Abstract
The story of the Mk 4 and Mk 5 coach developments from 1984 to 1991 is told by two members of the BR Project Team specially assembled to manage the procurement and entry into service of the new coaches. The paper is in two parts.
Part 1 of the paper opens with a brief résumé of BR coach development from the Mk 1 in 1951 through to the Mk 3 of the early 1970s. The Mk 4 coach was specifically designed for the electrified East Coast Main Line and formed part of a push-pull train called InterCity 225. The coaches were purchased under a new set of competitive procurement rules and as such the project team had to learn to deal with some new problems along with a lot of old ones.
Engineering developments were instigated in the areas of ride quality, braking and gangways and these are described. Interior mock-ups were also used to specify InterCity's requirements. The paper reviews preparation of the procurement specification, as well as the process of tendering and placing the contract. The design features of the Mk 4 coach are described, together with a brief description of the production and assembly process.
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