In 1951 the first of the British Railway's Mark 1 coaches entered service. In their various forms, which included sleepers, buffet cars, horse boxes and suburban non-corridor stock, they were built until 1963 and formed the mainstay of the passenger railway through the 1960s and 1970s. Although now are all withdrawn from regular service, a number remain registered for main-line use through the operation of charter trains whilst significant numbers have been preserved.
From the early 1960s development work took place on replacements for the Mk1s. The result was the Mark 2 launched in 1964. Built over the next decade, the MK2s were constructed in several variants up to the Mark 2F, each offering improvements based on the same basic body shell. As with the Mark 1 coaches, the Mark 2s are now largely withdrawn, although a handful remain in main-line service.
This is a fully revised and updated edition of Hugh Longworth's classic work on BR Mk1 and Mk2 coaches. Continued research has brought to light much additional information, particularly from the 1960s. The content has been completely reviewed for this new edition and all known errors corrected. Colour photos have been added and all the diagrams have been redrawn to a higher standard.
