mallard steam locomotive, (which was built in the 1930s by the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
, and holds the world speed record for steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s).
The Mallard refit gave the Mark 4s all-new interiors with new seats and carpeting, and power points at every seat for charging laptops and powering appliances. The vestibule areas lost their flip-down seats near the entrances, and perch-type seats were put in their place. As part of the Mallard programme, the buffet coach in each set was turned around and half-converted to provide more standard-class seating. Wheelchair-width doors were fitted and the overall seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of a full-length train was increased by fitting airline-style seats in place of the previous groupings of pairs of seats facing each other across a table.
The buffet was remodelled as 'cafe-bar' in a similar style to the 'shop' concept developed by Virgin
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
on their Voyager
British Rail Class 220
The Class 220 Voyager are a class of diesel-electric high-speed multiple-unit trains built by Bombardier Transportation in 2000 and 2001....
and Pendolino
British Rail Class 390
The Class 390 Pendolino is a type of train used in Great Britain. They are electric multiple units using Fiat's tilting train pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fifty-three 9-car units were originally built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line , with...
trains. However, the range of products offered by GNER was smaller than on Virgin trains: they did not sell CDs or magazines, for example.
GNER introduced wireless Internet connectivity as a trial from December 2003, and introduced it into service from April 2004, making it the first service of its kind in the United Kingdom (similar services are now offered by Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
and Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
). All Mallard trains now offer 802.11b/g wireless LAN
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
access to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Prior to National Express East Coast (NXEC) taking over the franchise on Sunday 9 December 2007, access to the Internet was free in first class and chargeable in standard class. With the advent of the new franchise, access to the Internet became free for all passengers. In October 2010, under the temporary Directly Operated Railways
Directly Operated Railways
Directly Operated Railways Ltd is the name given to a holding company set up by the Department for Transport in the United Kingdom. DOR took over the running of services on the East Coast franchise from 13 November 2009 and operates under the trading name of East Coast through its subsidiary East...
ownership, East Coast reintroduced charges for standard class passengers. After a free 15-minute period, access can be purchased for £4.95 an hour or £9.95 for 24 hours .
2010 refurbishment
In 2010, the Mark 4 coaches will be externally refurbished with a new livery to replace the existing mix of GNER/NXECNational Express East Coast
National Express East Coast was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running high speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, as part of the East Coast passenger franchise...
liveries. The new livery will be applied during a vehicle overhaul at Wabtec Rail in Doncaster. The new livery has been dubbed 'Silver Link', is similar to the one used for temporary franchise holder East Coast
East Coast (train operating company)
East Coast is a British train operating company running high-speed passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland...
The first rake of vehicles to be repainted left the Doncaster works on Friday 20 June 2010.