Development
The prototype Mark 2, FK 13252, was built in 1963 and is now preserved by the National Railway Museum, based at the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
| Design | Built | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Mark 2 | 1964–66 | The basic model, with pressure ventilation and wood panelling. Fitted with vacuum brakes, so they could run with Mark 1 stock. Dual heating steam/electric. Originally fitted with folding gangway doors but these proved troublesome and were replaced with Mk1 style swinging or sliding doors (depending on coach type). Later some were fitted with air disc brakes for Edinburgh - Glasgow Push-Pull services with class 27s, which replaced Inter-City Class 126 DMUs. |
| Mark 2A | 1967–68 | Adoption of more features from the XP64 set. Air braked so had to run in dedicated sets. Green folding plastic gangway doors and vestibule ends. |
| Mark 2B | 1969 | Centre door omitted and wide wrap-round doors at the ends. Space saved by removal of the centre vestibule used to move toilets to one at each end instead of two at one end, as previously. Red folding plastic gangway doors and vestibule ends. |
| Mark 2C | 1969–70 | As Mk2b, with lowered ceiling with provision for ducts for air conditioning (never fitted). Red folding plastic gangway doors and vestibule ends. |
| Mark 2D | 1971–72 | Air conditioned so no opening windows in the seating area, glass area reduced, windows tinted. Electric heating only from here onward. Mk2d FKs and BFKs were the last locomotive-hauled side-corridor compartment coaches constructed for British Railways, other than sleeping cars. Red folding plastic gangway doors and vestibule ends. |
| Mark 2E | 1972–74 | Luggage racks fitted opposite toilet cubicles, which were reduced in size. Cream folding plastic gangway doors and vestibule ends. |
| Mark 2F | 1973–75 | Interior panelling made of plastic, new-style seating, automatic gangway doors, lower bodyside heaters. These features had first debuted on the Mark 3 prototypes. Cream folding plastic gangway doors and vestibule ends. |
The final Mark 2 carriage was departmental 999550, in 1977. It is still in service with Network Rail as part of the Track Recording Coach. The later versions (2D onwards) look similar to the later Mark 3 design. The Mark 3 is longer (75 feet as opposed to 64 feet 6 inches), has a large skirting between the bogies to conceal the ancillary equipment, and has a ridged roof as opposed to the smooth roof of the Mark 2. The development of the High Speed Train overlapped with that of the final production run, and the Mark 2F "previewed" many features incorporated into the Mark 3, such as new seating, plastic interior panelling, and floor-sensor-operated automatic gangway doors.
Unlike Mark 1 coaches, built by a wide range of manufacturers, both BR workshops and private builders, all production Mark 2 (and Mark 3) coaches were built on a single assembly line at the BR carriage works at Derby.
Read more about this topic: British Railways Mark 2
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