Composite Corridor
Encyclopedia
The Composite Corridor (or CK) is a railway coach with a number of compartments, some of which are standard class (previously second, né third class) and some first class, linked by a side corridor
.
composite coach. Early composite coaches did not feature corridors or gangways between the vehicles.
.
CK, built from 1951 onwards, had four First-class and three Second-class compartments, with a vestibule separating the 1st and 2nd sections, and a sliding door (usually fixed open) to divide the corridor.
There were two variants, those built for the Midland, Scottish, and Eastern / North Eastern regions had six seats per compartment in 2nd class, with fold-up arm-rests which folded into the seat-back, while those built for the Southern and Western regions, with their heavy commuter loadings into London, had eight seats in each 2nd class compartment, and no arm-rests. 2nd class seating was of the interior sprung bench type.
All first class compartments sat six passengers, with folding arm rests which lifted into cushion dividers between the seats, using a lower bench with six individual square cushions on top for greater comfort.
In later years, as vehicles were re-allocated between regions, some had their arm-rests fixed in the folded position while on the Western region.
The CK was less common than coaches comprising all first class (FK) or all standard class (SK). There was also a Brake Composite Corridor or BCK, but this was not common.
No coaches of this type are still in daily use on the main line network, since open saloon coaches are now preferred by operating companies.
Some do still run on heritage lines, as indicated in the Llangollen Railway
picture above, with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
registering two examples for use on the Esk Valley Line between Whitby
and Battersby
.
Corridor (rail vehicle)
A corridor is a passageway in, and generally between, railway passenger vehicles.-Related terms:* Corridor coach - a coach with corridors between vehicles...
.
History
The composite coach was a standard coach design going back to the early days of railways, enabling a railway company to provide multi-class passenger accommodation in a single vehicle and so reduce costs. In the book "Red For Danger" by LTC Rolt it's mentioned that the train which came to grief at Wigan on the night of 2 August 1873 featured a Caledonian RailwayCaledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
composite coach. Early composite coaches did not feature corridors or gangways between the vehicles.
Gangwayed stock
Once communicating gangways between coaches were introduced, a side corridor was provided to allow passengers and staff to walk up and down the train, while seated passengers in compartments were not disturbed, and thus the various types of side-corridor coaches were developed.Non-gangwayed stock
In the BR Mk1 era, non-gangwayed composite coaches were constructed for use on suburban lines, these had a side corridor connecting all the compartments of one class to a central toilet, with a similar corridor connecting the compartments of the other class to a different toilet. Thus first class passengers could move between the first class compartments, and third/second class passengers likewise move about their area, but there was no communication between the classes or to adjacent coaches. A non-gangwayed Corridor Composite of this type, designated "C" (as opposed to CK for the gangwayed version), is preserved at the Keighley and Worth Valley RailwayKeighley and Worth Valley Railway
The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a long branch line that served mills and villages in the Worth Valley and is now a heritage railway line in West Yorkshire, England. It runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the national rail network line at Keighley railway station...
.
Big 4
All of the "Big 4" British railway companies created in the "Grouping" of 1923 operated Corridor Composite coaches.BR Mk1 version
The British Railways Mark 1British Railways Mark 1
British Railways Mark 1 was the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways. Following nationalisation in 1948, BR had continued to build carriages to the designs of the "Big Four" companies , and the Mark 1 was intended to be the...
CK, built from 1951 onwards, had four First-class and three Second-class compartments, with a vestibule separating the 1st and 2nd sections, and a sliding door (usually fixed open) to divide the corridor.
There were two variants, those built for the Midland, Scottish, and Eastern / North Eastern regions had six seats per compartment in 2nd class, with fold-up arm-rests which folded into the seat-back, while those built for the Southern and Western regions, with their heavy commuter loadings into London, had eight seats in each 2nd class compartment, and no arm-rests. 2nd class seating was of the interior sprung bench type.
All first class compartments sat six passengers, with folding arm rests which lifted into cushion dividers between the seats, using a lower bench with six individual square cushions on top for greater comfort.
In later years, as vehicles were re-allocated between regions, some had their arm-rests fixed in the folded position while on the Western region.
The CK was less common than coaches comprising all first class (FK) or all standard class (SK). There was also a Brake Composite Corridor or BCK, but this was not common.
No coaches of this type are still in daily use on the main line network, since open saloon coaches are now preferred by operating companies.
Some do still run on heritage lines, as indicated in the Llangollen Railway
Llangollen Railway
The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of...
picture above, with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line...
registering two examples for use on the Esk Valley Line between Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
and Battersby
Battersby
Battersby is a village in North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the edge of the North York Moors....
.