British carriage and wagon numbering and classification
Encyclopedia
A number of different numbering and classification schemes have been used for carriages and wagons on Britain's railways, and this page explains the principal systems. Carriages and wagons (either not self-propelled, or part of a multiple unit which has power units distributed throughout a semi-permanent formation of carriages) have frequently had similar arrangements for classification and numbering, so are considered together. There are also links to other pages that deal in greater depth with the particulars of individual types.

Note on classification

Carriage and wagon classification has never been quite the same as locomotive and multiple unit classification
British Rail locomotive and multiple unit numbering and classification
A number of different numbering and classification schemes were used for locomotives and multiple units operated by British Railways , and this page explains the principal systems...

. For most railways, specific types were identified by their Diagram Number. This could simply be arranged by consecutive number, or there could be some greater organisation of numbers so that similar types were grouped together.

However, carriages and wagons have rarely been referred to in general terms by their Diagram Number. Instead, there have been a variety of other codes and designations, which have referred to generic designs rather than specific types. For instance, there were the BR (adapted from the LNER system) and LMS carriage codes
British Rail coach designations
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway both developed a system of identifying railway carriages by means of alphabetic codes...

, which indicated interior layout or usage. The GWR identified their non-passenger carriages and wagons through a series of animal designations, including sealife for departmental (non-revenue earning) stock, followed by a letter to illustrate detail differences, e.g. Beetle A.

Therefore the majority of the sections below deal solely with carriage and wagon numbering series, though where a particular classification system was used, this is also described.

Pre-nationalisation arrangements

Before nationalisation in 1948, each railway company devised its own numbering arrangements.
  • The Great Western Railway
    Great Western Railway
    The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

     and London, Midland and Scottish Railway
    London, Midland and Scottish Railway
    The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...

     (from 1933) adopted a system which allocated number ranges within one series for different types.

  • The Southern Railway followed a similar approach, but used two series; one for passenger carriages and one for non-passenger carriages.

  • The London and North Eastern Railway
    London and North Eastern Railway
    The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...

     numbered its carriages so that the first digit indicated which area it was allocated to.

  • The Great Western Railway
    Great Western Railway
    The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

     Diagram Numbers included a letter to indicate the general layout or usage followed by a serial number issued consecutively.

British Railways

British Railways inherited the stock of the 'Big Four' companies upon Nationalisation in 1948, and also a substantial number of former 'Private Owner' wagons. It also inherited the stock of the Pullman Car Company, when it was nationalised in the late 1950s.

Arrangements at Nationalisation

After Nationalisation, the numbers of carriages and wagons inherited from the 'Big Four' companies were left unchanged, but were differentiated by the addition of a prefix letter to show where they had originated from, as follows:
E: London & North Eastern Railway
M: London Midland & Scottish Railway
S: Southern Railway
W: Great Western Railway


An additional prefix "D" in front of the regional prefix letter indicated that the vehicle was in departmental (non-revenue earning) stock. Departmental stock (including locomotives
SR departmental locomotives
The Southern Railway numbered its departmental stock, both locomotives and carriages in a series commencing at 1S. The series was retained by the Southern Region of British Rail, but amended so that the numbers carried a 'DS' prefix instead of an 'S' suffix. This page lists the locomotives...

) inherited from the Southern Railway carried numbers with an "S" suffix (indicating Service stock, an alternative term for departmental) which was deleted and replaced with the "DS" prefix.

In contrast, former 'Private Owner' wagons (those that had been owned by industrial concerns rather than the old railway companies) had a prefix letter "P" but were all renumbered into a new series commencing at 1.

New carriages and wagons built by British Railways to the designs of the 'Big Four' companies were numbered in their series and carried the appropriate letter prefix.

Arrangements from 1951

In 1951, the first carriages built to British Railways' designs appeared, known as the 'Mark I'. From this time, a new approach was adopted, which involved the use of a prefix letter to indicate the region to which the carriage was allocated. The inherited carriages then showed the letter indicating the region responsible for heavy maintenance, usually the same as the company of origin, as a suffix.

Thus new British Railways carriages had no suffix and so were differentiated from the other four series. When the carriages of the Pullman Car Company were added to the mix, their numbers carried only a suffix (indicating regional allocation), and no prefix, as a means of differentiation. The regional allocation letters used were:
E: Eastern Region
GE: Great Eastern lines
M: London Midland Region
NE: North Eastern Region
S: Southern Region
SC: Scottish Region
W: Western Region


Wagons were treated differently: they retained the existing set of prefixes indicating their origin, and new stock built to British Railways designs was given a "B" prefix.

British Railways adopted the following numbering system for carriages and wagons built to its own designs (a small number of types built to pre-Nationalisation designs were later allocated numbers in this series, but only following rebuilding to new types):
1
499 First class Restaurant & Kitchen carriages
500
999 Pullman carriages (after Pullman Car Company nationalised)
1000
1999 Third class & Unclassified Restaurant & Kitchen carriages
2000
2399 First class Sleeper carriages
2400
2499 Composite Sleeper carriages
2500
2899 Third class Sleeper carriages
2900
2999 Royal saloons (later all Royal Train
Royal Train
A royal train is a set of carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of that particular royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.-Australia:...

 carriages)
3000
3499 First class Open carriages
3500
3699 Second class Open carriages
3700
9199 Third class Open carriages
9200
12999 Third class Brake Open carriages
13000
13999 First class Corridor carriages
14000
14999 First class Brake Corridor carriages
15000
20999 Composite First & Third class Corridor carriages
21000
23999 Composite First & Third class Brake Corridor carriages
24000
33999 Third class Corridor Carriages
34000
39999 Third class Brake Corridor carriages
40000
49999 Non-gangwayed carriages
50000
54999 Single-ended Driving Motor Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit carriages
55000
55999 Double-ended Driving Motor Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit carriages
56000
58999 Driving Trailer Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit carriages
59000
59999 Trailer Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit carriages
60000
60999 Diesel Electric Multiple Unit carriages
61000
67999 Motor Electric Multiple Unit carriages
68000
68999 Parcels Electric Multiple Unit carriages
69000
69999 Restaurant and Kitchen Electric Multiple Unit carriages
70000
74999 Trailer Electric Multiple Unit carriages
75000
78999 Driving Trailer Electric Multiple Unit carriages
79000
79999 Diesel Multiple Unit Carriages (pre-Modernisation Plan types)
80000
80299 Kitchen carriages
80300
80499 Travelling Post Office carriages
80500
99999 Hauled non-passenger carrying carriages


Numbers 100000 to 999999 were used for non-passenger rated stock (including wagons, vans and departmental (non-revenue earning) carriages), while internal user vehicles (stock used for internal purposes (e.g. stores) at specific locations and unlikely to move) took numbers in the 0xxxxx series. For more details of these series see below.

Initially some non-gangwayed carriages were numbered in the 5xxxx series, but these were soon renumbered to 4xxxx when the Modernisation Plan Diesel Multiple Units started to arrive. Another change came when Third Class was renamed Second Class. There had been very few Second Class carriages before this change (mainly used in Boat Trains since ships still used all three classes), and most were absorbed into the larger mass of former Third Class carriages, although they had many fewer seats.

The same series was used for the 'Mark II'
British Rail Mark 2
The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975...

 coaches built in the 1960s, but when the 'Mark III'
British Rail Mark 3
British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...

 carriage was introduced in the early 1970s new number ranges were carved out of the old series. These new ranges were perpetuated for the 'Mark IV'
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:...

 carriages in the 1980s), and were as follows:
10000
10499 Restaurant and Kitchen carriages
10500
10999 Sleeper carriages
11000
11899 First class carriages
11900
11999 Composite First & Second class carriages
12000
12999 Second class carriages
40000
40999 High Speed Train Restaurant & Kitchen carriages
41000
41999 High Speed Train First class carriages
42000
42999 High Speed Train Second class carriages
43000
43999 High Speed Train Driving Motor carriages
44000
45999 Second class Brake carriages
48000
48999 Advanced Passenger Train Trailer carriages
49000
49999 Advanced Passenger Train Motor carriages
82000
82999 Driving Van Trailer carriages


The new diesel multiple unit builds in the 1980s utilised the 52xxx, 55xxx, 57xxx and 58xxx series for the individual carriages, all of which were motored. The 55xxx and 58xxx contained a mix of driving and non-driving motors, but the 52xxx and 57xxx cars were all driving motors. In addition, some series have been used for conversions of carriages, e.g. 63xx has been used for a variety of miscellaneous carriages, including generator vans and observation saloons. Privately-owned carriages registered to run on British Railways were allocated numbers in the 99xxx series (which they shared with bullion and exhibition vans).

Another major change came in 1983 when the use of prefix and suffix letters was abandoned, and any carriage which had the same number as another carriage or a locomotive was renumbered. The programme worked as follows:
14000-14999 to 17000-17999 to avoid clashing with Southern Railway carriages
16000-16499/
15500-15999
to 7000-7999 to avoid clashing with Southern Railway carriages
25000-26999 to 18000-19999 to avoid clashing with Class 25 and 26 locomotives
40000-40099 to 40400-40499 to avoid clashing with Class 40 locomotives
50000-50999 to 53000-53999 to avoid clashing with Class 50 locomotives
56000-56999 to 54000-54999 to avoid clashing with Class 56 locomotives
81000-81999 to 84000-84999 to avoid clashing with Class 81 locomotives
85500-85599 to 94000-94099 to avoid clashing with Class 85 locomotives
86000-86999 to 93000-93999 to avoid clashing with Class 86 locomotives


Subsequently, further renumberings have taken place as new locomotives were introduced. Most have involved only a handful of carriages, but a major one saw carriages in the 920xx series renumbered to 929xx when the Class 92 locomotives were introduced.

This series has been perpetuated by the privatised railway, though the series have been adapted for new generation multiple unit stock. For instance, the latest diesel multiple units have reused the 50xxx and 79xxx series for driving motors and the 56xxx series for non-driving motors. In the electric multiple unit series, Class 390 Pendolinos have reused the 68xxx and 69xxx series.

Departmental and Internal User Stock

Most departmental and internal user vehicles are converted from revenue-earning stock; only a small number are built for non-revenue earning use. As mentioned above, initially stock inherited from the 'Big Four' companies were given regional prefixes (e.g. DE, DM, DS and DW) indicating their origin, and adapting existing number series.

From about 1951, British Railways started to use new numbering series for additions to departmental and internal user stock, allocated on a regional basis, as follows:
Region Departmental Carriages Internal User Stock
London Midland DM395000 onwards 020000 onwards
Eastern and North Eastern DE320000 onwards 040000 onwards (a separate series commencing at 042000 was initially used for the North Eastern Region but later abandoned and these numbers have now been reused by the Eastern Region series)
Western DW150000 onwards Various series used in 06xxxx and 07xxxx ranges (only that commencing at 060900 now in use)
Southern DS1 onwards (existing SR series) and DS70000 onwards (from 1957) 080000 onwards
Scottish No separate series used 095xxx, 096xxx, 097xxx and 099xxx series used


No prefix letters were used for internal user stock. Departmental wagons (and some passenger-rated non-passenger carrying coaching stock) often kept their original revenue earning stock number, but with the addition of the "D" prefix. On some occasions, passenger coaches that had been converted for use as wagons then entered departmental stock retaining their wagon number (most notably brake vans in the 963xxx series that were formerly passenger brake vehicles).

By the end of the 1960s, 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...

-built carriages were entering departmental stock and being allocated one of the regional prefixes according to their location, but from 1967 the "DB" prefix was introduced for all further additions to departmental stock (regardless of origin). This prefix was itself prefixed with a letter to indicate the use of the vehicle, as follows:
A: Mechanical & Electrical Engineers department
C: British Rail Engineering Ltd
K: Signalling & Telecommunications department
L: Mechanical & Electrical Engineers Electrical Construction department
R: Research department
T: Traffic department
X: Stores department
Z: Public Relations & Publicity department


The principal numbering series for carriages with the "DB" prefix have been 975xxx, then 977xxx. The latest series to be used is 971xxx. Carriages built new into departmental stock have usually been numbered in the 999xxx (and sometimes 998xxx) series (though this series also contains some conversions too).

Also in the early days of the "DB" prefix, some departmental locomotives
British Rail departmental locomotives
Before the introduction of the Total Operations Processing System, Class 97 was issued to self-propelled locomotives in departmental use, British Rail had such locomotives numbered in a variety of series, together with locomotives that were no longer self-propelled...

 were numbered in the 966xxx and 968xxx series, though in recent years those locomotives that remain self-propelled have been allocated locomotive Class 97
British Rail Class 97
British Rail reserved the TOPS Class 97 designation for departmental locomotives, which were used for special or engineering duties. They were therefore of several different classes, lumped together for numbering purposes. Some locomotives were converted from redundant engines, whilst others were...

 rather than use these series.

TOPS CARKND classification system

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

 was introduced by British Railways, classifications were applied to all carriages and wagons and recorded in a field called CARKND, which is now also used to refer to the classification system as a whole. The classification comprises three letters, the first of which indicates the broad type, as follows:
A: Hauled passenger carrying carriages
B: Bogie Steel wagons (excluding coil-carrying wagons until 1984)
C: Covered bulk wagons (except CA: goods brake vans)
D: Diesel Multiple Unit carriages
E: Electric Multiple Unit carriages
F: Flat wagons
G: High Speed Train carriages
H: Hopper wagons
I: Ferry wagons (International wagons)
J: Private owner bogie wagons (bogie steel coil wagons until 1984)
K: Private owner special wagons (2-axle steel coil wagons until 1984)
L: Advanced Passenger Train carriages
M: Mineral wagons
N: Hauled non-passenger carrying carriages
O: Open wagons
P: Private owner 2-axle wagons (originally all private owner wagons)
Q: Hauled departmental (non-revenue earning) carriages
R: Railway operating vehicles: Barrier wagons, Adaptor wagons, Runners and Diesel Brake Tenders
S: 2-axle steel wagons (excluding coil-carrying wagons until 1984)
T: Tank wagons
U: Uncovered bulk wagons
V: Vans
W: Container wagons
X: Exceptional and Special use wagons
Y: Departmental bogie wagons
Z: Departmental two-axle vehicle (carriage or wagon)


The second letter gave more detailed indication of the design or use of the stock in question, and was different for each series. The tables below lists the variations for carriages only:
   A Series
AA: Corridor carriage
AB: Brake Corridor carriage
AC: Open carriage (2+2 seating)
AD: Open carriage (2+1 seating)
AE: Brake Open carriage
AF: Driving Brake Open carriage
AG: Micro-Buffet carriage
AH: Kitchen Buffet carriage
AI: Open carriage (2+2 seating) - end of rake of Mark IV set
AJ: Restaurant Buffet carriage
AK: Kitchen carriage
AL: Open carriage (2+2 seating) - with disabled persons' toilet
AM: Restaurant carriage
AN: Miniature Buffet carriage
AO: Private Owner carriages
AP: Pullman Kitchen
AQ: Pullman Saloon
AR: Pullman Brake
AS: Sleeping carriages
AT: Royal Train carriages
AU: Sleeping carriages (with pantry)
AV-AY: Barrier vehicles
AX: Generator Van (Until 1987: Narrow gauge carriages)
AY: (Until 1987: Narrow gauge Brake carriages)
AZ: Special saloon

   D and E Series
xA: Driving Motor
xB: Driving Motor Brake
xC: Non-driving Motor
xD: Non-driving Motor Brake
xE: Driving Trailer
xF: Battery Driving Trailer
xG: Driving Trailer Brake
xH: Trailer
xI: Battery Driving Motor
xJ: Trailer Brake
xN: Trailer Buffet
xO: Battery Driving Trailer Brake
xP: Driving Motor (Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit only)
xQ: Driving Motor Brake (Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit only)
xR: Non-driving Motor (Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit only)
xS: Driving Trailer (Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit only)
xT: Trailer (Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit only)
xU: Trailer Brake (Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit only)
xX: Non-passenger Driving Motor and single-car passenger DMMUs
xY: Non-Passenger Non-driving Motor
xZ: Departmental stock

   G and L Series
xC: Motor
xE: Driving Trailer
xF: Barrier Vehicle
xH: Trailer
xJ: Trailer with Guard's compartment
xK: Trailer Kitchen with Buffet
xL: Trailer Kitchen
xM: Trailer Kitchen with Lounge
xN: Trailer Buffet

   N Series
NA-NI: Variety of Gangwayed Brake vans
NF: Brake van (non-gangwayed)
NG: Car-carrying flat wagon
NJ-NK: General Utility van
NL-NM: Newspaper van
NN: Courier vehicle
NO-NQ: Parcels van
NR: Container van
NS: Post Office Sorting van
NT: Post Office Stowage van
NU: Post Office Stowage Brake van
NV: Car-carrying van
NW: Bullion van
NX: Motorail van
NY: Exhibition van
NZ: Driving Van Trailer

   Q, Y and Z Series
xA-xC: Ballast and sleeper wagons
xD: General materials wagon
xE: Runner wagon
xF: Ballast hopper wagon
xG: General materials wagon
xH: Spoil wagon
xI: Crane
xJ: Tracklayer
xK-xM: Ballast wagon
xN: Steel wagon
xO: Crane (travelling)
xP: Staff or dormitory vehicle
xQ: Tool vehicle
xR: Stores or materials vehicle
xS: Operating vehicle (e.g. barrier, generator)
xT: Brake van
xU: Brake van plough
xV: General equipment vehicle (e.g. flat wagon)
xW: On Track Plant, saloon or self-propelled vehicle
xX: Specialist equipment vehicle
xY: Electrification equipment vehicle
xZ: Miscellaneous vehicle (e.g. snowplough, unpowered former locomotive)


The final letter indicated the braking arrangements. Nowadays almost all stock is air-braked, but when TOPS was first introduced there was much greater variety, which made marshalling trains more complicated and this information essential. The letters were:
A: Air brake only
B: Air brake plus through vacuum pipe
D: Electronic control
E: Electro-pneumatic brake
F: Vacuum brake (AFI equipment) [AFI: Accelerator Freight Inshot - a rapid acting vacuum brake system]
G: Vacuum brake plus through air pipe (AFI equipment)
H: Dual brake (AFI equipment)
O: Unfitted (handbrake only)
P: Unfitted, but through vacuum pipe
Q: Unfitted, but through air pipe
R: Unfitted, but through air and vacuum pipes
V: Vacuum brake only
W: Vacuum brake plus through air pipe
X: Dual brake (air and vacuum)
Y: Unfitted (Civil Engineer's self-propelled stock)
Z: Automatic brake of unknown working order

See also

  • Coaches of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
    Coaches of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
    The London, Midland and Scottish Railway inherited several styles of coaching stock from its constituents. Stock built by the LMS itself can be categorised into three separate periods, numbered I to III.-Coaches inherited from pre-grouping companies:...

  • www.departmentals.com
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