Description
Soon after its formation in 1923 the LMS settled on a standard 57-foot non-corridor carriage design based on previous LNWR practice, which it went on to produce in vast quantities for the rest of its life. During its lifetime (and continuing under BR until the early 1950s) the LMS built a total of 4543 non-corridor coaches, of which 503 were fitted with lavatories and the remaining 4040 were simple non-lavatory designs.
The 57-foot non-lavatory (or ‘suburban’) stock was built in only a handful of variants: first, third, composite and brake third. Over the years these carriages appeared in the various styles that marked the evolution of LMS carriage design until the final examples were delivered to BR in 1951.
Especially in the suburban and/or short distance mode such coaches were for many years the best means of moving large numbers of people and letting them on and off the train quickly. These coaches could be seen all over the territory of the LMS and formed the backbone of suburban, local and branch line services.
The coaches in this set represent the flush-sided ‘Stanier’ style known as ‘Period III’ built from 1933. This was the final LMS carriage style, but apart from a more modern look they differed little from the pattern already established, and coaches from earlier periods could often be seen paired with their later period III cousins.
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