The Southern Railway gave the designation 5BEL

SR multiple unit numbering and classification

The Southern Railway created classification and numbering systems for its large fleet of electric multiple units that were perpetuated by the Southern Region of British Rail until the early 1980s, when the impact of TOPS was felt...

 to the 5-car all-Pullman

Pullman train (UK)

Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company.-Origins:...

 electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

s which worked the prestigious Brighton Belle

Brighton Belle

The Brighton Belle was a named train which ran on the Southern Railway from Victoria Station in London to Brighton, on the Sussex coast. The first electric all-Pullman service in the world, it ran from 29 June 1934 till 30 April 1972.-History:...

trains between London Victoria and Brighton. These units survived long enough in British Rail

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...

 ownership to be allocated TOPS

TOPS

Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...

 Class 403. Between 1933 and 1935 the units were designated 5PUL (the 'PUL' code was then used for the 6PUL

SR Class 6Pul

The Southern Railway gave the designations 6-PUL, 6-CITY and 6-PAN to electric multiple units built to work the routes between London and Brighton, West Worthing and Eastbourne. None of these units survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated a TOPS class number...

 units).

Construction

The SR electrified the London Victoria to Brighton line in the early 1930s, and full electric services commenced over the route from 1 January 1933. For the high-profile Southern Belle Pullman train three five-car units, consisting entirely of Pullman cars, were built. All fifteen cars were built by Metropolitan Cammell. In June 1934 the Southern Railway renamed the Southern Belle as the Brighton Belle.

As they were Pullman cars, owned by the independent Pullman Car Company, the individual carriages were numbered in its series, taking numbers 279 to 293, and the first class cars were given ladies' name while the third (from June 1956, second) class cars carried less-inspiring Car No xx designations, derived from the second and third digits of the Pullman Car Company's number. However, the units together were allocated numbers in the SR series, originally taking 2051-2053, which was revised in January 1937 to 3051-3053.

Formations

Three different car types were built - Driving Motor Brake Parlour Third (DMBPT), Trailer Parlour First with Kitchen (TPFK), and Trailer Parlour Third (TPT). Initial formations of these units were as follows:

Unit Numbers	DMBPT	TPFK	TPFK	TPT	DMBPT
2051 / 3051	288 Car No 88	279 Hazel	282 Doris	286 Car No 86	289 Car No 89
2052 / 3052	290 Car No 90	280 Audrey	284 Vera	287 Car No 87	291 Car No 91
2053 / 3053	292 Car No 92	281 Gwen	283 Mona	285 Car No 85	293 Car No 93

Withdrawal and preservation

The last Brighton Belle train ran on 30 April 1972, and the three 5BEL units were withdrawn. However all fifteen cars were sold into private ownership, though no unit was kept together as a single entity. Instead they have been split up and each vehicle is used as an individual Pullman car, not all in railway use however. A number have been returned to service on the main line with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express

Venice-Simplon Orient Express

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a private luxury train service that travels from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express....

 (VSOE), forming the British Pullman charter train. Under the patronage of The Transport Trust

Transport Trust

The Transport Trust runs the Our Transport Heritage programme which places Red Wheel plaques on especially important sites of transport heritage and, through the programme's website , links together some one thousand transport heritage sites around Britain...

, a campaign to return the Brighton Belle to mainline service was launched by the 5BEL Trust http://www.brightonbelle.com in 2008. The trust assembled a four-car set in early 2009, with support from VSOE and the North Norfolk Railway

North Norfolk Railway

The North Norfolk Railway – also known as the "Poppy Line" – is a heritage steam railway in Norfolk, England, running between the coastal town of Sheringham and Holt, It cuts through the countryside to the east of Weybourne with views of its windmill and passes through the well preserved country...

, and has begun refurbishment of the cars to an exacting standard. A fifth car, No.282 'Doris', was acquired from the Bluebell Railway in 2011. The aim is ultimately to return the Brighton Belle to mainline service.

The table below sets out the current position:

Number	Name	Location		Number	Name	Location		Number	Name	Location
279	Hazel	Privately owned, Moulton		280	Audrey	VSOE, in service		281	Gwen	VSOE, in service
282	Doris	5BEL Trust, to be restored		283	Mona	VSOE, stored		284	Vera	VSOE, in service
285	Car No 85	5BEL Trust, under restoration		286	Car No 86	VSOE, stored		287	Car No 87	5BEL Trust, under restoration
288	Car No 88	5BEL Trust, under restoration		289	Car No 89	Privately owned, Rowarth		290	Car No 90	Destroyed by fire in 1991
291	Car No 91	5BEL Trust, under restoration		292	Car No 92	VSOE, stored		293	Car No 93	VSOE, stored