Brake composite coaches were among the most useful coaches owned by the 'big four' railway companies as they combined compartments for first and third class passengers with a small luggage van and guards office with hand brake. This made these coaches the first choice for 'through' services. Such services included sections of a train detached from a long-distance expresses to serve additional destinations and long distance inter-regional services providing direct links to destinations on other company's routes. LNER brake composite coaches worked regularly between cities in the North East and destinations in the South and West Country, a service shared with similar stock provided by the SR and GWR. Many of these service patterns continued in the early British Railways era.