The Southern Railway (SR) gave the designation 5-BEL to the five-car all-Pullmanelectric multiple units which worked the prestigious Brighton Belle trains between London Victoria and Brighton. These units survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated TOPSClass 403. Between 1933 and 1935 the units were designated 5-PUL (the 'PUL' code was then used for the 6-PUL units).
The SR electrified the London Victoria to Brighton line in the early 1930s, and full electric services commenced over the route from 1 January 1933. For the high-profile Southern Belle Pullman train three five-car units, consisting entirely of Pullman cars, were built. All 15 cars were built by Metropolitan Cammell. In June 1934 the Southern Railway renamed the Southern Belle as the Brighton Belle.[2]
As they were Pullman cars, owned by the independent Pullman Car Company (UK), the individual carriages were numbered in its series, taking numbers 279 to 293, and the first class cars were given women's names while the third (from June 1956, second) class cars carried less-inspiring Car No xx designations, derived from the second and third digits of the Pullman Car Company's number. However, the units together were allocated numbers in the SR series, originally taking 2051-2053, which was revised in January 1937 to 3051-3053.
Formations
Three different car types were built - Driving Motor Brake Parlour Third (DMBPT), Trailer Parlour First with Kitchen (TPFK), and Trailer Parlour Third (TPT). Initial formations of these units were as follows:
Unit Numbers
DMBPT
TPFK
TPFK
TPT
DMBPT
2051 / 3051
288 Car No 88
279 Hazel
282 Doris
286 Car No 86
289 Car No 89
2052 / 3052
290 Car No 90
280 Audrey
284 Vera
287 Car No 87
291 Car No 91
2053 / 3053
292 Car No 92
281 Gwen
283 Mona
285 Car No 85
293 Car No 93
Withdrawal and preservation
The last Brighton Belle train ran on 30 April 1972, and the three 5BEL units were withdrawn. However all 15 cars were sold into private ownership, though no unit was kept together as a single entity. Instead they were split up and each vehicle was initially used as an individual Pullman car, the majority not in railway use. A number have been returned to service on the main line with the Belmond British Pullman (previously the Venice Simplon Orient Express or VSOE), as hauled cars forming part of the British Pullman charter train. A campaign[3] to return the Brighton Belle to mainline service was launched by the 5BEL Trust in 2008. By 2009, the trust had assembled a four-car set,[4] having acquired cars from the North Norfolk Railway and VSOE. A fifth car, No.282 'Doris', was acquired from the Bluebell Railway in 2011 and a sixth, No.279 'Hazel' in 2012. After restoration, the Brighton Belle started testing in January 2025 from its base at Crewe.
The table below sets out the current position:
Key:
Stored
In service
Scrapped/Destroyed
Preserved
Number
Name
Location
Note
Image
279
Hazel
Ramparts, Barrow Hill
5-BEL Trust, under restoration
280
Audrey
VSOE, in service
281
Gwen
VSOE, in service
282
Doris
Ramparts, Barrow Hill
5-BEL Trust, to be restored
283
Mona
VSOE, stored
284
Vera
VSOE, in service
285
Car No 85
5BEL Trust, under restoration
286
Car No 86
VSOE, stored
287
Car No 87
Ramparts, Barrow Hill
5-BEL Trust, under restoration
288
Car No 88
Ramparts, Barrow Hill
5-BEL Trust, under restoration
289
Car No 89
Little Mill Inn, Rowarth, Derbyshire
Privately owned,
290
Car No 90
Destroyed by fire in 1991
291
Car No 91
Ramparts, Barrow Hill
5-BEL Trust, under restoration
292
Car No 92
VSOE, stored
293
Car No 93
Ramparts, Barrow Hill
VSOE, stored
Model railways
Hornby Railways produced OO gauge models of the 5-BEL from 2012, in both BR blue and grey and Pullman umber and cream liveries.[5][6]N gauge models were introduced in 2013 at 1:143 scale, under Hornby's Arnold brand, in both umber and cream livery and BR blue and grey livery.[7]
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