Category:BR Carriage classification codes

Carriage class and internal layout

For passenger carriages, one letter indicated the class of carriage, normally F (First), S (Second, later Standard), T (Third) or C (CompositeCarriage having more than one class of seating, ie First and Third or latterly First and Standard., ie more than one class). A second letter would indicate the layout, typically O (Open) or K (Corridor). Thus a carriage with Third Class compartments off a corridor would be designated TK.

The letter T when used as a prefix to another carriage class meant ‘Tourist’, indicating 2+2 seating, for example TSO (Tourist Standard Open).

Guard's compartment

The code for carriages including a guard’s compartment would be prefixed by B (Brake), for example BTK. A carriage with a guard’s compartment and a through gangway for passenger access, but with no passenger seating was designated BG (Brake Gangwayed). A specialised form, BGP, indicated a Pigeon-van.

Restaurant carriages

Carriages with catering facilities, or whose principal use was for dining, were normally prefixed R (Restaurant). B as a suffix indicated Buffet. Common forms included RB (Buffet with cooking facilities) and RMB (Restaurant Miniature Buffet, serving snacks).

Other variants

The suffix Z indicated a 6-wheeled vehicle (for example the Barry Railway Composite coach is designated CZ).

Certain letter combinations were entirely descriptive; these included ROY (Royal Coach), INSP (Inspection Saloon), SLEP (Mk 3 Sleeper), GUVGeneral Utility Van, formerly used to transport mail and parcels (General Utility Van) and POS (Post Office Sorting)

See also

List of Carriages