Head Codes

karlrestall · Post by **karlrestall** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:53 pm

Can anyone tell me were the headcodes used on the front of locomotives the same nationwide or did each company have different variations? Also when BR came to power were all headcodes standardised so that all codes were the same in every region?

Regards

Karl

50A · Post by **50A** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:41 pm

Hi Karl.
Certainly there were variations in headcodes from each of the big 4 companies. The southern for example used the headcode discs to identify destinations. There was some standardisation within BR but old habits die hard.
I will try and dig out some form of list, unless one of the experts beats me to it.

Andy

61650GTFC · Post by **61650GTFC** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 9:08 am

Ian Allen did a headcode book as part of the ABC series. These can be picked up from ebay or may have been reprinted. They contain drawings of all the variations in headcode. The southern was the most complex as They had a different code for different routes and not just the usual indication of what type of train it was e.g. express, secondary, freight etc.

karlrestall · Post by **karlrestall** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:40 pm

Thank you for your replies. I can see that this topic is going to be pretty extensive

I have gathered some headcodes but they are nowhere near complete. Just one more question, what does the 'XP' stand for when painted on wagons or refering to freight trains? I cannot find any information out about this branding, and I am coming across it quite a bit.

Regards

Karl

Colombo · Post by **Colombo** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:12 pm

Karl,

The initials XP meant that the vehicle was suitable for running in express goods trains. It would be vacuum brake fitted and it would not have a short wheelbase chassis. I think that it had to have at least a 10 ft wheelbase.

Colombo

52A · Post by **52A** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:54 pm

The North British had a system of route codes indicated by miniature semaphores. If I remember correctly around the Glasgow area there was a system of lights using double lamp brackets over the buffers and one of the lights was blue, can anyone confirm this? Gateshaed received a number of V3s from that area and they had these double lamp brackets.

The Tyneside electrics also had a system of route codes indicated by lights and the North eastern had a system of route codes for freight trains around the Teeside area.

CVR1865 · Post by **CVR1865** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:46 am

The great Eastern ran discs by day and lamps at night. They were the similar codes to the rest of the LNER only not using lamps in daylight hours.

simon Baldwin

x568wcn · Post by **x568wcn** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:56 pm

From British Steam Railways Issue 39

Hope it helps

The LNER Encyclopedia

Head Codes

Head Codes

Head codes