British Railways coach designations were a series of letter-codes used to identify different types of coaches, both passenger carrying and non-passenger carrying stock (NPCS). The code was generally painted on the end of the coach but non-gangwayed stock had the code painted on the side.[1] They have been superseded by TOPS design codes.[2]
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway developed systems of identifying railway carriages with alphabetic codes. When British Railways was formed in 1948 it adapted the LNER system.
The codes are made up from a combination of letters, some of which can indicate more than one word; their meaning can only be determined according to their position in the code or the presence of other letters. The letters are:
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| B | Brake van (prefix) |
| Buffet (suffix) | |
| Battery (prefix for multiple unit vehicles) | |
| C | Composite (more than one class of accommodation) |
| D | Driving vehicle (prefix) |
| Disabled accommodation (suffix) | |
| E | Either class of accommodation |
| End vehicle (suffix) | |
| F | First Class |
| G | Gangwayed (e.g. BG - Brake Gangwayed) |
| H | Handbrake |
| HM | Half-motor (prefix on multiple units) Used for vehicles with one traction motor or engine where the Motor type vehicle of that class usually had two |
| K | corridor |
| L | Lavatory (usually shown only in non-gangwayed or diesel multiple unit codes) |
| Lounge (prefix) (but see SL) | |
| M | Motor (powered) vehicle |
| O | Open (i.e. no compartments, or no kitchen in Restaurant cars); O not used for diesel multiple units as most are Open |
| o | Semi-open (i.e. mix of compartments and open) Some books have used so in place of o, to avoid confusion with O |
| P | Pantograph (prefix for electric multiple units) |
| Pantry (suffix) | |
| Pullman (prefix) | |
| Parlour (suffix for Pullman cars) | |
| R | Restaurant |
| RG | Restaurant Griddle |
| RK | Restaurant Kitchen |
| RM | Miniature/Modular Restaurant |
| S | Second Class (Standard Class from May 1985[3]) |
| SL | Sleeper |
| T | Third Class |
| Trailer (prefix for multiple unit vehicles) | |
| Trolley buffet (suffix) | |
| Tourist (prefix for hauled carriages, indicates 2+2 seating) | |
| U | Unclassified accommodation |
| W | Wheelchair Area |
| Y | Four-wheeled vehicle[a] |
| Z | Six-wheeled vehicle[a] |
These letters (except Y and Z) did not usually apply to passenger-rated but goods carrying vans (e.g. parcels vans, horse boxes, milk and fish vans). Their codes were an acronym of their traditional railway description, e.g. GUV for General Utility Vans.
The following list lists those codes that were used on BR cross-referred to the comparable code used by the LMS, with the exception that the letter S ("Second", later "Standard") is used where until 1956 the letter T ("Third") was used. Suffix codes Y or Z are not shown, as these could apply to variants of any or all vehicle types.
In the LNER system, S stood for "Second", a class between First and Third (which latter became Second). The original Second was more or less abolished in the 1870s as a result of the Railway Regulation Act 1844, remaining only in limited use for special services, such as those meeting ships (which retained the three-class system from which railway classifications had originated). In the 1980s, BR renamed Second to Standard. Many of the classifications listed below are no longer used, and some did not survive until the "Standard" designation.
| LNER Code | Description | LMS Code |
|---|---|---|
| B | Brake | |
| BC | Brake Composite | |
| BCK[2] | Brake Composite Corridor | CBB |
| BCL | Brake Composite Lavatory | |
| BCV | BRUTE Carrying Van | |
| BDMBS | Battery Driving Motor Brake Second (Open) | |
| BDMSO | Battery Driving Motor Second Open | |
| BDTCL | Battery Driving Trailer Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| BFB[2] | Bullion Container Flat | |
| BFK[2] | Brake First Corridor | E |
| BFO | Brake First Open | |
| BG[2] | Gangwayed Full Brake | CBR |
| BGP | Brake Gangwayed Pigeon van | |
| BGZ | Brake Gangwayed (6-wheels) | CR |
| BPOT[2] | Brake Post Office Stowage Van | |
| BS[2] | Brake Second | H |
| BSK[2] | Brake Second Corridor | CH |
| BSL | Brake Second Lavatory | LH |
| BSO | Brake Second Open | VH |
| BSOT[2] | Brake Second Open Trolley(Micro Buffet) | |
| BTK[2] | Brake Third Corridor | |
| BUO | Brake Unclassified Open | |
| BZ | Brake (6-wheels) | R |
| C[2] | Composite | BC |
| CCT[2] | Covered Carriage Truck | |
| CK[2] | Corridor Composite | CBC |
| CL[2] | Lavatory Composite | LC |
| CO | Composite Open | VC |
| DBSO | Driving Brake Second Open | |
| DM | Driving Motor | |
| DMB | Driving Motor Brake | |
| DMBC | Driving Motor Brake Composite (Open) | |
| DMBCL | Driving Motor Brake Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| DMBFL | Driving Motor Brake First (Open) Lavatory | |
| DMBS | Driving Motor Brake Second (Open) | |
| DMBSK | Driving Motor Brake Second Corridor | |
| DMBSL | Driving Motor Brake Second (Open) Lavatory | |
| DMBSO | Driving Motor Brake Second Open | |
| DMC | Driving Motor Composite (Open) | |
| DMCL | Driving Motor Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| DMLV | Driving Motor Luggage Van | |
| DMPMV | Driving Motor Parcels & Miscellaneous Van | |
| DMS | Driving Motor Second (Open) | |
| DMSK | Driving Motor Second Corridor | |
| DMSL | Driving Motor Second (Open) Lavatory | |
| DMSO | Driving Motor Second Open | |
| DPTFO | Driving Pantograph Trailer First Open | |
| DPTSO | Driving Pantograph Trailer Standard Open | |
| DTBS | Driving Trailer Brake Second | |
| DTBSO | Driving Trailer Brake Second Open | |
| DTCL | Driving Trailer Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| DTCoL | Driving Trailer Composite Semi-Open Lavatory | |
| DTCOL | Driving Trailer Composite Open Lavatory | |
| DTS | Driving Trailer Second (Open) | |
| DTSo | Driving Trailer Second Semi-Open | |
| DTSO | Driving Trailer Second Open | |
| DTSOL | Driving Trailer Second Open Lavatory | |
| DTSOW | Driving Trailer Second Open Wheelchair | |
| DVT | Driving Van Trailer | |
| F | First | L |
| FK[2] | First Corridor | CL |
| FL | First Lavatory | LM |
| FO[2] | First Open | QL |
| FOT | First Open Trolley | |
| GUV[2] | General Utility Van | |
| HB[2] | Horse Box< | |
| IFV | Insulated Fish Van | |
| KB[2] | Kitchen Buffet(no seats, later RKB) | |
| LFK[2] | Lounge First | |
| M | Motor | |
| MBRSM | Motor Brake Restaurant Second Modular | |
| MBS | Motor Brake Second | |
| MBSK | Motor Brake Second Corridor | |
| MBSO | Motor Brake Second Open | |
| MFLRK | Motor First (Open) Lavatory Restaurant Kitchen | |
| MLV | Motor Luggage Van | |
| MS | Motor Second (Open) | |
| MSL | Motor Second (Open) Lavatory | |
| MSLRB | Motor Second Lavatory Restaurant Buffet | |
| MSO | Motor Second Open | |
| NPV[2] | Newspaper Van< | |
| OCT | Open Carriage Truck | |
| PCP | Pullman Composite Parlour | |
| PCV | Parcels Van[2] Propelling Control Vehicle | |
| PFB | Pullman First Brake | |
| PFK | Pullman First Kitchen | |
| PFP | Pullman First Parlour | |
| PMV | Parcels & Miscellaneous Van | |
| POS[2] | Post Office Sorting Van | POR |
| POT[2] | Post Office Stowage Van | PPR |
| PSB | Pullman Second Brake | |
| PSP | Pullman Second Parlour | |
| PTSO | Pantograph Trailer Second Open | |
| RB[2] | Restaurant Buffet | |
| BRK[2] | Restaurant Buffet (larger kitchen) | |
| RBR[2] | Restaurant Buffet Refurbished< | |
| RBS[2] | Restaurant Unclassed (proper buffet) | |
| RC | Restaurant Composite | Compo RKC |
| RCO | Restaurant Composite Open | VC Dining |
| RE | Griddle[2] | |
| RF[2] | Restaurant First | First RKC |
| RFB | Restaurant First Buffet | |
| RFM | Restaurant First Modular | |
| RFO[2] | Restaurant First Open | QL Dining |
| RG | Restaurant Griddle | |
| RK[2] | Kitchen Car | KC |
| RKB[2] | Kitchen Buffet (no seats) | BRC |
| RLO | Restaurant Lounge Open | |
| RMB[2] | Restaurant Miniature Buffet | |
| RS | Restaurant Second | Third RKC |
| RSO[2] | Restaurant Second Open (without kitchen) | QF Dining |
| RU[2] | Unclassified Restaurant< | Common RKC |
| RUB[2] | Restaurant Unclassified (makeshift buffet) | |
| RUK | Restaurant Unclassified Kitchen | |
| RUO[2] | Restaurant Unclassified Open (with kitchen) | |
| S | Standard | F |
| SCV | Special Cattle Van | |
| SD[2] | Saloon Discoteque< | |
| SK[2] | Corridor Second | CF |
| SLB[2] | Bullion Van | |
| SLC[2] | Sleeper Composite< | CSC |
| SLCP[2] | Sleeper Composite with Pantry | |
| SLE | Sleeper Either Class | |
| SLEP[2] | Sleeper Either Class with Pantry | |
| SLF[2] | Sleeper First< | SC |
| SLO[2] | Open Second with Lavatory (Non-gangwayed) | |
| SLSTP[2] | Sleeper Second Twin-Berth with Pantry | SCT |
| SLO | Second Lavatory Open (within carriage) | |
| SO[2] | Open Second | QF |
| SO(NG)[2] | Second Open (non-gangwayed) | |
| SPV | Special Parcels Van | |
| TBCK | Trailer Brake Composite Corridor | |
| TBF | Trailer Brake First (Open) | |
| TBFK | Trailer Brake First Corridor | |
| TBSK | Trailer Brake Second Corridor | |
| TBSL | Trailer Brake Second (Open) Lavatory | |
| TC | Trailer Composite (Open) | |
| TCC | Trailer Catering Composite (Open) | |
| TCK | Trailer Composite Corridor | |
| TCL | Trailer Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| TCoL | Trailer Composite Semi-Open Lavatory | |
| TCOL | Trailer Composite Open Lavatory | |
| TCV | Tiered Car Carrier[2] | |
| TF | Trailer First (Open) | |
| TFD | Trailer First Disabled (Open) | |
| TFK | Trailer First Corridor | |
| TFKRB | Trailer First Corridor Restaurant Buffet | |
| TFL | Trailer First (Open) Lavatory | |
| TFLRB | Trailer First (Open) Lavatory Restaurant Buffet | |
| TFLRK | Trailer First (Open) Lavatory Restaurant Kitchen | |
| TFOLH | Trailer First Open Lavatory Handbrake | |
| TGS | Trailer Guard Second (Open) | |
| TGFB | Trailer Guard First Buffet (Open) | |
| TO | Third Open[2] | |
| TOV[2] | Third Open Vestibuled (Later reclassified TSO) | |
| TRB | Trailer Restaurant Buffet | |
| TRFB | Trailer Restaurant First Buffet | |
| TRFM | Trailer Restaurant First Modular | |
| TRSB | Trailer Restaurant Standard Buffet | |
| TRUB | Trailer Restaurant Unclassified Buffet | |
| TRUK | Trailer Restaurant Unclassified Kitchen | |
| TS | Trailer Second (Open) | |
| TSD | Trailer Second Disabled (Open) | |
| TSD(V) | Trailer Second Disabled (Variant) (Open) | |
| TSK | Trailer Second Corridor | |
| TSL | Trailer Second (Open) Lavatory | |
| TSLRB | Trailer Second (Open) Lavatory Restaurant Buffet | |
| TSo | Trailer Second Semi-Open | |
| TSO | Tourist Second Open[2] or Trailer Second Open | |
| TSOL | Trailer Second Open Lavatory | |
| TSORB | Trailer Second Open Restaurant Buffet | |
| TSOT | Tourist Second Open Trolley | |
| TU | Trailer Unclassified (Open) | |
| VFV | Ventilated Fruit Van |
Note that in modern usage, composite semi-open vehicles are classified Cso - the s signifying that the Standard portion is open (implying that the First portion is compartments with corridor).