#2998
Brake gangwayed
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by York engine sheds and locomotive works· from 1951· corridor rail vehicle with guard's accommodation and space for luggage or parcels
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. BR MK1 BG: Dave coxon at English Wikipedia· Public domain
what is it?
The brake gangwayed or BG coach (also known as a full brake) is a type of British Railways Mark 1 passenger brake van. It has a guard's compartment in the centre and two large areas either side for storing luggage. They were a versatile type of coach that could be found all over the British Railways network, and some are still in use today – although not in conventional use.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 75 years ago, in 1951.
- Top speed is 1.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 14 minutes.
- Weighs about as much as 5 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 17.4 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
carriage / wagon: Unpowered passenger coaches or freight wagons, pulled by a locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1951
- in service from
- 1951
- number built
- 1,129
- kind
- carriage / wagon
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- York engine sheds and locomotive works, Cravens Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, Metro-Cammell, Pressed Steel Company, Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company
- operators
- British Rail
- top speed
- 177 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- length
- 17.4 m
- weight
- 32 t
- capacity
- 10 passengers
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4956022, Wikipedia: Brake gangwayed (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.