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Mark One Coach interiors - Moquettes

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WesternLancer

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I have seen a book called British Railways Mk 1 coaches by Keith Parkin, this is probably the definitive guide if you can get a copy from your library.

Here are a couple of interior shots, although from the preservation era, these are more or less as they would have looked in the late 70's and 80's The first has the original luggage racks, the original tables and the original window frames but the first incarnation of fluorescent lighting, the new seats (the originals had a solid timber wing rather than an upholstered one) and some Formica internal panels (previously all timber originally)

The second is has the newer style luggage racks, the newer style tables and newer style windows and more Formica.
View attachment 75792 View attachment 75793
Following on from the moquette theme and considering the useful pics posted above occurs to me to wonder about the various interesting formica coloured and patterned panels you see in them - did these have a standard approach / range that changed over time - they often seem to be failry varied in the ones you come across.
 
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Masborough

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Following on from the moquette theme and considering the useful pics posted above occurs to me to wonder about the various interesting formica coloured and patterned panels you see in them - did these have a standard approach / range that changed over time - they often seem to be failry varied in the ones you come across.

Not a direct answer to your post but in looking for answers to my original question I found the following interior view:

https://midlanddeltic.smugmug.com/UK-Classes/BR-Mark-1-Rolling-Stock/i-gpnCj4X/A

Apparently some hauled Mark 1s still were unreferbished, with wood panelling rather than formica (and Trojan moquette) in service into the 90s, albeit on what apparently is a summer Saturday service.

Leaves me wondering whether I did in fact unwittingly travel on something similar, albeit with no memory...
 

yorksrob

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If only the railway could knock out a rake of mk 1's as a crowd buster these (lockdown excepted) days !

I'd definitely be prepared to take a bit longer on such a service to avoid crowding !
 

Taunton

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Apparently some hauled Mark 1s still were unreferbished, with wood panelling rather than formica (and Trojan moquette) in service into the 90s, albeit on what apparently is a summer Saturday service.
I don't know if it was actual refurbs, or just different build standards. The Mk 1 build lasted over about 12 years and there were of course various spec changes over time, the ones at the beginning had timber fitout, at the end formica had come along. There were all sorts of other changes over time, it wasn't done with specific build marks like Mk 2 were; different window fittings, far more rigorous rustproofing, dual heat fitting (principally for WCML electrification), different bogies (they moved on from B1 to Commonwealth, and B4 right at the end) etc. Different seating fabrics a lot. Someone will know when the changeovers happened, possibly different dates at different works, as unlike Mk 2 they were built all over the place, BR shops and all the mainstream private contractors, and the builds were placed by the different regions rather than centrally.
 
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WesternLancer

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Not a direct answer to your post but in looking for answers to my original question I found the following interior view:

https://midlanddeltic.smugmug.com/UK-Classes/BR-Mark-1-Rolling-Stock/i-gpnCj4X/A

Apparently some hauled Mark 1s still were unreferbished, with wood panelling rather than formica (and Trojan moquette) in service into the 90s, albeit on what apparently is a summer Saturday service.

Leaves me wondering whether I did in fact unwittingly travel on something similar, albeit with no memory...
Good pic. I certainly recall travelling on the settle and carlisle probably 1990 in compartment Mk1 stock - I think formica, wood and trojan moquette but may have been bournemouth blue.
 

delt1c

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Not a direct answer to your post but in looking for answers to my original question I found the following interior view:

https://midlanddeltic.smugmug.com/UK-Classes/BR-Mark-1-Rolling-Stock/i-gpnCj4X/A

Apparently some hauled Mark 1s still were unreferbished, with wood panelling rather than formica (and Trojan moquette) in service into the 90s, albeit on what apparently is a summer Saturday service.

Leaves me wondering whether I did in fact unwittingly travel on something similar, albeit with no memory...
They were true Mk1's, try a long distance run on one these and even a Pacer could be appealing. That must damp smell of rotting wood, more steam loss through the coach end pipes than reached inside, dull tungston lighting, and the noise when someone opened the end sliding doors, oh and the ride at 90 ouch. Those were happy days, did the Edinburgh Plymouth throughout once in one of the early Mk1s and it was a journey never to be forgotten
 

WesternLancer

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They were true Mk1's, try a long distance run on one these and even a Pacer could be appealing. That must damp smell of rotting wood, more steam loss through the coach end pipes than reached inside, dull tungston lighting, and the noise when someone opened the end sliding doors, oh and the ride at 90 ouch. Those were happy days, did the Edinburgh Plymouth throughout once in one of the early Mk1s and it was a journey never to be forgotten
very evocative summary - tho don't really recall the damp smell!
 

delt1c

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very evocative summary - tho don't really recall the damp smell!
The steam heat , early Mk1s had wooden window frames plus a lot of wood construction, combine this with steam heat and especially in winter you had the damp aroma, seemed normal at the time and can still imagine it.
 

Masborough

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I'm quite fond of the designs of that era myself. The Bluebell Railway website has good info on Moquettes from the era

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/cw/moquette/

In terms of the Southern Region, Trojan seems to have come in with the Kent Electrification scheme of 1959/62 and spread onwards.

Bournemouth Blue dates from the Bournemouth Electrification scheme, and was used for new trains such as CIG's and VEP's as well as some refurbishments from then onwards, so there was mix of the two until the mid 80's/90's when sectorisation era designs started coming in.

It occurred to check whether there was any coach interior images/ footage from the time of the Kent Coast electrification and was fortunate to find this British Pathe film:


Trojan Seats, Melamine, Tungsten lighting and Curtains in Second.

The moquette in (the rather comfortable looking) first class might be what Bluebell Railway describes as 'Blue Rectangle':
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/cw/moquette/1960s.html

Appreciate this is a 4CEP (?) Rather than loco hauled stock, but found it interesting nonetheless.
 

yorksrob

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It occurred to check whether there was any coach interior images/ footage from the time of the Kent Coast electrification and was fortunate to find this British Pathe film:


Trojan Seats, Melamine, Tungsten lighting and Curtains in Second.

The moquette in (the rather comfortable looking) first class might be what Bluebell Railway describes as 'Blue Rectangle':
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/cw/moquette/1960s.html

Appreciate this is a 4CEP (?) Rather than loco hauled stock, but found it interesting nonetheless.

Oh yes. Even standard class would have been luxury, compared to what we're used to now. I did a lot of travelling in the CEP's (it definitely is one in the film), but with the exception of one journey, they were all the refurbished ones with hard seats and flourescent lighting.

The reporter embelished things a little when he implied that the Chatham main line was "mostly" quadruple track :lol:
 

yorksrob

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I’m sure there were still some EPBs with Trojan seats when I lived close to Sydenham Hill in 1988/89.

Oh, there definitely were, right up into the 90's. I used to travel on the Hayes branch relatively frequently in those days, and there were plenty left.
 

Masborough

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Oh yes. Even standard class would have been luxury, compared to what we're used to now. I did a lot of travelling in the CEP's (it definitely is one in the film), but with the exception of one journey, they were all the refurbished ones with hard seats and flourescent lighting.

The reporter embelished things a little when he implied that the Chatham main line was "mostly" quadruple track :lol:

Ha ha another liberty at 45 seconds was the apparent 140 mph running.
 
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