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:
CodeMeaningBBrake van (prefix)Buffet (suffix)Battery (prefix for multiple unit vehicles)CComposite (i.e. more than one class of accommodation)DDriving vehicle (prefix) Disabled accommodation (suffix)EEither class of accommodation End vehicle (suffix)FFirst ClassGGangwayed (e.g. BG – Brake Gangwayed)Griddle (when following R)HHandbrakeHMHalf-motor (prefix on multiple units)Used for vehicles with one traction motor where the Motor type vehicle in a class usually contained twoKcorridorKitchen (when following R)LLavatory (usually shown only in non-gangwayed or diesel multiple unit codes)Lounge (prefix) (but see SL)MMotor (powered) vehicleMiniature or Modular (when following R)OOpen (i.e. no compartments, or no kitchen in Restaurant cars);O not included in diesel multiple unit codes as all are OpenoSemi-open (i.e. mix of compartments and open)PPantograph (prefix for electric multiple units)Pantry (suffix)Pullman (prefix)Parlour (suffix for Pullman cars)RRestaurantSSecond (later Standard) ClassSLSleeperTThird ClassTrailer (prefix for multiple unit vehicles)Trolley buffet (suffix)Tourist (prefix for hauled carriages; indicates 2+2 seating)UUnclassified accommodationYFour-wheeled vehicle*ZSix-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 CodeDescriptionLMS CodeBBrakeBCBrake CompositeBCKBrake Composite CorridorCBBBCLBrake Composite LavatoryBCVBRUTE Carrying VanBDMBSBattery Driving Motor Brake Standard (Open)BDMSOBattery Driving Motor Standard OpenBDTCLBattery Driving Trailer Composite (Open) LavatoryBFKBrake First CorridorEBFOBrake First OpenBGBrake GangwayedCBRBGPBrake Gangwayed Pigeon vanBGZBrake Gangwayed (6-wheels)CRBPOTBrake Post Office Stowage VanBSBrake StandardHBSKBrake Standard CorridorCHBSLBrake Standard LavatoryLHBSOBrake Standard OpenVHBSOTBrake Standard Open TrolleyBUOBrake Unclassified OpenBZBrake (6-wheels)RCCompositeBCCCTCovered Carriage TruckCKComposite CorridorCBCCLComposite LavatoryLCCOComposite OpenVCDBSODriving Brake Standard OpenDMDriving MotorDMBDriving Motor BrakeDMBCDriving Motor Brake Composite (Open)DMBCLDriving Motor Brake Composite (Open) LavatoryDMBFLDriving Motor Brake First (Open) LavatoryDMBSDriving Motor Brake Standard (Open)DMBSKDriving Motor Brake Standard CorridorDMBSLDriving Motor Brake Standard (Open) LavatoryDMBSODriving Motor Brake Standard OpenDMCDriving Motor Composite (Open)DMCLDriving Motor Composite (Open) LavatoryDMLVDriving Motor Luggage VanDMPMVDriving Motor Parcels & Miscellaneous VanDMSDriving Motor Standard (Open)DMSKDriving Motor Standard CorridorDMSLDriving Motor Standard (Open) LavatoryDMSODriving Motor Standard OpenDTBSDriving Trailer Brake StandardDTBSODriving Trailer Brake Standard OpenDTCLDriving Trailer Composite (Open) LavatoryDTCoLDriving Trailer Composite Semi-Open LavatoryDTCOLDriving Trailer Composite Open LavatoryDTSDriving Trailer Standard (Open)DTSoDriving Trailer Standard Semi-OpenDTSODriving Trailer Standard OpenDTSOLDriving Trailer Standard Open LavatoryDVTDriving Van TrailerFFirstLFKFirst CorridorCLFLFirst LavatoryLMFOFirst OpenQLFOTFirst Open TrolleyGUVGeneral Utility VanHBHorse BoxIFVInsulated Fish VanLFKLounge First CorridorMMotorMBRSMMotor Brake Restaurant Standard ModularMBSMotor Brake StandardMBSKMotor Brake Standard CorridorMBSOMotor Brake Standard OpenMFLRKMotor First (Open) Lavatory Restaurant KitchenMLVMotor Luggage VanMSMotor Standard (Open)MSLMotor Standard (Open) LavatoryMSLRBMotor Standard Lavatory Restaurant BuffetMSOMotor Standard OpenOCTOpen Carriage TruckPCPPullman Composite ParlourPCVPropelling Control VehiclePFBPullman First BrakePFKPullman First KitchenPFPPullman First ParlourPMVParcels & Miscellaneous VanPOSPost Office Sorting VanPORPOTPost Office Stowage VanPPRPSBPullman Standard BrakePTSOPantograph Trailer Standard OpenRBRestaurant BuffetBRCRCRestaurant CompositeCompo RKCRCORestaurant Composite OpenVC DiningRFRestaurant FirstFirst RKCRFBRestaurant First BuffetRFMRestaurant First ModularRFORestaurant First OpenQL DiningRGRestaurant GriddleRKRestaurant KitchenKCRKBRestaurant Kitchen BuffetBRCRLORestaurant Lounge OpenRMBRestaurant Miniature BuffetRSRestaurant StandardThird RKCRSORestaurant Standard OpenQF DiningRURestaurant UnclassifiedCommon RKCRUBRestaurant Unclassified BuffetRUKRestaurant Unclassified KitchenRUORestaurant Unclassified OpenSStandardFSCVSpecial Cattle VanSKStandard CorridorCFSLCSleeper CompositeCSCSLESleeper Either ClassSLEPSleeper Either Class with PantrySLFSleeper FirstSCSLSTPSleeper Standard Twin-Berth with PantrySCTSLOStandard Lavatory Open (within carriage)SOStandard OpenQFTBCKTrailer Brake Composite CorridorTBFTrailer Brake First (Open)TBFKTrailer Brake First CorridorTBSKTrailer Brake Standard CorridorTBSLTrailer Brake Standard (Open) LavatoryTCTrailer Composite (Open)TCKTrailer Composite CorridorTCLTrailer Composite (Open) LavatoryTCoLTrailer Composite Semi-Open LavatoryTCOLTrailer Composite Open LavatoryTFTrailer First (Open)TFKTrailer First CorridorTFKRBTrailer First Corridor Restaurant BuffetTFLTrailer First (Open) LavatoryTFLRBTrailer First (Open) Lavatory Restaurant BuffetTFLRKTrailer First (Open) Lavatory Restaurant KitchenTFOLHTrailer First Open Lavatory HandbrakeTGSTrailer Guard Standard (Open)TRBTrailer Restaurant BuffetTRFBTrailer Restaurant First BuffetTRFMTrailer Restaurant First ModularTRSBTrailer Restaurant Standard BuffetTRUBTrailer Restaurant Unclassified BuffetTRUKTrailer Restaurant Unclassified KitchenTSTrailer Standard (Open)TSKTrailer Standard CorridorTSLTrailer Standard (Open) LavatoryTSLRBTrailer Standard (Open) Lavatory Restaurant BuffetTSoTrailer Standard Semi-OpenTSOTourist Standard Open or Trailer Standard OpenTSOLTrailer Standard Open LavatoryTSORBTrailer Standard Open Restaurant BuffetTSOTTourist Standard Open TrolleyTUTrailer Unclassified (Open)VFVVentilated 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).

 See also: British Carriage and Wagon Numbering and Classification

Category:British Rail
 British Rail coach designations