British Rail Mark 2 Coaches : The Design That Launched InterCity. Este artículo no está disponible.British Rail Mark 2 Coaches : The Design That Launched InterCity

BR's mark 2 coaches are a remarkable link between the steam age railway, the birth of Inter City in 1966 and the successful development of that business - especially through the 1980s - to the emergence since 1984 of the privatised railway. Over 400 have been thoroughly modernised to serve the privatised companies and will take the operation of Mark 2s through into the new century. The history of the Mark 2 is a complex story which follows the policies and motivations of the nationalised British Rail where the whys and wherefores and the might-have beens or should have beens are as relevent as the very nuts and bolts of the vehicles. The existence of the Mark 2s was something of a happy chance. If it hadn't been for the Western Region's engineering management of the 1950s taking the initiative to design an integrally constructed carriage, Inter-City would have been without a basic tool to develop its business and product from the mid-1960s. The Mark 2s have not always enjoyed a good press, but author Michael Harris feels that they deserve a better hearing and some rehabilitation of their image. No other vehicle design at any time on British railways had to be adapted so extensively, to incorporate electric train heating, air-braking and air-conditioning. The author has consulted official BR records not in the public domain, and interviewed engineers and operators who worked with the Mark 2s throughout their lives. Of especial interest is the full story behind the evolution of the prototype Mark 2 built at Swindon Works in the early 1960s. He also reviews the current developments with Mark 2s operated by Anglia Railways and Virgin Trains, as well as Venice Simplon Orient-Express and the heritage railways. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs and drawings showing Mark 2s at all stages of their lives, as well as their construction and interior details which will make the book of particular interest to railway modellers.