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UIC Rolling Stock Numbering
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43096
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Well, quite. The numbering system in Britain is a shambolic mess.
xotGD
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We could always try putting a letter prefix on locomotive numbers. How about D for diesel and E for electric?
ExRes
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what letter would you use for battery and bi-mode?
JohnElliott
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Let alone Bionic Duckweed.
sprinterguy
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Traditionally, bi-mode (i.e. electro-diesel) locomotives had an E prefix and were numbered in the electric loco range. The class 88s perpetuate this manner of classification under the TOPS scheme.
Not sure if there was a historical precedent for pre-TOPS battery locos? Though 'B' would be an obvious choice.
43096
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Or just use the UIC system, like everyone else does.
What would you then become?
What would you then become?
43.096
43096
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92 70 0043 096-1What would you then become?
Well it’s got a nice ring to it.
Struner
Member
ach well, NIH you know
Shaw S Hunter
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Try and find UIC numbering in the USA or Canada or Australia. Given the very limited connectivity between the GB and continental European networks I don't think it really matters to anyone else what system we use here.
furnessvale
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Well that's so much simpler!
I mean once you know what the bits mean it is quite simple!
The first two digits identify the type of vehicle (i.e. diesel locomotive, electric multiple unit, etc), the next two identify the country of registration the next bloc of four numbers and then three (i.e. 0043 096 in the above example) are up to the relevant country to use to identify individual vehicles as they see fit and then the final number is just a checksum.
It doesn't roll off the tongue to be fair but it's pretty logical!
So, to use an example pertinent to this thread, the first of the new class 69s assuming it is 69001 in UIC would probably end up being 92 70 0069 001-1 (I'm not sure how to calculate the checksum so that could be anything to be fair!).
61653 HTAFC
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That's Numberwang!
furnessvale
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The trainspotters amongst us are not going to like that flying past at High speed!
BRX
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It doesn't resolve anything at all about the jumble that is UK numbering though.
Nicely explained there. Thanks.
Struner
Member
the checksum would be 2
The trainspotters amongst us are not going to like that flying past at High speed!
Very true!
I'm not so sure it doesn't. It addresses the issue we have the moment where we have ranges in the hundreds for various different things. I.e. 1xx is DMUs, 2xx is DEMUs, etc but then have units which ignore that convention in some way (i.e. we now have 8xx for high-speed but 390 and 395s aren't in there). Under UIC those distinctions are handled under the type code which means that our existing choice of 395 for a high speed EMU is irrelevant as it would gain a 93 type code whilst a 331 would be a 94 type code creating the appropriate separation and "at a glance" distinction between them.
Our existing numbering almost becomes meaningless beyond being way of identifying individual pieces of rolling stock under UIC.
Nicely explained there. Thanks.
Thanks, just hope I got it right!!
I bow to your superior mathematical capabilities!
eastwestdivide
Established Member
Check digit calculator here, and probably elsewhere too:
http://www.thewebtrain.co.uk/uic-vkn/
http://www.thewebtrain.co.uk/uic-vkn/
you use the Luhn algorithm. so for your example you would proceed like this:
92 70 0069 001 is your number. You start by multiplying each number by 2 and 1 in a sequence. So:
9x2, 2x1, 7x2, 0x1, 0x2, 0x1, 6x2, 9x1, 0x2, 0x1, 1x2.
You end up with:
18, 2, 14, 0, 0, 0, 12, 9, 0, 0, 2.
You then do the sum of each digit and digit duo (so 18 is 1 + 8 = 9).
You end up with:
9, 2, 5, 0, 0, 0, 3, 9, 0, 0, 2.
After that, you do the sum of these numbers. Here, you get:
30.
Finally, you find out what’s the next multiple of ten after 30. It’s 30 (if your number was 36, it would be 40). There’s 0 between 30 and 30, so your check digit is 0. (If your number was 36 and your next multiple of ten was 40, your check digit would be 4, because you need 4 to go from 36 to 40.)
So your locomotive is UIC-numbered (it’s called the EVN number) 92 70 0069 001-0 (and not 2 as Struner said).
What do you mean ? Do you have any examples ?
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Is 444001 a coach number of unit 444001 ?
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Struner
Member
Shame on me - twas the simple addition that went wrong .Did it by hand tho - on the back of envelope.
BRX
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Yes - I see what you mean.
However, the same could be achieved by adding a single digit on the front of our existing system, rather than an additional 5.
It is to be noted than in countries where the EVN system is in place, the whole 12-digit number isn’t used as the unit number. Digits 5 to 11 form the real number, the rest isn’t used as the true vehicle identifier. The EVN includes the vehicle number, not the opposite.
This is very important as the UIC numbering system numbers each vehicle individually, so that means locomotives (obviously), and each and every car of a multiple-unit. Thus a 4-car Class 377 would still need a general unit number as you wouldn’t use the 4 different UIC numbers of each one of its cars.
So the 5 additional numbers you mention (which are actually 4, the vehicle type and the country code) would not make their way onto the front of the train (look at German stock for example).
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