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British Rail Universal Trolley Equipment (BRUTE) was a system of mobile containers used by British Rail from the late 1960s to the early 1980s to enable the sorting, handling and distribution of parcels, newspapers etc. in connection with railway operations.
Unlike traditional station trolleys they would be loaded each with parcels for a particular destination and wheeled into the train's luggage area. This saved train waiting time and also cut down on handling. They went out of use when the parcels service (known as "Red Star") was discontinued.
Several types of parcels van were specially modified to carry BRUTEs, usually by the fitting of hinged beams or chains. In some cases modified vehicles were given different TOPS CARKND codes to distinguish them - these included:
- Bogie Brake van (TOPS code NB)
- General Utility Van (TOPS code NK)
- Covered Carriage Truck (TOPS code NP).
References
- Mallaband, P.; Bowles, L. J. (1978). Coaching Stock of British Railways (4 ed.). Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. pp. 22–32, 91. ISBN 0901115444.