British Rail Mark 3 - Usage

Usage

The Mark 3 design proved to be highly adaptable for use in BR's multiple unit stock of the 1980s, with the following classes having Mark 3 based bodyshells:

• AC EMU Classes
  • Class 317
  • Class 318
  • Class 319
  • Class 320
  • Class 321
  • Class 322
• DC EMU Classes
  • Class 442
  • Class 455
  • Class 456
• DMU Classes
  • Class 150
  • Class 210

The Mark 3 bodyshell was also used as the basis for Northern Ireland Railways' 450 Class DMU.

Since 1977, the Royal Train has used nine specially equipped Mark 3 coaches to transport members of the Royal Family. Some of these were rebuilt from the original HST prototype vehicles.

Grand Central, a new open access operator on the ECML, uses HST sets on its newly inaugurated services between London and Sunderland . The Mark 3 coaches are of the loco-hauled type, and so have undergone modifications to their couplers and electrical systems to make them compatible with Class 43 power cars. They have a limited role on the WCML, with the overnight Caledonian Sleeper services between Scotland and London Euston using Mark 3 sleeping cars.

Following the introduction of Virgin Trains' Pendolino electric multiple units on to the WCML, a huge surplus of Mark 3 vehicles was created, ending up in storage at Long Marston. Some of the former Virgin coaches were refurbished and cascaded onto the Great Eastern Main Line, replacing the Mark 2E/2F vehicles which were working London-Norwich services. They also continue to be used by First Great Western on the Great Western Main Line, and East Coast on the East Coast Main Line franchise.

Virgin has retained at least one complete Mark 3 set with a Class 90 locomotive - initially used to cover peak-time Euston-Birmingham services while the Pendolinos underwent modifications, but it is now covering the loss of 390033 which was written off after the Grayrigg derailment in 2007. In July 2009, Virgin refurbished this set - completely repainted into the Pendolino silver/black livery to bring it in line with the newer fleet, with the interiors receiving power sockets at every seat, the addition of WiFi, and new seat covers and carpets in the same style as the Pendolino and Voyager fleets, but the BR vintage seats and interior fittings will remain. Various references can be found on the Internet where railway enthusiasts have nicknamed this set the "Pretendolino".

In January 2007, the first of the refurbished Mark 3 sets for the ECML were unveiled by previous franchisee GNER - these have been internally refitted to the same standard as the "Mallard" Mark 4 stock with the same styles of seating and lighting. The new Mark 3 Mallards have been converted by Wabtec in Doncaster, and the final refurbished set entered service in October 2009.

Cargo-D, a newly established rolling stock logistics company has acquired 18 ex-Virgin West Coast Mark 3 coaches and repainted them in their original British Rail blue/grey livery and Inter-City branding - the first time the livery has been seen on the coach since the late 1980s. The stock is used primarily for the company's own "Rail-Blue" charter operation and has been leased to Wrexham & Shropshire (see below).

Wrexham & Shropshire, an open access operator, introduced four of its own rakes of refurbished Mark 3 coaches pulled by a Class 67 locomotive for its services between London and Wrexham. After the collapse of Wrexham & Shropshire, these rakes are now used on Chiltern Railways services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street. Chiltern is now in the process of acquiring more Mark 3 coaches.

CrossCountry has reinstated HSTs on the CrossCountry franchise in response to criticism of the lack of seating capacity on the Voyager DEMUs used by previous incumbent Virgin Trains. In order to satisfy demand for these new HST sets, it is anticipated that more loco-hauled Mark 3 coaches will need to be converted for HST operation.

These developments will ensure that the vast majority of the Mark 3 fleet will be back in revenue service, assuaging earlier fears that a large number of the coaches may end up being exported or scrapped. Arising out of British Rail's over-provision of stock for sleeper services that have long since been withdrawn, two-thirds of the Mark 3 sleeping car fleet were either stored or scrapped.