The pattern closely followed the BR Derby built Class 116 units, being of high density layout with a door to each seating bay, also incorporating a large guard / luggage compartment in one of the power cars in the set. The cab design however was to follow the then recently built Class 127 units, along with toilet fitted centre trailers.

Unlike the earlier Class 116s the glass fibre roof dome incorporated a four character headcode box of the style fitted to Class 127s with a curved profile top. Also four grab handles were fitted to each cab front, two horizontal under the outer two cab windows and two vertical ones fitted either side of the central window. Two windscreen wipers were also fitted at each end. Two marker lights were fitted above each buffer, although some did not have these from new. Buffers were initially of the square pattern, ie half round with flat top and bottoms. A destination blind was provided at the top of the central cab window.

Interior

The interiors were a cut above any of the other high density stock built by that time and featured veneered wood paneling throughout as used extensively by BRC&W on the earlier Class 104 units supplied to the LMR. Traditional tungsten lighting was fitted, and large oval mirrors, two at each end of each power car mounted on the paneling between the cab bulkhead windows and the first passenger seat windows on each side.

Though built without corridor connections these were added to all vehicles during the late '60s.

Alterations

An interesting feature of the class was that after the abandonment of the four character headcode display system, a number of the power cars had their front marker lights removed in favour of the fitting of two illuminated white discs mounted in the headcode box as on most locomotives of the time. This situation lasted only until the repainting into blue & grey when headcode boxes were blanked out completely and standard marker lights were refitted in their original positions above the buffers. At the same time the Class 117s underwent the same treatment, even though they were never originally equipped with marker lights.

Class 118 51328 as part of 2-car set P480, during the period when marker lights were removed in favour of the two white dots on the now-disused 4-characer box. Ian Francis

Over the years three types of buffer were carried - square, oval and large round.