Initially the Central London Railway (CLR) purchased 168 carriages from Ashbury Railway Carriage & Iron Co. and Brush. Made in 1900/01 and weighing 14 tons, these seated 48 passengers, 32 on longitudinal seating with 16 on transverse seating in the centre. The cars were high and wide, to run in tubes with a diameter of . The wooden carriage bodies were long on underframes, with wide platforms at each end. Sliding doors at the ends of the carriage led to these platforms that had lattice gates either side. Gatesman rode on the platforms between the cars and operated the gates.