British Rail Mark 5
Encyclopedia
The British Rail Mark 5 was the designation given to the planned passenger rolling stock for the InterCity 250
project.
, which would be descended from the similar Mark 4
stock in service on the East Coast Main Line
. The profile of the Mark 5 coaches was designed for non-tilting operation unlike the briefly contemplated use of tilting "Mark 4 T" stock on the West Coast Main Line
which is evident in the sloping sides of the Mark 4 coaches.
locomotive, eight or nine 26 m long passenger coaches and a Driving Van Trailer
. The coaches would be capable of 155 mph (250 km/h) and were specified to be equivalent in weight to the shorter Mark 4 coaches, which were felt to be overweight. The decision to increase the length of the coaches to 26 m from the 23 m of the Mark 4 was dictated by reduced maintenance costs following British Rail studies which indicated that such a length was feasible within the UK loading gauge. Indeed in 1987 British Rail had considered increasing the length of the Mark 4 to 25.5 m but the in-service date of 1989 and complexity of changing the design to suit caused the variation order to be shelved.
The Mark 5 coaches would have been streamlined, with powered plug fit doors, while the interior of mockups (designed by FM Design, and constructed within marine plywood enclosures at British Rail's Engineering Development Unit, in the Railway Technical Centre, Derby, England during 1991) indicated a 2+2 seating arrangement in standard class (88 seats per coach) with 2+1 in first class (52 seats per coach). The Driving Van Trailer
(DVT) would also have come under the Mark 5 project remit. These would have resembled the Class 93
locomotives, with luggage space and a driving cab, similar to those commissioned for the InterCity 225 project.
Creating the Class 93's alone would have cost £380 million. With limited funding after the East Coast Main Line
project was completed, the costs were deemed too high, and the project was terminated.
, who have operated the West Coast Main Line
franchise since the Privatisation of British Rail
, commissioned new rolling stock in the form of Class 390
electric multiple unit
s—rather than the Class 93 locomotive and separate Mark 5 carriages proposed by British Rail. Current Network Rail track design standards use the Mark 5 coach to represent coaching stock with a 19m bogie centre .
InterCity 250
InterCity 250 was the name of a proposed rolling stock, track and signalling upgrade project on the West Coast Main Line by British Rail in the early 1990s. The InterCity 250 train would have consisted of a Class 93 electric locomotive, nine Mark 5 coaches and a Mark 5 Driving Van Trailer...
project.
Background
The Mark 5 project was intended to produce new rolling stock for the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, which would be descended from the similar Mark 4
British Rail Mark 4
British Rail's fourth design of passenger carriages was designated Mark 4, designed for use in InterCity 225 sets on the newly-electrified East Coast Main Line between London, Leeds, and Edinburgh.-History and construction:...
stock in service on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. The profile of the Mark 5 coaches was designed for non-tilting operation unlike the briefly contemplated use of tilting "Mark 4 T" stock on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
which is evident in the sloping sides of the Mark 4 coaches.
Project description
The initial intention of InterCity 250 was to build 30 full trains, each consisting of a Class 93British Rail Class 93
British Rail Class 93 is the traction classification assigned to the electric locomotives that were to enter service as part of British Rail's InterCity 250 project on the West Coast Main Line ....
locomotive, eight or nine 26 m long passenger coaches and a Driving Van Trailer
Driving Van Trailer
A Driving Van Trailer is a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train. Trains operating with a DVT therefore do not require the locomotive to be moved around to the other end of the train at terminal stations...
. The coaches would be capable of 155 mph (250 km/h) and were specified to be equivalent in weight to the shorter Mark 4 coaches, which were felt to be overweight. The decision to increase the length of the coaches to 26 m from the 23 m of the Mark 4 was dictated by reduced maintenance costs following British Rail studies which indicated that such a length was feasible within the UK loading gauge. Indeed in 1987 British Rail had considered increasing the length of the Mark 4 to 25.5 m but the in-service date of 1989 and complexity of changing the design to suit caused the variation order to be shelved.
The Mark 5 coaches would have been streamlined, with powered plug fit doors, while the interior of mockups (designed by FM Design, and constructed within marine plywood enclosures at British Rail's Engineering Development Unit, in the Railway Technical Centre, Derby, England during 1991) indicated a 2+2 seating arrangement in standard class (88 seats per coach) with 2+1 in first class (52 seats per coach). The Driving Van Trailer
Driving Van Trailer
A Driving Van Trailer is a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train. Trains operating with a DVT therefore do not require the locomotive to be moved around to the other end of the train at terminal stations...
(DVT) would also have come under the Mark 5 project remit. These would have resembled the Class 93
British Rail Class 93
British Rail Class 93 is the traction classification assigned to the electric locomotives that were to enter service as part of British Rail's InterCity 250 project on the West Coast Main Line ....
locomotives, with luggage space and a driving cab, similar to those commissioned for the InterCity 225 project.
Creating the Class 93's alone would have cost £380 million. With limited funding after the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
project was completed, the costs were deemed too high, and the project was terminated.
Legacy
After the InterCity 250 project was scrapped, Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
, who have operated the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
franchise since the Privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
, commissioned new rolling stock in the form of Class 390
British Rail Class 390
The Class 390 Pendolino is a type of train used in Great Britain. They are electric multiple units using Fiat's tilting train pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fifty-three 9-car units were originally built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line , with...
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—rather than the Class 93 locomotive and separate Mark 5 carriages proposed by British Rail. Current Network Rail track design standards use the Mark 5 coach to represent coaching stock with a 19m bogie centre .