There were only five sets built, a total of 36 vehicles. They were all of an all-steel, welded construction. The LMR received two 6-car sets which had only first-class accommodation. The WR order was for three 8-car sets which contained both first and second class areas. Both the LMR & WR trains were made up of two identical half-sets. Each of the car types were given a number from 1 to 6.

The sets were always made up in a fixed formation:

Type 1 - Motor Car (LMR) - 12 first class seats

Directly behind the cab was the cooling group, with side radiators and roof mounted fan. A bulkhead across the generator, with doors at each side, divided the engine and generator compartments. Separate cubicles were used for housing the h.t. and l.t. equipment. Between these a door led into the 11ft 0 3/4in guard & luggage compartment.

The guards seat which was adjustable for height was placed at a fixed table over which a letter rack was provided.

Loudaphone apparatus was provided for communication between the guard and driver. A signal push together with a list of standard codes was placed over each double door to enable the guard to send the standard bell codes to the driver; the signal pushes operated on the same circuit as the calling plungers of the loudaphone.

Public address equipment was provided so that announcements may be made to passengers,

The train lighting through control switches were placed on the partition of the compartment and there were individual switches over each double door for controlling the van main lights. A switch for emergency lighting in the van was placed above on the partition to the right of the guard's table. Adjacent to it was the switch for illuminating the train name and destination indicators and the switch for the public address system.

Two electric heaters and a food warmer were fitted on the compartment partition. These were controlled by a main switch and individual switches. A foot warmer was incorporated with a foot rest under the guard's table and the switch for this was provided on the small partition to the left of the guard's table.

A coat hook was provided, and each van contained one fire extinguisher, two fire buckets, one extending ladder, a first aid box and an emergency tool cupboard.

The partitions were sound insulated, and as well as the access door to the power compartment there was a double door giving access to the passenger saloon (marked private on the passenger side).

The saloon accommodated 12 passengers; at the gangway end was a ladies' toilet on one side and a small luggage compartment on the other.

After the passenger saloon was a ladies lavatory.

Type 2 - Motor Car (WR) - 18 2nd class seats

The biggest difference between the two power cars was the passenger saloons, being second class rather than first. There was no toilet in this vehicle, being replaced by an extra seating bay on either side, and these could be identified externally by the larger window. Other external clues when new was that there was just the raised lettering "Pullman" at the top of the bodysides, and in the centre of the vehicle was an extra 'window' which was actually a destination indicator. Whereas the LMR sets only worked one service, the WR likely wanted to avoid people getting on the wrong train.

The indicators were provided on both sides of each motor car showing the train name and destination station together with intermediate calling points. These were displayed on roller blinds through a glazed panel which could be illuminated when required. The light switch was on the partition wall to the right of the guards table. The correct method display was for the roller blinds to be adjusted so that, except where 'Special' was exhibited, the train name appeared at the top of the panel with the destinations beneath it.

The indications on the roller blind could only be altered from inside the train. To do this the indicator box was opened by releasing the clips, the blind could then be moved by operating the handle. One indicator was accessible from the guard's compartment, the other from the generator compartment immediately opposite the communication door leading from the guard's compartment.

For maintenance purposes each WR train was made up of two half-sets. These half sets were allocated the numbers 4 to 9 inclusive. The numbers were carried on the solebar of the motor car second in each half set in the form of a small metal plate with white lettering on a blue background. The number allocated corresponded with the last digit of the individual number of each vehicle forming the half-set. (i.e. 60094 was half set no. 4).

Type 3 - Parlour Car (WR) - 42 2nd class seats

At either end of the vehicle were lavatory's (for either genders use), both on the drivers side of the nearest motor car. At the drivers end on the opposite side from the toilet was a panel of instruments, and at the opposite end a luggage rack. This vehicle had two traction motor on the bogie nearest the motor car. It also carried an auxiliary engine, with the exhaust silencer running up the secondmans' side of the gangway DMU style at the inner end of the train.

Type 4 - Kitchen Car (LMR) - 18 1st class seats

Starting from the end nearest to the motor car, there was a gents lavatory with an instrument panel/equipment cupboard opposite. The non-smoking passenger section was next, then the aisle went to the left with the pantry and kitchen on the drivers side. As the corridor went back to the centre for the gangway there was a staff lavatory on the left, and a staff compartment on the right. Being the second vehicle in the WR set, it had the traction motors, auxiliary engine etc. as per type 3.

The kitchen and pantry accommodation was well arranged for ease of working under the most hygienic conditions. The gas cooking range was fitted across one end and the refrigerator and freezer, adjacent to the pantry partition. Two of the four extractor fans were located above the cooker. Working tops were arranged on the corridor side, with the sinks, sterilising units and water boilers along the bodyside. All kitchen utensils, sink units and work tops were in stainless steel. The walls were lined with pearl grey plastic finish and the ceilings matt white. The floors were of red composition material set in a 2 in square mesh aluminium grill.

At the kitchen end there was double doors on each side leading ino the kitchen for the use of Pullman staff only.

Type 5 - Kitchen Car (WR) - 18 1st class seats

The interior of this vehicle was identical, although it was turned 180 degrees with the kitchen on the outer end. This kept the first class accommodation divided from the second. On the LMR sets, where this was immaterial, the auxiliary engine would be under the kitchen, where the noise was kept away from the passengers. The WR Kitchen Cars were not next to the motor cars, and so did not have the traction motor or auxiliary engine, which justified them getting there own type number. In place of the instrument panel opposite was a luggage rack.

Type 6 - Parlour Car (LMR/WR) - 36 1st class seats

This was the only vehicle type common to both regions. It had a ladies lavatory at the end nearest the motor car, and a gents at the other. Opposite both were luggage racks. The passenger accommodation was in one large saloon.

All vehicles had a full width vestibule at both ends, except the kitchen end of the kitchen cars and the cab end of the motor cars.

Click here to see a complete plan for an 8-car set.

Travelling technicians

A travelling technician from the Chief Mechanical & Electrical Engineer's Department formed part of the train crew of each train. They travelled in the leading guard's compartment, in which a small cupboard was provided for their tools and equipment. They were responsible for:-

Interior

Passenger access to the vehicles was through inward opening doors into the entrance vestibules at the ends of the cars which were wide and spacious, and the access gangways between the cars were also wider than normal width.

The gangways were mounted on pivots at the ends of each vehicle. When joined together these semi-floating units between pairs of cars formed a level platform free from the normal gangway oscillation. Rubber seals covered the outside of the gangways and prevented draughts and loss of conditioned air.

At starting and stopping points it was the responsibility of the Pullman Car Attendants to see that before departure all outside passenger doors were properly closed and secured by means of a safety catch fitted to the inside of each door.

The complete train was fully air-conditioned with automatic control of air temperature and humidity. The inward flow of air to the saloons from the air-conditioning plant was through outlets in a duct concealed by the central lighting panel. Particular care was taken to achieve a high standard of sound insulation, and track noise was reduced to a low level. The insulated floors were fully suspended.

The windows at each table were double glazed to prevent condensation and heat losses, and to provide sound insulation. Clips were provided on the lower framework between the inner and outer windows to hold a capsule containing silica-gel crystals. The capsules were fitted at certain periods of the year to avoid misting of the windows. Should a window become badly misted it was possible to clear it by:
a) Removing the table lamp
b) Unscrewing the special screws securing the inner glass.
c) Opening the inner glass, the frame of which is hinged at the bottom
d) Cleaning the inner surface of the glass
e) Close and lock the inner window and replace the table lamp.

Small venetian blinds were fitted between the two sheets of glass and these blinds could be raised or lowered and the angle of the slats adjusted by means of small control handles fitted at both sides of the windows in the first class or above the windows in the second class saloons. In the first class separate blinds were provided for each half of the passenger windows so that passengers on both sides could adjust individually their own blinds; in the second class only one blind was provided for the whole width of the window.

First class seating

In each car the seating was arranged in facing pairs on one side of the passenger gangway and in facing individual seats on the other, with double or single fixed tables respectively set between them. All seating was of the armchair type with deep foam-rubber cushions upholstered in red of blue striped fabric trimmed with back and grey plastic hide. The first-class seats could be adjusted from the reclining to the upright position and were mounted on runners for fore and aft movement at the table. In the second-class saloons the seats were of the same armchair type but were not adjustable.

A release lever was provided on the framework of the seat, which was worked by the passenger reaching down with his hand pulling up the lever and sliding the seat back or forward. A control, which was operated by pressing upward with the fingers, was fitted in the end of one of the arms enabling the passenger to adjust the angle of the seat back. Both of these controls were placed on the gangway side of each first class seat. Each seat was numbered individually and the numbers were displayed on the gangway side of the head rest of each seat.

Second class seating

All seats on the train were reservable in advance and this facility was given at starting points and all intermediate calling points.

The coach registration letters were displayed on metal plates which were inserted in slots provided on the outside of the coaches near the passenger access doors, and on the inside in the end vestibules of each coach.

The lettered plates were reversible, so that when the train is reversed, or one half-set in the train is replaced by another half-set under the maintenance programme or for any other purpose, the correct registration could be displayed. The standard arrangement for sets in traffic was for the leading vehicle in the direction of travel to be 'A' and the rear vehicle 'H'. So the reversible plates were lettered as: Motor cars A/H, Parlour cars (second class) B/G, Kitchen cars C/F and Parlour cars (first class) D/E.

The Pullman Car Company's staff was responsible for the reversing of the car registration plates at the terminal stations.

A press button was provided at each table below the window so that the attendant may be called. When this button was pressed a small green lamp above the table was illuminated to indicate to the attendant where they were required.

A buzzer sounded in the corridor outside the pantry in the kitchen cars and a green lamp above an arrow indicated the direction in which the attendant should proceed.

The call button was cancelled by the Attendant pressing a button placed under the outer edge of the table on the supporting leg and by pressing a further button adjacent to the directional lamps in the corridor of the kitchen cars.

The system was arranged so that each kitchen car served the half of the train of which it forms a part.

The interior decor, which varied from vehicle to vehicle, was chosen to give pleasing and colourful combinations, mainly of decorative rosewood and ebony veneers, grey plastic hide, plastic facings, and contrasting seat upholstery. The partitions forming the ends of each passenger saloon were decorated with wood veneers and abstract plastic inlays. Each partition had glazed panels in the access door, the glass having a vertical stripped pattern which acted as a mirror but allowed impeded vision at close quarters.

A first class saloon

The bodyside walls were faced with a plastic hide from floor level up to the continuous hand-lugagge racks running along the length of each passenger saloon. Along the racks, walls and ceiling surfaces were lined with plastic in pearl-grey, with a fine black-line pattern superimposed which continued up to the central lighting panel in the ceiling.

The exposed parts of the hand-luggage racks, the table edges, and the window surrounds were all of anodised aluminium, satin finished in aluminium for the first class and in pale gold for the second class. The solid racks had slatted grilles so that any articles placed on the racks may be seen from below. Tiered luggage racks were provided in the end vestibules opposite the toilets and a draught screen of specially toughened glass was fitted adjacent to the vehicle entry door.

The heater grilles, mounted low on the bodyside alongside the seats, were of satin-finished stainless steel.

Floor carpets, in kingfisher blue or cardinal red, were fitted on plastic underlays. The walls of the entrance vestibules at the car ends were faced in pearl-grey plastic, with plastic hide trimming around the inter-car gangway entrances. Coir mat floor covering is used in the vestibules.

In each saloon the main lighting is by twin-white fluorescent tubes in the centre of the ceiling, supplemented by tungsten lamps fitted in the luggage racks above each table. The fluorescent tubes were placed end-to-end and covered by flush-jointed diffusion panels. When illuminated the panels showed as a continuos panel of light running the length of the saloon. Individual table lamps with glass shades were mounted on swan-necked pillars fixed to the bodysides just below window level. Battery operated emergency lighting was also installed.

The equipment of the well-appointed toilets included towel dispensers and hygienic spray washing facilities which gave an automatically timed flow of water. Water temperature of the timed flow could be regulated as required. The walls were plastic faced in flame, clover-pink, and grey, and the ceilings painted matt-white. Coloured mosaic paving was used for the flooring. Metal fittings were finished in satin chromium plate, with the exception of the skirting beadings of satin-finished anodised aluminium and the satin-finished stainless-steel heater ventilation grills. Separate toilets were provided for the ladies.

Air Conditioning

The air conditioning system was designed to provide and maintain an automatically controlled clean conformable atmosphere within established limits of temperature and humidity irrespective of outside ambient conditions. This required provision for heating, cooling, air filtration, car insulation and a degree of manual temperature selection for service requirements. In addition to the attraction of a high standard of passenger comfort, the air conditioning also kept clean and fresh the upholstery, fittings and other appointments.

Each car was appointed with a roof mounted air-conditioning unit, floor heaters, automatic control panel, and a refrigerating unit. The conditioning unit filtered the air, removed excess moisture, and either cooled or heated the air as required.

A proportion of the air in the car was extracted by roof ventilators and this was made up by admitting filtered fresh air into the system. Heating was by electric heaters and cooling was by flowing the air over evaporator coils of the refrigerator. Excess moisture was deposited as dew on the cold coils of the evaporator.

The motor-driven compressor and condenser were mounted on the underframe and used Freon 12 or Arcton 12 as a refrigerant. The condenser was cooled by two-motor driven fans. The manual temperature-control switch enabled the heaters to be switched on at car temperatures of 68, 71 or 74 degrees F., automatic control being be Vapor thermostats. To ease the load on the power supply if the air-conditioning compressors throughout the train were switched on simultaneously, a delay switch was fitted to give a sequence switching throughout the train.

Motor Cars

Power for the main and auxiliary generators was supplied by the NBL/MAN 12-cylinder vee-type supercharged diesel engine of type L12V18/21BS having a 12-hr. rating of 1,000 hp at 1,500rpm. Cylinder dimensions were 180mm bore and 210mm stroke. A considerable number of engines of this type were in use at the time in with both electric and hydraulic transmission.

Individual cylinder heads were of the pre-combustion type, provided with two inlet and two exhaust valves. Supercharging was by a Napier exhaust-gas turbo-blower mounted above the generator drive. At the free end of the engine is the crankshaft-driven pump for the hydraulic-motor fan drive. CAV fuel injection equipment and an Ardleigh governor were fitted. Lubrication priming before starting was by a Mirlees pump driven by a GEC motor. A belt-driven Dowty water pump fed the fuel service tank.

Warning lights were fitted to indicate low water level, high water temperature, low oil pressure, overload and earth fault, and the engine speed was automatically reduced to idling in the event of high water temperature, overload or earth fault. In each driving cab was fitted a general warning light and a light to indicate when an engine had stopped.

The combined engine/generator unit was mounted on a common fabricated-steel bedplate and installed on Metalastik anti-vibration mountings. The use of a quick-running vee engine results in a good power-weight ratio.

The Serck cooling group comprised vertical radiator panels in the bodyside and a roof mounted extractor fan, was positioned behind the cab in the bulkhead in the power car. The cooling fan which was 45 in. diameter was driven a the correct speed to suit the cooling required by the Serck-Behr hydrostatic fan drive. The hydraulic fan motor was supplied with oil under pressure by the engine-driven pump, via a thermostatically controlled by-pass valve. Until the engine coolant reached the minimum operating temperature the pump delivery was by-passed to the oil tank: during this time the fan remained stationary. At normal operating temperatures the by-pass was closed and the resulting oil pressure rose causing the radiator shutters to open and the fan to be driven at a speed corresponding to the amount of cooling required. Access from the cab to the power compartment was through the radiator tunnel.

The main generator was a self-ventilated single-bearing machine, with windings for separately excited, and self excited main fields and a series decompounding winding. This also formed part of the series excitation for motoring the generator for engine starting. The continuous ratings at 1,500rpm were 1,700A, 383V or 1,250A 523V, 650kW.

The armature shaft also carried the armature of the auxiliary generator mounted at the rear end. The ventilating fan at the drive and drew cooling air through both machines. The auxiliary generator was rated at 91A, 110V 10kW, the voltage being held within close limits throughout the engine speed range by a Newton automatic voltage regulator. This generator supplied excitation for the main generator and current for starter-battery charging, control circuits and other auxiliaries.

The main generator output was controlled by an automatic load regulator, which in turn was controlled by the engine speed governor. This method of control ensured that the full engine output available at each notch setting made by the driver was maintained over a wide range of engine speeds. The power output of the generators at each end of the train was accurately synchronised. Protection against wheel slip was provided by a current limiting relay. A special form of jumper connection between cars used butt contacts to eliminate possible misalignment with the plug-and-socket type.

Auxiliary Power

Current for lighting, air-conditioning, refrigeration, battery-charging and ancillary equipment was supplied by two underfloor mounted generating sets, each set comprising an 8-cylinder Rolls Royce horizontal engine direct coupled to a Stones Tonum alternator. The output of one set is sufficient for normal winter and summer requirements, the second set was carried for use as a standby and for use under extreme conditions. The engine was rated at 190hp at 1,500 rpm and the three-phase 50-cycle alternator at 133 kVA, 400v.

The auxiliary engine control panel. Clockwise from lower left the lights indicated fuel on, low oil pressure, low water level, idling and starting. The two smaller centre buttons wer for start and stop

In the 6-car train the generating sets were mounted underneath each of the kitchen cars and in the 8-car sets they were underneath the second class parlour cars.

Provision was also made for the operation of the lighting, refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment from an external three-phase a.c. supply when the train was stationary. Static power supply points were provided at terminal stations on the routes served by these trains. The junction box for the 120kW shore supply:

The 400v a.c. three-phase 50 cycle power for lighting and air conditioning was distributed by two four-wire feeders running the length of the train. Connections between the cars were made through Stones Kleops intercar couplings, and the circuits so arranged that if a coupling was broken the feeder was immediately disconnected from the power supply. The bulk of the lighting was supplied at 230v a.c. by phase-to-neutral connection of the 400v feeders, and the remainder was supplied at 110v a.c. from a 230/110v lighting transformer. The compressor, condenser-fan motor, and the floor and air heaters were connected to the three-phase 400v supply.

The air-conditioning fan motor and the control circuits were supplied at 24v d.c. from a three-phase transformer/rectifier unit. This supply was also used to charge a 24v 216 Ahr battery for auxiliary engine starting and emergency lighting.

The instrument and indicator lights panel

Bogies & Couplings

Leading and power bogies had a 9' 6" wheelbase, the remainder were 8' 6". The 2nd and 3rd bogie from each end were fitted with the fully suspended traction motors.

The permanent type of coupling between the coaches, which absorbed both buffing and drawing loads, was designed to provide a smooth pick-up on starting and stable running at high speed. Normal coupling hooks, for emergency use, were in concealed recesses in the nose of each of the motor cars.

The bogies were of the Metro-Schlieran frictionless type incorporating hydraulically damped helical springs. The hydraulic dampers fitted to the bogies were supplied by Armstrong Patents Co. Ltd.

At each end of the train formation there were two traction motors in the inner bogie of the power car and two in the adjacent bogie of the vehicle coupled next to it, making eight axles motored in a train of either six or eight coaches.

The unsprung weight on the axle was reduced to a minimum by carrying the motor on a three-point mounting on the bogie-frame. To accommodate the relative vertical movement of the axle and motor the motor drive was taken through a Brown Boveri spring drive unit. On the motor shaft was mounted a single-helical reduction gear meshing with the axle-drive gear which was mounted on a quill shaft carried on roller bearings. In the face of the gear is a ring of spring-loaded pads which engaged with face-dogs integral with a spider pressed on the road wheel hub. Thus the gears were maintained at the correct centres while allowing free vertical movement between axle and motor.

The motors were GEC four-pole self-ventilated machines with a continuos rating of 425A 383v, 199hp at 1,360rpm and a gear ratio of 19/67. The two-motors in each power bogie were in parallel. Current for the inner-vehicle power car motors was supplied through cables attached to the adjacent power car.

Brakes

The trains were fitted with a Westinghouse Electro-pnuematic brake featuring a high speed control and were operated by compressed air.

The essential features were:

An electrical driven air compressor was fitted on the underframe of each motor car, and each compressor charged its own main air reservoir to a maximum pressure of 125 lbs. P.s.i. These reservoirs were connected to each other by a common pipe, called the main reservoir pipe, which extended the whole length of the train. Connected to this pipe also, on each vehicle, was a supplementary reservoir charged with air at the same pressure. Another pipe extended the full length of the train and was called the brake pipe and could be easily distinguished from the main reservoir pipe quite easily as it is slightly larger in diameter. The brake pipe was connected to an auxiliary air reservoir on each vehicle. Mounted on the underframe of each vehicle is an electro-pnuematic brake unit which is connected to both the main reservoir pipe and the brake pipe, and this unit is perhaps the most important item of the brake system. Brake cylinders with combined slack adjuster were mounted on the heavy type bogie frame of the trailer bogies; these cylinders in turn were connected by suitable rigging to the brake blocks.

Control of the brake was established by means of a brake controller situated in each driving cab, the control handle had six operational positions as indicated in this following diagram

Special features were incorporated in the Westinghouse air brake equipment to maintain the high efficiency at high speeds. Control was by electro-pneumatic valves and at train speeds at which normal braking was required the degree of standard brake pressure applied to the cylinders was proportional to the position of the driver's brake controller.

In the high speed range the brake pressure was automatically increased to compensate for the lower coefficient of friction of the cast-iron shoes when operating at high speeds. The changeover from high speed to normal speed braking, and vice-versa, was entirely automatic and was controlled by a valve energised by current from the speedometer generator. The de-luxe Pullmans were the first train to be fitted with two-stage EP braking.

Operating through switch contacts in the controller, the standard brake valve handle was also used to control the automatic brake for emergency use. The brake equipment incorporated the latest type of Westinghouse rubber-seated valves and O-ring packings for ease of maintenance. The brake cylinders, fitted with slack adjusters, were externally mounted on the bogie frame and operation was through fully compensated clasp brake rigging.

When the WR cars were transferred to the WR, it was felt that there was not enough capacity in a 6-car set. The two units passed through Swindon Works to recieve modifications to the bottom of the cab end to give unhindered access to the coupling/drawhook. Multiple working jumpers were fitted, just below the windowscreens on the far sides. None of the WR sets were converted.