Coaching stock descriptors

[Firstone18]

Can somebody please enlighten me as to what a coach type BG(NEA) is?
I understand the 'BG' bit, but cannot find out from any web search what the '(NEA)' means!
TIA

[Ali Smith]

"Not Easily Ascertained", judging by your lack of success. Hopefully somebody else will come up with the real answer soon.

[crewearpley40]

NEA Bogie brake van
100mph
Converted around 1982 / 1983


N = newspaper traffic
A = dual air and vacuum braked
Air braked


https://www.simsig.co.uk/Forum/ThreadView/40488

[Yet_Another]

This appears to be a fairly expansive listing of NPCC TOPS codes:

https://www.bloodandcustard.com/BR-NPCCTOPScodes.html

[Firstone18]

NEA Bogie brake van
100mph
Converted around 1982 / 1983


N = newspaper traffic
A = dual air and vacuum braked
Air braked


https://www.simsig.co.uk/Forum/ThreadView/40488

Thank you, so it is a braked goods but specifically for carrying newspapers?

[crewearpley40]

Newspaper/ mail traffic

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_carriage_and_wagon_numbering_and_classification

https://www.ltsv.com/rd/tops_detail.php?id=T-NEA


Correct but @Firstone18 I'm correcting myself as reading my notes from years ago N = non passenger carrying coaching stock often used in newspaper traffic or attached vans to long distance eg Euston Glasgow rakes back in the day


B4 bogies


John Turner, Liverpool 88

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/2325502398

Photographer unknown Wolverhampton 84

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mk1_BG_M92012.jpg



Steve Jones
Wolverhampton
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tutenkhamunsleeping/5491520970

[Steven B]

Thank you, so it is a braked goods but specifically for carrying newspapers?

Three letter TOPS codes were introduced by BR in the early 1970s. The first character indicates the broad category of the vehicle. For example, V for vans, O for opens, T of tankers.

N is the code for non-passenger carrying coaching stock (NPCCS) - including B, BG, BZ (full brakes), GUV (general utility van), CCT (covered carriage truck), PMV (parcels miscellaneous van), POS & POT (TPO sorting and stowage) and horse boxes.

The second letter is the sub-type. This gives more detail - there are several for each type of vehicle based on interior fitting, rated speed etc.
For the BG:
NA - 90mph rated with end corridor connections
NC - 90mph rated with tables for sorting newspapers
ND - 90mph rated with end corridor connections
NE - 100mph rated with end corridor connections.
NF - 90mph rated with no corridor connections
NH - 110mph rated with end corridor connections.

Most NE and NH vans would be used on passenger trains. The main difference between them was the 110mph vans had a more intense maintenance regime to.

There are similar range of codes for the various sub-types of GUV.

The third letter is the brake type. Most commonly found on NPCCS are:
A - air brake only
V - vacuum brake only
X - dual air/vacuum brake

TOPS codes were applied by BR to pre-nationalisation designs. A GWR Siphon would likely be a NAV or NFV depending on if it retained its corridor connection or not. A SR Van B would be a NFV.
https://flic.kr/p/bqBxhb
https://flic.kr/p/mRAy42

A BG (NEA) would be a air-brake only, full brake with a 100mph rating. Typically these would initially be most commonly found on passenger trains. They transferred to parcels/post traffic towards the end of the 1980s as the second generation DMUs arrived along with the Mk3 DVT.


TOPS codes for standard passenger coaches also exist - a Mk1 BSK is a AB21 whilst a Mk2F TSO is a AD2F.

Steven B.

[Newportnobby]

Excellent and most helpful. Ta muchly.