| In 1987 ten unusual coaches were built by BREL at Derby.
They were
designed as a promotional 'International' Train being an opportunity to showcase the talents of BREL with a
view to acquiring orders from BR and from other countries. They were similar to Mk3 coaches with BT10 bogies but had a slightly different body profile and, for the first time on main line stock in the UK, automatic sliding doors but were limited to 110 mile/h. The coaches were numbered as follows: 99520 (BFK); 99521 and 99522 (FO); 99523 (RUM); 99524; 99525; 99526; 99527; 99528 and 99529 (all TSO) The interior of the BFK coach featured a double conference compartment with a semi-circular bench-type seat amongst other things. Rail magazine, issue 62, November 1986 reported on the launch of the train with a press run from Euston to Manchester and return via Birmingham. The coaches were put into service on a Euston-Manchester diagram for a short period later that year and were later used extensively for test loads with the class 89 locomotive. In 1988 two examples (RUM 99523 and BFK 99520) were taken to the IVA88 exhibition in Hamburg but no orders were forthcoming. After languishing in Derby for a number of years they were eventually sold to Irish Railways (IE) in 1994 and extensively re-furbished - including the re-gauging of the bogies to 5' 3". Today they form one of the coaching rakes for the services from Dublin to Galway. They operate Galway line services and are branded 'Cú na Mara', although are generally used in common with Mk3s. They are numbered 6201 to 6208. 6201 is a composite, the others standard class and 6401 is the Buffet Standard. One remains in Inchicore Works in its original BR Intercity livery. Train supply is delivered by 76xx series Mk3 designed brake generator vans. Look here on Youtube® for a video clip of an express on IE with eight of the former 'International' coaches under '071 BREL Internationals'. Here are a few photographs of the coaches at the RTC, at Old Dalby, on the WCML and en route to Germany in the late 1980's Click on the picture for a bigger image - photos are the author's unless otherwise indicated |
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Although the coaches were fitted with BT10 bogies it was possible to fit the newly-designed high speed T4 bogie and in late 1986 opportunity was taken to test the bogie at high speed. Two of these were fitted to an additional un-liveried International coach and tested on the ECML at up to 145 mile/h. |