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6-Cit/6-Cor/6-Pan/6-Pul

photograph from John Bradshaw collection

6-Pul unit leaves Clapham Junction en route for Ore via Eastbourne.

The 6-Pul units were built in 1932 for the Brighton Line electrification and were used originally on the London - Brighton and London - West Worthing services. (The electrification of the Eastbourne line through to Ore in 1935 and the Worthing - Littlehampton line in 1938 saw their use extended to these destinations as well.) Given the up-market clientele on those lines these were to be no ordinary units as the 6-Puls included a Pullman car as part of their formation. The units were vestibuled within themselves but had no external connection so that a twelve car train would be two separate units of six. Twenty 6-Puls were built and numbered from 2001 to 2020, subsequently being re-numbered 3001 to 3020 during 1937.

The 6-Pan units were built in 1935 for the Eastbourne and Hastings Line electrification and as with the 6-Puls had vestibules within each unit, but not at the ends. Instead of including a Pullman car, these units had a Pantry (or Buffet) car, each unit comprising two motor saloon thirds, two trailer corridor thirds, a trailer corridor first and the Pantry car. Seventeen 6-Pans were built and numbered from 2021 to 2037, subsequently being re-numbered 3021 to 3037 during 1937.

The 6-Pul units would frequently run attached to a 6-Pan unit, a train using this combination was referred to as a 6-Pul/6-Pan.

Two prototype 'Main Line' motorcoaches were ordered by the Southern Railway and delivered in October 1931 to run as part of a 'Five Coach Experimental Unit' numbered 2001. The three trailer coaches were eventually provided by converting some LSWR loco-hauled coaches, though the underframes for two of these trailers were actually ordered (HO590) and, as usual with the Southern Railway's 'waste nothing' policies, these were later used under the last two Pantry cars in the 6-Pan units, explaining why these two cars only (12516/7) had equalising beam bogies rather than the leaf sprung bogies of all the others.

The two prototype motorcoaches were numbered 11001 & 11002, the first being built by BRCW and the second by MCW. Both were 65' 11" long, weighed 57 tons and were fitted with four BTH163 225hp motors. These coaches were unusual in having box girder underframes without any lower trussing. 11001 had flat sides, whilst 11002 had a lower tumblehome as the shape of the main line stock was then still to be determined. That of 11002 was preferred so all later construction had a tumblehome. These motorcoaches, which differed from all the later 'production' ones by having seven seating bays (56 seats), were given Diagram Number 2107 and were later used as one of the motorcoaches in 6-Cit units N°2041 & N°2042.

Construction of the 6-Pul and 6-Pan Motor cars was split between BRCW and MCW, with a 225hp BTH traction motor on each axle of the power bogie, whilst the trailers were built by the Southern Railway, underframes at Lancing and bodies at Eastleigh.

An additional three units, designated as 6-Cit, were also built in 1932 especially to work the 5pm London Bridge to Brighton "City Limited". This train was taken off during WWII and, not being re-instated after the war, the units (originally numbered 2041 to 2043 but later 3041 to 3043) were re-formed during 1947 and 1948 into 6-Puls.

The contractor-built coaches were of all steel construction, however the other trailer coaches were built by the Southern Railway at Eastleigh and were more conventional with steel covered hardwood framing and timber/canvas roofs. Trailer triples (in numbered sequences) were allocated to units in the order they entered traffic, so the first was 2013 (MCW) then 2002 (BRCW) etc. The production motorcoaches were altered to have 6½ bays only (with a larger brakevan area) seating 52 third class passengers and were given Diagram Number 2112.

All coaches were mounted on equalising beam bogies. The three 6-Cit units had three Trailer Firsts (TFK) each seating 42 first class passengers. Pul units had in their place two Trailer Composites (TCK) which seated 30 first class and 24 third class passengers and a Trailer Third (TTK) which seated 68 third class passengers. Overall unit capacities/statistics then were:-
6-Pul 72 first, 236 third, 399' 0" long and 268 tons
6-Cit (2041/2) 138 first, 124 third, 399' 0" and 262½ tons
6-Cit (2043) 138 first, 120 third, 399' 0" and 264½ tons.

The ten Pullman cars, provided by the Pullman company, were constructed by MCW and measured 68' 8¾" long over buffers, weighed 43 tons and seated 12 first and 16 third. These Pullman cars were, naturally, in Pullman chocolate and cream livery, otherwise the unit was the prevailing Southern green.

When new the units were shown as 6-Cor in operating publications, though this was changed in 1935 (when the 6-Pan units were delivered) to 6-Pul, (the three all-Pullman units then being altered from 5 Pul to 5-Bel). The units were renumbered in January 1937 to 3001 - 3020 (Pul) and 3041 - 3043 (Cit) with the Pan units numbered 3021 to 3037. Two Pul units (numbers unknown) were badly damaged at Peckham Rye in an air raid on 2nd October 1940 but repaired. The Pullman cars were removed from the units from 4th May 1942 which then ran as 5 COR, several of the Pullmans were then badly damaged when the Preston Park Pullman Shops were hit in an air raid of 25th May 1943, and though all were repaired they did not all return to their original units after the war, the Pullmans being officially reinstated in the units from 1st May 1946. The 6-Pans' Pantry cars were taken out of use from 27th May 1942 but remained in their units as they were mainly passenger seating accomodation. They were re-opened from May 1946 but did not survive for long as they were out of use again by the early 1950s.

Other units war damaged were 6-Puls N°3004 (at Lancing 30th September 1942) and Nos 3011/15/19/41 at Brighton on 25th April 1943, whilst two more were hit at Streatham Hill by a V1 flying bomb blast on 1st July 1944 and 3043 similarly at New Cross Gate on 7th July 1944. All these damaged units were quickly repaired however. 6-Pan unit N°3030 had trailer third 10039 destroyed by a landmine at Brighton in May 1943. A new 10039 was built to replace the destroyed one in May 1946.

After the war, the three 6-Cit units were altered to 6-Pul configuration to reduce the amount of first class, the three TFKs in each being downgraded, two to TCK (30 first and 16 third) and one to TTK (56 third). They now seated 72 first and 212 third (2043 had only 208 third). The dates the units were downgraded were as follows:- 3041 29th November 1947, 3042 10th May 1947, 3043 20th March 1948.

During the 1950s and 1960s some 6-Pans ran as 6-Puls, usually unit N°3032 which ran with Pullman car "Lorna" in 1951/2, "Naomi" in 1952 and "Ethel" and "Olive" in 1957

The 6-Pul Pullman cars were named as follows:
2001 (3001) Anne
2002 (3002) Rita
2003 (3003) Grace
2004 (3004) Elinor
2005 (3005) Ida
2006 (3006) Rose
2007 (3007) Violet
2008 (3008) Lorna
2009 (3009) Alice
2010 (3010) Daisy
2011 (3011) Naomi
2012 (3012) Bertha
2013 (3013) Brenda
2014 (3014) Enid
2015 (3015) Joyce
2016 (3016) Iris
2017 (3017) Ruth
2018 (3018) May
2019 (3019) Peggy
2020 (3020) Clara

Having spent some 10 years in the Bluebell Railway's Pullman Dining Train, Bertha can be seen today on the Swanage Railway.

The 6-Cit Pullman cars were named as follows:
2041 (6-Pul N°3041) Gwladys 2042 (6-Pul N°3042) Olive 2043 (6-Pul N°3043) Ethel

The units were given routine maintenance at Lovers Walk (Brighton) and body overhauls were done at Lancing Works with electrical/mechanical overhauls at Peckham Rye Shops (though Slade Green sometimes helped out). The Pullman cars were shopped at a different frequency at Preston Park, units sometimes running as 5 cars whilst they were being done, whilst Pullman cars were occasionally marshalled into 6-Pan units to keep them in service whilst their Pul coaches were being overhauled.

The equalising beam bogies deteriorated and rebuilding of them was authorised from late in 1955, all the trailer bogies being altered by 1958, though motorcoaches retained their originals until withdrawal. 6-Pul units quite often deputised for 5-Bel units on the Brighton Belle and were occasionally used for Royal specials from Portsmouth to Windsor, these, most unusually, taking them away from the Central Section lines.

Units began to have yellow warning panels painted on the cab ends in the 1960s and were fitted with air horns, but all were withdrawn in their original forms still in green livery.

Delivery of new Cig and Big stock saw the first withdrawals in early 1964, some of the displaced trailers being used in 'new' 4-Pul (formed by utilising Pullman cars from withdrawn 6-Pul sets substituting for restaurant cars in former 4-Res units) & 4-Cor (N) units. The bulk of the units went later in 1965 and all had gone by April 1966, the last run by a 6-Pul being on 24th April that year.

Many coaches however saw further service formed into 6-Cor units for the South Eastern Division, or reformed into former 4-Res units to turn them into 4 Cors 3159 - 3168.

For further information on these units you are recommended to try and source issue 46 of "Live Rail", the journal of the Southern Electric Group".

Click on the thumbnails for a larger image.
  • 2024
    Hooley
    6-Pan N°2024 in 1935 at Star Lane, Hooley.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 3009
    Haywards Heath
    6-Pul unit N°3009 at Haywards Heath with a Victoria to Ore via Eastbourneservice.
    Photograph by Keith Harwood.
  • 6-Pul
    Purley
    An unidentified 6-Pul passing Purley Oaks on 3rd October 1959. Headcode 54 denotes it as travelling from Ore to Victoria via the Quarry line taking the direct line from Stone Cross Junction to Polegate and not via Eastbourne.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 3018
    Ouse Valley
    6-Pul N°3018 photographed on the Ouse Valley viaduct, date unknown but the BR logo is the later one so post-1957. Headcode 4 denotes the non-stop Victoria to Brighton service.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 3024
    Purley
    6-Pan N°3024 at Purley on 18th July 1964 with another non-stop Victoria to Brighton service. This is the same unit as N°2024 previously, having been renumbered during 1937.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 3019
    Norbury
    6-Pul unit 3019, with Pullman Car "Peggy" and an unidentified 6 Pan unit, at Norbury with a Victoria to Littlehampton via Worthing train.
    Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 3026
    Wandsworth
    The leading unit is 6-Pan N°3026 seen passing Wandsworth Common with the headcode denoting a Victoria to Brighton fast train.
    The leading MBS is the 6-PUL one (with the drop down sidelights as opposed to sliding ones at the top) which this unit gained in 1949 after accident damage at London Bridge. This makes it coach 11006 so the second coach is 10032, followed by 12265. A 6-Pul unit is attached to the rear of the train as the Pullman car is helpfully visible beyond the 4-Sub unit. Photograph: Mike Morant collection.
  • 3041
    Tooting
    6-Pul unit N°3041, with Pullman Car Gwladys just coming into the shot, passing Tooting Common during 1963. This is one of the converted 6-Cit units and is identified because the unique flat sided motor coach, 11001, is leading.
    Photograph by Chris Knowles-Thomas.
  • 3027
    Balham
    6-Pan unit N°3027 passing through Balham station heading north.
    (N°3027 appears to be carrying headcode 51, which is for London Bridge, so was this unit on a diversion?)
    Photograph: W.J.Wyse/Mike Morant collection.
  • 3028
    Balham
    6-Pan unit N°3028 passing through Balham station heading south. On the right is a new concrete signal gantry.
    Photograph: W.J.Wyse/Mike Morant collection.
  • 3010
    Cooksbridge
    6-Pul unit N°3010, with Pullman Car "Daisy", near Cooksbridge, 13th June 1965, on an Ore to Victoria train.
    Photograph by Graham Hoare and reproduced from the book 'A Southern Electric Album', by Michael Welch, by kind permission of Capital Transport Publishing.
  • Test
    Working
    On Sunday 8th November 1936, 6-Pul motor coach N°11008 hauled 30 wagons and a 25 ton brake from Norwood to Three Bridges. As the load was eight times what a Pul motor coach was designed to work K Class mogul N°2325 banked the train. The loco was detached at Purley and gave assistance uncoupled up the grades to Coulsdon North and the Quarry Tunnel (though followed a section behind through the tunnel). The test proved that with series-parallel control and only two 'economical' power ranges speed control was inflexible and with a collector shoe span of only 46'6" contact was lost frequently and had the steam loco not been assisting at the rear consequent bunching and surging could have led to broken couplings and a rough ride for the guard.
    Text taken from a talk by A.T.H.Taylor called '600/750 DC Electric and Electro Diesel locomotives of the Southern Railway and it's successors' in 1995.
    Photograph: John Wills collection.

This page was last updated 2 August 2010

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