British Rail coach designations
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway both developed a system of identifying carriages by means of alphabetic codes. When British Railways was formed in 1948, it decided to adopt the former LNER method of carriage classification.
Basic principles
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, or the presence of other letters, in the code. The letters used are:
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| B | Brake van (prefix) |
| Buffet (suffix) | |
| Battery (prefix for multiple unit vehicles) | |
| C | Composite (i.e. 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) |
| Griddle (when following R) | |
| H | Handbrake |
| HM | Half-motor (prefix on multiple units) Used for vehicles with one traction motor where the Motor type vehicle in a class usually contained two |
| K | corridor |
| Kitchen (when following R) | |
| L | Lavatory (usually shown only in non-gangwayed or diesel multiple unit codes) |
| Lounge (prefix) (but see SL) | |
| M | Motor (powered) vehicle |
| Miniature or Modular (when following R) | |
| O | Open (i.e. no compartments, or no kitchen in Restaurant cars); O not included in diesel multiple unit codes as all are Open |
| o | Semi-open (i.e. mix of compartments and open) |
| P | Pantograph (prefix for electric multiple units) |
| Pantry (suffix) | |
| Pullman (prefix) | |
| Parlour (suffix for Pullman cars) | |
| R | Restaurant |
| S | Second (later Standard) Class |
| 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 |
| Y | Four-wheeled vehicle* |
| Z | Six-wheeled vehicle* |
| * If no such suffix is shown, the vehicle is an eight or twelve-wheeled vehicle. The latter were not common, and were usually special saloons or restaurant vehicles. | |
These letters (except for Y and Z) did not usually apply to the wide variety of 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.
List of codes used
The following list lists those codes that were actually used on British Railways, 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") is used. Suffix codes Y or Z are not shown, as these could apply to variants of any or all vehicle types.
In the original LNER coding system, S stood for "Second", an intermediate class between First and Third (which later 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 designation "Standard".
| LNER Code | Description | LMS Code |
|---|---|---|
| B | Brake | |
| BC | Brake Composite | |
| BCK | Brake Composite Corridor | CBB |
| BCL | Brake Composite Lavatory | |
| BCV | BRUTE Carrying Van | |
| BDMBS | Battery Driving Motor Brake Standard (Open) | |
| BDMSO | Battery Driving Motor Standard Open | |
| BDTCL | Battery Driving Trailer Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| BFK | Brake First Corridor | E |
| BFO | Brake First Open | |
| BG | Brake Gangwayed | CBR |
| BGP | Brake Gangwayed Pigeon van | |
| BGZ | Brake Gangwayed (6-wheels) | CR |
| BPOT | Brake Post Office Stowage Van | |
| BS | Brake Standard | H |
| BSK | Brake Standard Corridor | CH |
| BSL | Brake Standard Lavatory | LH |
| BSO | Brake Standard Open | VH |
| BSOT | Brake Standard Open Trolley | |
| BUO | Brake Unclassified Open | |
| BZ | Brake (6-wheels) | R |
| C | Composite | BC |
| CCT | Covered Carriage Truck | |
| CK | Composite Corridor | CBC |
| CL | Composite Lavatory | LC |
| CO | Composite Open | VC |
| DBSO | Driving Brake Standard 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 Standard (Open) | |
| DMBSK | Driving Motor Brake Standard Corridor | |
| DMBSL | Driving Motor Brake Standard (Open) Lavatory | |
| DMBSO | Driving Motor Brake Standard 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 Standard (Open) | |
| DMSK | Driving Motor Standard Corridor | |
| DMSL | Driving Motor Standard (Open) Lavatory | |
| DMSO | Driving Motor Standard Open | |
| DTBS | Driving Trailer Brake Standard | |
| DTBSO | Driving Trailer Brake Standard Open | |
| DTCL | Driving Trailer Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| DTCoL | Driving Trailer Composite Semi-Open Lavatory | |
| DTCOL | Driving Trailer Composite Open Lavatory | |
| DTS | Driving Trailer Standard (Open) | |
| DTSo | Driving Trailer Standard Semi-Open | |
| DTSO | Driving Trailer Standard Open | |
| DTSOL | Driving Trailer Standard Open Lavatory | |
| DVT | Driving Van Trailer | |
| F | First | L |
| FK | First Corridor | CL |
| FL | First Lavatory | LM |
| FO | First Open | QL |
| FOT | First Open Trolley | |
| GUV | General Utility Van | |
| HB | Horse Box | |
| IFV | Insulated Fish Van | |
| LFK | Lounge First Corridor | |
| M | Motor | |
| MBRSM | Motor Brake Restaurant Standard Modular | |
| MBS | Motor Brake Standard | |
| MBSK | Motor Brake Standard Corridor | |
| MBSO | Motor Brake Standard Open | |
| MFLRK | Motor First (Open) Lavatory Restaurant Kitchen | |
| MLV | Motor Luggage Van | |
| MS | Motor Standard (Open) | |
| MSL | Motor Standard (Open) Lavatory | |
| MSLRB | Motor Standard Lavatory Restaurant Buffet | |
| MSO | Motor Standard Open | |
| OCT | Open Carriage Truck | |
| PCP | Pullman Composite Parlour | |
| PCV | Propelling Control Vehicle | |
| PFB | Pullman First Brake | |
| PFK | Pullman First Kitchen | |
| PFP | Pullman First Parlour | |
| PMV | Parcels & Miscellaneous Van | |
| POS | Post Office Sorting Van | POR |
| POT | Post Office Stowage Van | PPR |
| PSB | Pullman Standard Brake | |
| PTSO | Pantograph Trailer Standard Open | |
| RB | Restaurant Buffet | BRC |
| RC | Restaurant Composite | Compo RKC |
| RCO | Restaurant Composite Open | VC Dining |
| RF | Restaurant First | First RKC |
| RFB | Restaurant First Buffet | |
| RFM | Restaurant First Modular | |
| RFO | Restaurant First Open | QL Dining |
| RG | Restaurant Griddle | |
| RK | Restaurant Kitchen | KC |
| RKB | Restaurant Kitchen Buffet | BRC |
| RLO | Restaurant Lounge Open | |
| RMB | Restaurant Miniature Buffet | |
| RS | Restaurant Standard | Third RKC |
| RSO | Restaurant Standard Open | QF Dining |
| RU | Restaurant Unclassified | Common RKC |
| RUB | Restaurant Unclassified Buffet | |
| RUK | Restaurant Unclassified Kitchen | |
| RUO | Restaurant Unclassified Open | |
| S | Standard | F |
| SCV | Special Cattle Van | |
| SK | Standard Corridor | CF |
| SLC | Sleeper Composite | CSC |
| SLE | Sleeper Either Class | |
| SLEP | Sleeper Either Class with Pantry | |
| SLF | Sleeper First | SC |
| SLSTP | Sleeper Standard Twin-Berth with Pantry | SCT |
| SLO | Standard Lavatory Open (within carriage) | |
| SO | Standard Open | QF |
| TBCK | Trailer Brake Composite Corridor | |
| TBF | Trailer Brake First (Open) | |
| TBFK | Trailer Brake First Corridor | |
| TBSK | Trailer Brake Standard Corridor | |
| TBSL | Trailer Brake Standard (Open) Lavatory | |
| TC | Trailer Composite (Open) | |
| TCK | Trailer Composite Corridor | |
| TCL | Trailer Composite (Open) Lavatory | |
| TCoL | Trailer Composite Semi-Open Lavatory | |
| TCOL | Trailer Composite Open Lavatory | |
| TF | Trailer First (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 Standard (Open) | |
| 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 Standard (Open) | |
| TSK | Trailer Standard Corridor | |
| TSL | Trailer Standard (Open) Lavatory | |
| TSLRB | Trailer Standard (Open) Lavatory Restaurant Buffet | |
| TSo | Trailer Standard Semi-Open | |
| TSO | Tourist Standard Open or Trailer Standard Open | |
| TSOL | Trailer Standard Open Lavatory | |
| TSORB | Trailer Standard Open Restaurant Buffet | |
| TSOT | Tourist Standard 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).
