Encyclopedia

British Rail Class 423 The British Rail Class 423 (or 4Vep) electrical multiple units were built by BR at York Works from 1967-74, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were constructed at Derby Works. In common with all other Mark 1 multiple units in the Southern Region, they feature manually opening doors next to every seating row, giving the rise to the common nickname "slam-door trains", or simply "slammers".
British Rail Class 432 The British Rail Class 432 (or 4Rep) electric multiple units were built by BR at York Works from 1966-1967 and 1974. The units were built to power the 4TC trailer units on services on the South Western Main Line.
British Rail Class 442 The British Rail Class 442 (or 5Wes) electrical multiple units, also known as Wessex Electrics, was introduced in 1988, to serve on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. Twenty-four of these 5-car units were built between 1988-89 by BREL at their Derby works.
British Rail Class 447 Class 447 was the designation given to the Electric multiple unit trains that would have run the shuttle services (branded the Battersea Bullet) between London Victoria and the entertainment complex planned for the site of the former Battersea Power Station. Three units were planned, each of four cars, and since the trains would have been privately owned by the operator of the entertainment complex, British Rail allocated carriage numbers 99469-99481 (from the private owner carriage series) for the individual vehicles.
British Rail Class 455 The British Rail Class 455 is a type of electric multiple unit drawing power from a 750 V DC third rail. Built by BREL at York works in the early and mid-1980s, they are used on suburban services in South London, by South West Trains and Southern.
British Rail Class 457 In the late 1980s, the Network SouthEast division of British Rail, which operated the railway network in South East England, started to develop a new standard train, known as the Networker. To test out the technical arrangements for the Networker, a test train was used, converted from former Class 210 (the prototype 'Second Generation' Diesel Electric Multiple Units) carriages.
British Rail Class 458 The South West Trains Class 458 (or 4Jop) electrical multiple units were built by Alstom at Washwood Heath from 1998-2000. These units are part of Alstom's "Juniper" family of units, which also includes Classes 334 and 460.
British Rail Class 465 The British Rail Class 465 "Networker" electric multiple units were built by Metropolitan Cammell and BREL between 1991 and 1993, and brought into service from 1991 onwards. They are mostly used on suburban routes serving the South East of England, now operated by Southeastern.
British Rail Class 483 The British Rail Class 483 electrical multiple units were originally built by Metro-Cammell as 1938 tube stock units for London Underground. They were extensively refurbished from 1989-92 by Eastleigh Works, for use on the Isle of Wight railway network on Island Line 'mainline' service from Ryde to Shanklin.
British Rail Class 485 The British Rail Class 485 (or 4Vec) electrical multiple units were original built for the London Electric Railway from 1923-31 as their 'Standard' tube stock. They were purchased by British Rail in 1967 and transported to the Isle of Wight to work 'mainline' services on the newly electrified Ryde to Shanklin line.
British Rail Class 486 The British Rail Class 486 (or 3Tis) electrical multiple units were originally built for the London Electric Railway from 1923-31 as their 'Standard' tube stock. They were purchased by British Rail in 1967 and transported to the Isle of Wight to work 'mainline' services on the newly electrified Ryde to Shanklin line.
British Rail Class 499 British Rail allocated Class 499 to a fleet of six luggage vans used in electric multiple unit formations on boat train services between London and Dover. They were allocated Southern Region class TLV (meaning Trailer Luggage Van).
British Rail Class 50 The British Rail Class 50 is a diesel locomotive built from 1967-68 by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry Works in Newton-le-Willows. Fifty of these locomotives were built to haul express passenger trains on the northern half of the West Coast Main Line.
British Rail Class 503 British Rail Class 503 trains were 70mph (110km/h) electric multiple units. They were introduced in two batches - in 1938 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) with a further batch (built to a similar design) in 1956 by the then nationalised British Railways (BR).
British Rail Class 505 British Railways Class 505 were 1,500 V DC electric multiple units (EMUs) introduced in 1931 by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR). Although assigned to TOPS Class 505 by British Railways, these units were withdrawn before the TOPS numbering system came into common use for multiple units, and the Class 505 designation is very rarely used.
British Rail Class 506 The British Rail Class 506 was a 3 carriage Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) built for local services between Manchester, Glossop and Hadfield on the Woodhead Line. They were introduced in 1954 and equipped with air-operated sliding doors.
British Rail Class 507 British Rail Class 507 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works from 1978 to 1979. They were the third variety of BR's then-standard design for suburban EMUs, which eventually encompassed 811 vehicles and five Classes (Class 313/314/315/507/508).
British Rail Class 52 British Rail assigned Class 52 to the class of 74 large Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964. All were given two-word names, with the first word being Western, and thus the type became known as Westerns.
British Rail Class 53 British Rail assigned Class 53 to the single Brush Traction-built prototype locomotive Falcon. While not in any sense a failure, the design was the victim of advances in locomotive technology (specifically, the power obtainable from single low-speed diesel engines) and was never duplicated.
British Rail Class 55 British Rail assigned Class 55 to the English Electric Type 5 express diesel locomotives built in 1961/2 for high-speed service on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic, and their Napier Deltic engines.
British Rail Class 57 The British Rail Class 57 diesel locomotives were rebuilt by Brush Traction between 1997-2004, as rebuilds with new engines of Class 47 locomotives. They are known as "bodysnatchers", "Snatchers" or "Zombies" to enthusiasts, by virtue of the fact that the shell (body) of the class 47 has been stripped and rewired and engined.
British Rail Class 59 The Class 59 Co-Co diesel locomotives were built by General Motors Electro Motive Diesel for private British companies, initially Foster Yeoman (59/0). They were designed for hauling heavy freight and designated JT26CW-SS.
British Rail Class 66/6 The Class 66/6 subclass of the British Rail Class 66 Co-Co diesel locomotives consists of locomotives ordered Freightliner built to a slightly modified design in which regeared with lower gears for more powerful operation, though as a result they have a reduced 65mph top speed. They are numbered 66601-22.
British Rail Class 70 The British Rail Class 70 was a class of three 3rd rail Co-Co electric locomotives. The initial two were built by the Southern Railway to Alfred Raworth's design at Ashford works in 1941 and 1945 and were numbered CC1 and CC2 (CC2 was modified slightly from the original design by C.
British Rail Class 80 British Rail allocated Class 80 to its prototype 25kV AC electric locomotive, numbered E1000 initially, and later E2001. It was converted in 1958 by Metropolitan Vickers from the prototype mainline gas turbine-electric locomotive that they had built for BR in 1951, number 18100.
British Rail Class 85 The British Rail Class 85 is an electric locomotive built during the early 1960s, as part of BR's policy to develop a standard electric locomotive. Five prototype classes (81-85) were built and evaluated, which eventually led to the development of the Class 86 locomotive.
British Rail Class 86 The British Rail Class 86 is the standard electric locomotive built during the 1960s, developed as a result of testing with the earlier Classes 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85. One hundred of these locomotives were built from 1965-1966 by either English Electric at Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, or British Rail (BR) at their Doncaster works.
British Rail Class 87 The British Rail Class 87 is a type of electric locomotive built from 1973-75 by BREL. These locomotives were built to work passenger services over the West Coast Main Line after electrification spread north from Crewe to Preston, Carlisle and Glasgow.
British Rail Class 901 The Class 901 designation is used for two former British Rail Class 101 diesel multiple units converted for departmental use. They were reclassified from the Class 960 series in early 2004 by their owner Network Rail.
British Rail Class 91 The British Rail Class 91 is a class of 140mph, 6,300 hp electric locomotives ordered specifically for the East Coast Main Line modernisation and electrification programme of the late 1980s. The Class 91 locomotives were to replace the previous British Rail Class 43 (HST) in addition to other InterCity locomotives.
British Rail Class 930 The British Rail Class 930 was reserved for former Southern Region electrical multiple units and diesel-electric multiple units converted for departmental use. Originally the series was reserved for de-icing and, later, sandite units.
British Rail Class 932 The British Rail Class 932 was reserved for former Southern Region electrical multiple units and diesel electric multiple unit carriages converted for departmental use. Originally the series was reserved for Research and Tractor units.
British Rail Class 936 The British Rail Class 936 was reserved for former electrical multiple units not from the South-East, converted for departmental use. Units were converted for various tasks, including application of sandite, and de-icing duties.
British Rail Class 937 The British Rail Class 937 was reserved for former AC electrical multiple units, converted for departmental use. Units were converted for various tasks, including application of sandite, and use as tractor units to tow other trains.
British Rail Class 951 The British Rail Class 951 was reserved for former diesel-electric multiple units converted for departmental use. Units were converted for various tasks, including application of sandite, de-icing duties, and use as tractor units to tow other trains.
British Rail Class 960 The British Rail Class 960 was reserved for former diesel multiple units converted for departmental use, and former electrical multiple units rebuilt as test trains. Diesel units were converted for various tasks, including application of sandite, route learning, use as tractor units to tow other trains, and conversion to test trains.
British Rail Class 97 British Rail reserved the TOPS Class 97 designation for departmental locomotives, which were used for special or engineering duties. They were therefore of several different classes, lumped together for numbering purposes.
British Rail Class 97/6 The British Rail Class 97/6 diesel shunting locomotives were purpose-built for departmental duties by Ruston & Hornsby at Lincoln in 1953 (97650) or 1959 (97651-654). This class of five locomotives are outwardly similar to the Class 04 locomotives built around the same time.
British Rail Class 99 When British Rail implemented the TOPS system for managing their operating stock, their shipping fleet was incorporated into the system as Class 99. This was done in order to circumvent some of the restrictions of the application software.
British Rail Class AM1 Class AM1 was allocated to the prototype AC electric multiple units, converted from fourth-rail DC electric stock in 1952 and used on the Lancaster/Morecambe/Heysham route. This route had been electrified by the Midland Railway at 6.
British Rail Class D16/1 British Railways Class D16/1 or 10000 and 10001 were the first mainline diesel locomotives in Great Britain. They were built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at its Derby Works, using the EE16SVT 1600 hp transmission, in association with English Electric and the Vulcan Foundry, with whom the LMS had had a long working relationship.
British Rail Class D2/11 In 1958, Brush Traction Ltd and Beyer Peacock co-operated to produce five prototype diesel-electric shunting locomotives of 0-4-0 wheel arrangement. They were intended to demonstrate a new generation of diesel shunters for industrial and mainline use.
British Rail Class D3/6 Class D3/6 were diesel shunters built in 1935 by English Electric for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. They were the first of a new design of diesel shunters based on the English Electric 6K 350 hp (260 kW) diesel.
British Rail Class D3/7 Class D3/7 were diesel shunters built from May 1939 through to July 1942 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at their Derby Works. They were the first of a new design of diesel shunters based on the English Electric 6K 350 hp (260 kW) diesel.
British Rail Classes 170 and 171 The British Rail Class 170 "Turbostar" is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) built by Bombardier Transportation (previously ADtranz) at their Derby Litchurch Lane Works. This has become the most popular type of DMU built since the privatisation of Britain's railways, with more than 300 vehicles built.
British Rail departmental locomotives Before TOPS Class 97 was issued to self-propelled locomotives in departmental (non-revenue earning) use, British Rail had such locomotives numbered in a variety of series, together with locomotives that were no longer self-propelled. See Also:
British Rail D0260 D0260, named Lion, was a prototype Type 4 mainline diesel locomotive built in 1962 by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, in association with Sulzer and Associated Electrical Industries, at their Smethwick works in Birmingham to demonstrate their wares to British Railways. The locomotive's number was derived from its works number, 260.
British Rail DHP1 DHP1, meaning Diesel Hydraulic Prototype number 1, was a prototype Type 3 mainline diesel locomotive built in 1965 by Clayton to demonstrate their wares to British Railways. It was designed for mixed traffic work, being equipped with steam heating facilities for working passenger trains.
British Rail Eastern Region departmental locomotives In 1952, the Eastern Region of British Rail introduced its own series for departmental (non-revenue earning) vehicles, including locomotives. Numbers were allocated from 1 to 1000, with blocks of 100 numbers allocated to specific types of vehicle.
British Rail flying saucer The British Rail flying saucer was a proposed space vehicle, designed by Charles Osmond Frederick and patented by British Rail during the 1970s.BBC News, British Rail flying saucer plan, 13 March, 2006The Guardian, The next saucer to Shoeburyness leaves from platform 5…, 13 March 2006 The flying saucer originally started as a proposal for a raiseable platform.
British Rail GT3 GT3, meaning Gas Turbine number 3 (following 18000 and 18100 as gas turbines 1 and 2), was a prototype mainline gas turbine locomotive built in 1961 by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows to demonstrate its wares to British Railways. Externally it resembled a steam locomotive, especially with its tender, which carried its diesel fuel.
British Rail HS4000 HS4000, named Kestrel, was a prototype high-powered mainline diesel locomotive built in 1968 by Brush Traction, Loughborough to demonstrate its wares to British Railways. The number indicated Hawker Siddeley (the owner of Brush) 4000hp (the power rating of its Sulzer engine).
British Rail locomotive and multiple unit numbering and classification A number of different numbering and classification schemes were used for locomotives and multiple units operated by British Railways (BR), and this page explains the principal systems. This section also covers the post-privatisation period, as the broad numbering and classification arrangements have not altered since the break-up of BR.
British Rail Mark 3 British Rail's third design of carriage was designated Mark 3, and was introduced in 1976 primarily for use on the High Speed Train (HST). The coaches were also intended to be used as conventional loco-hauled stock as part of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) northern electrification sceheme in the mid-'70's; these derivative versions being known as "Mark 3A" and "Mark 3B".
British Rail Metro-Cammell In 1955, Metropolitan-Cammell produced its first lightweight Diesel multiple units, the prototypes of what were to become British Rail's most successful and longest-lived First Generation DMU type, the Class 101.
British Rail MPV The Multiple-purpose Vehicle or MPV is a purpose-built departmental derivative of a diesel multiple unit. Twenty-five two-car units were ordered by Railtrack to enable it to replace its motley collection of ageing departmental vehicles, many of which were converted from redundant passenger stock.
British Rail regional multiple unit numbering Prior to the introduction of TOPS, electric multiple unit numbers were allocated by the British Rail regions in their own series. Diesel multiple units did not carry unit numbers at first, but the Scottish and Western Regions later adopted their own series for these units, whilst elsewhere individual depots allocated unit numbers, often prefixed by their two-letter TOPS depot code (e.
British Rail Research Division The British Rail Research Division came into being in 1964 directly under the control of the British Railways Board, moving into purpose-built premises at the Railway Technical Centre in Derby. The intention was to improve railway reliability and efficiency, while reducing costs and improving revenue.
British Rail TOPS first arrangement At the end of the 1960s, British Railways adopted the Total Operations Processing System (TOPS), a computerised system developed by the Southern Pacific Railroad in the United States. All types of locomotive and multiple unit received a TOPS classification, but the first attempt at applying TOPS was soon modified.
British Railways 18100 18100 was a prototype mainline gas turbine locomotive built for British Railways in 1951 by Metropolitan Vickers, Manchester. It had, however, been ordered by the Great Western Railway in the 1940s, but construction was delayed due to World War II.
British Railways D0226 D0226 and D0227 were two prototype diesel shunting locomotives built in 1956 by English Electric at its Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows to demonstrate its wares to British Railways. They originally carried numbers D226 and D227, their works numbers, but these were later amended to avoid clashing with the numbers of new Class 40 locomotives.
British Raj The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule from Sanskrit Rajya) refers to the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, or present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar, during the period whereby these lands were under the colonial control of the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire.
British Rapidplay Chess Championships The British Rapidplay Chess Championships is a rapid play chess congress held in the UK annually since 1986 (with the exception of 1993) under the auspices of the English Chess Federation. The congress includes The British Rapidplay Championship open to all players, and several grading restricted and junior tournaments.
British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is a prominent part of the largest impartial humanitarian organisation in the world – the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. At the heart of their work is providing relief to people in crisis, both in the UK and overseas.
British Regulars Commonly used to describe the Napoleonic era British foot soldiers, the British Regular was known for his flamboyant red uniform (It took three hours for a typical British soldier to prepare his attire for "parade") and well-disciplined combat performance. Known famously in American folklore as the Redcoats, these crack soldiers were the backbone of Great Britain's military might in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
British Republic In the XXI century a significant and growing number of people in the UK are opposed to the continued existence of the British monarchy. There are numerous organisations devoted to its removal, of which the most significant is "Republic - the Campaign for an Elected Head of State"[http://www.
British Retail Consortium The British Retail Consortium (or BRC) is one of the leading trade associations in the United Kingdom. They represent all forms of retailers from small, independently owned stores, to big chain stores and department stores.
British Road Services British Road Services, often shortened to BRS, was the nationalised company that operated the former road transport networks of the pre-nationalisation railway companies, after the 1962 break-up of the British Transport Commission. It was a subsidiary of the Transport Holding Company, created by the Transport Act 1962, and later of the National Freight Corporation, created by the Transport Act 1968.
British Rugby League Hall of Fame The British Rugby League Hall of Fame was established by the Rugby Football League in 1988 to commemorate the greatest ever players in British rugby league. Players must have been retired for at least five years to be eligible; they must also have played at least ten years within the British game.
British sitcom A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in the United Kingdom. Like sitcoms in most other countries, they tend to be based around a family, workplace or other institution where a group of contrasting characters can be brought together.
British small press comics British small press comics is a term used to describe comic books self-published by cartoonists and comic book creators within the UK. It also serves to describe the loose community of creators, publishers and facilitators involved in their production and distribution.
British sovereign coin A Gold Sovereign is a gold coin first issued in 1489 for Henry VII of England and still in production as of 2006 The coin generally has a value of one pound sterling]. The name "[[sovereign" comes from the majestic and impressive size and portraiture of the coin, the earliest of which showed the king facing, seated on a throne, while the reverse shows the Royal coat of arms on a shield surrounded by a Tudor double rose.
British space program The British space programme was a plan by the British government and other interested bodies to promote British participation in the international market for satellite launches, satellite construction and other space endeavours. Significantly, however, it has never been government policy to create a British astronaut corps or to place a Briton on the Moon.
British standard pipe thread The British standard pipe thread (BSP thread) is a family of standard screw thread types that has been adopted internationally for interconnecting and sealing pipe ends by mating an external (male) with an internal (female) thread.
British S class submarine (1931) The S-class submarines of the Royal Navy were originally designed and built during the modernisation of the submarine force in the early 1930s to meet the need for smaller boats to patrol the restricted waters of the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea replacing the H class submarines. Due to major naval construction of the Royal Navy during the Second World War, however, the S class became the largest single group of submarines ever built for the Royal Navy; a total of 62 were constructed over a period of 15 years, with fifty of the "improved" S-class launched between 1940 and 1945.
British Satellite Broadcasting British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) was a company set up in 1986 to provide direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom. Though rival Sky Television was also suffering massive losses by 1990, BSB was in a worse position.
British Science Fiction Association The British Science Fiction Association was founded in 1958 by a group of British science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to encourage science fiction in every form. It is an open membership organisation costing ÂŁ26 per year for UK residents and ÂŁ18 for the unwaged.
British Seafarers' Union The British Seafarers' Union (BSU) was a trade union which organised sailors and firemen in the British ports of Southampton and Glasgow between 1911/1912 and 1922. Although of considerable local importance, the organisation remained much smaller and less influential at a national level than the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union, (NSFU).
British Seagull British Seagull was a British manufacturer of 2 stroke outboard engines from the early 1930s until the mid 1990s. The company went out of business due to the motor design not being able to keep up with more modern boat engines and the increasingly tight emmissions limits.
British Security Coordination The British Security Coordination was a cover organization set up in New York City by the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) in May 1940 upon the authorization of Winston Churchill. The office, which was established for intelligence and propaganda services, was headed by Canadian industrialist William Stephenson.
British School at Athens The British School at Athens was created in 1886 in Athens, Greece, as a home for British Classical scholars working abroad. It is now a major international center for Classical scholarship and houses one of the world's foremost classical libraries.
British School at Rome The British School at Rome was established in 1901 and granted a Royal Charter in 1912 as an educational institute culminating the study of awarded British scholars in the fields of archaeology, literature, music, and history of Rome and Italy of every period, and for the study of the fine arts and architecture.
British School of Brussels The British School of Brussels (BSB),an English-language day school providing a British education for international students in the heart of Europe, was founded in 1970 and has a beautiful site of about 15 acres surrounded by woodland near the Royal Museum of Central Africa in the village of Tervuren, some twenty minutes by car from central Brussels. The school is known to offer a quality education for children of all ages and has continued its upgrading with the building of several new modern facilities now available to students.
British School of Paris It has been suggested that this school-related article be merged to the appropriate school district or locality article. It may not meet Wikipedia's standards of verifiability or notability, it may not feature multiple independent reliable sources, or it may be a short entry that provides only directory-style information about the school.
British Schools Chess Championship The British Schools Chess Championship is an annual competition for school chess teams that has been in existence continuously from 1958. The tournament is administered by the English Chess Federation and is open to all schools from the United Kingdom.
British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is the sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK), and is the first or preferred language of an unknown number of Deaf people in the UK (published estimates place the figure at 50,000 however the actual figure is likely to be closer to 65,000). The language makes use of space and involves movement of the hands, body, facial expression and head.
British Socialist Party The British Socialist Party was a socialist party founded in Britain in 1911. The founding conference, called by the Social Democratic Party (better known by their earlier name, the Social Democratic Federation (SDF)) also drew some Independent Labour Party branches and groups adhering to the Clarion newspaper, alongside individuals and representatives of smaller socialist groups.
British Society for Ecological Medicine The British Society for Ecological Medicine (BSEM) is the major professional group dealing with ecological medicine in the United Kingdom. Its origins began with the British Society for Allergy and Environmental Medicine (BSAEM), which was founded in 1983 as a doctors group for discussion of the role of allergy and environment in chronic illness.
British Society for the History of Mathematics The British Society for the History of Mathematics (BSHM) was founded in 1971 to promote research into the history of mathematics at all levels and to further the use of the history of mathematics in education.
British Society of Criminology British Society of Criminology is an international organization aims to further the interests and knowledge of both academic and professional people who engaged in any aspect of teaching, research or public education about crime, criminal behaviour and criminal justice systems in the United Kingdom and abroad. The society is dedicated to promote criminology and criminological research.
British Society of Master Glass Painters The British Society of Master Glass Painters, (BSMGP) founded in 1921, is Britain's only organization devoted exclusively to the art and craft of stained glass. From the outset, its chief objectives have been to promote and encourage high standards in the art and craft of glass painting and staining, to act as a locus for the exchange of information and ideas within the craft and to preserve the stained glass heritage of Britain.
British Society of Oral Implantology The British Society of Oral Implantology is dedicated to the advancement of education and training in implant dentistry. Founded on an ethos of Education, Communication & Integrity the BSOI aims to fulfill its mission statement “To foster and support the professional development of those involved in Implantology through a structured membership scheme that encourages personal achievement and values experience.
British Soldierflies and their allies British Soldierflies and their allies (an illustrated guide to their identification and ecology) is a book by Alan E. Stubbs and Martin Drake, published by the British Entomological and Natural History Society in 2001.
British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force The British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force (BSIPDF) was the British colonial military force of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. The Solomon Islands has not had military forces since it achieved independence from Britain in 1976.
British Somalis The United Kingdom is home to the largest Somali community outside of Africa with 45,000 official residents in 2001 although the figure is estimated to be extremely higher and is estimated to be around 200,000 people. The main settlements are in London, Sheffield, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham and Leicester where large Somali communities have lived for many decades.
British South American Airways British South American Airways (BSAA) was a British state-run airline of the 1940s. Originally named British Latin American Air Lines (BLAIR) it was split off from British Overseas Airways Corporation to operate their South Atlantic routes.
British Square British Square is a solitaire card game which uses two decks of 52 playing cards each. It has an unusual feature of switchback building whereby each foundation is first built up (from ace to king) and then built down (from king to ace).
British Standard Whitworth British Standard Whitworth (BSW) is one of three imperial unit based screw thread standards which use the same bolt heads and nut hexagonal sizes, the other two being British Standard Fine (BSF) and Cycle Engineers' Institute (CEI). These three are collectively called Whitworth threads.
British Standards British Standards is a trading division of the British Standards Institution and is part of BSI Group which also includes BSI Management Systems, a management systems registrar and BSI Product Services, a testing organisation. British Standards has a Royal Charter to act as the standards organisation for the UK.
British Swimming (organisation) British Swimming is the governing body for swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, water polo and open water in the United Kingdom. It is an amalgamation of the national governing bodies of three of the home countries: the Amateur Swimming Association (England), the Scottish Amateur Swimming Association, and the Welsh Amateur Swimming Association.

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