Converted from members of the 1890 Express type cars during 1929-30, the L cars were designed to provide improved accommodation on a number of accelerated Timetable Daylight trains designed to compete with improving road transport. The initial 42 cars were marshalled into 7 semi-permanently coupled sets of 6 cars, numbered Set 80 to Set 86. Four of the sets were painted in new bright colour schemes matched to each new service. Later on, between 1933 and 1940, further conversions were done, but these remained 'independent' cars.