Class Numbering

[DaleCooper]

Seeing a GBRF class 66 today got me thinking, is there anything stopping companies like GBRF from renumbering their locomotives so they no longer carry what appear to be "BR numbers"? It would presumably upset the trainspotters. Who actually allocates class numbers now?.

 

[Brian Aylott]

Seeing a GBRF class 66 today got me thinking, is there anything stopping companies like GBRF from renumbering their locomotives so they no longer carry what appear to be "BR numbers"? It would presumably upset the trainspotters. Who actually allocates class numbers now?.

Numbers must be in standard format - they are still handled by the Rolling Stock Library (RSL)
Brian

 

[swt_passenger]

Seeing a GBRF class 66 today got me thinking, is there anything stopping companies like GBRF from renumbering their locomotives so they no longer carry what appear to be "BR numbers"? It would presumably upset the trainspotters. Who actually allocates class numbers now?.

Class numbers of locos are still used to define the broad type of the loco, as do individual vehicle numbers for coaching stock and multiple unit set numbers. They are controlled by an organisation called the Rolling Stock Library, and AFAICR they are the successors to the same people who did it under BR.

The displayed (painted) numbers are a subset of the vehicle or loco's "European Vehicle Number", this latter number as you'd expect has a European wide purpose.

The numbering schemes for GB stock are defined here: http://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/standards/GMRT2453 Iss 2.pdf

 

[DaleCooper]

Class numbers of locos are still used to define the broad type of the loco, as do individual vehicle numbers for coaching stock and multiple unit set numbers. They are controlled by an organisation called the Rolling Stock Library, and AFAICR they are the successors to the same people who did it under BR.

The displayed (painted) numbers are a subset of the vehicle or loco's "European Vehicle Number", this latter number as you'd expect has a European wide purpose.

The numbering schemes for GB stock are defined here: http://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/standards/GMRT2453 Iss 2.pdf

That seems to answer my question, thanks.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There's already been some deviation from the norm in terms of displayed numbers- there was the old SR tendency for 4-digit set numbers (last new stock to do this was 458/0s), and the 460s only displayed the last two digits. 180s and Voyagers are not numbered in a position that's very spotter-friendly either!

 

[Brian Aylott]

There's already been some deviation from the norm in terms of displayed numbers- there was the old SR tendency for 4-digit set numbers (last new stock to do this was 458/0s), and the 460s only displayed the last two digits. 180s and Voyagers are not numbered in a position that's very spotter-friendly either!

Painted unit numbers need not be the actual unit numbers - I suppose that any number (or none) could go on a unit - it's not recorded on RSL - just the actual unit number
Unit numbers are not restricted like vehicle numbers in that they can be re-used easily
eg a unit could be withrawn one day and the unit number then used on another unit - this couldn't happen with vehicle numbers
Brian

 

[AnonymousUser1]

Painted unit numbers need not be the actual unit numbers - I suppose that any number (or none) could go on a unit - it's not recorded on RSL - just the actual unit number
Unit numbers are not restricted like vehicle numbers in that they can be re-used easily
eg a unit could be withrawn one day and the unit number then used on another unit - this couldn't happen with vehicle numbers
Brian

also the various locos displaying historic numbers ( e.g. diesels display their D numbers rather than their TOPS number - whether the number given at transition, on rebuilding or on coming back onto the network )

 

[E_Reeves]

There's already been some deviation from the norm in terms of displayed numbers- there was the old SR tendency for 4-digit set numbers (last new stock to do this was 458/0s), and the 460s only displayed the last two digits. 180s and Voyagers are not numbered in a position that's very spotter-friendly either!

Yep, definitely. There was no set number on a 180 a couple of weeks back, just the car number on the front, which was painted in white (on yellow?!?!).

 

[MK Tom]

It's worth noting that for about four decades under BR most first generation DMUs didn't carry set numbers and when they did it was the weird 'L701' type system that told you nothing about what class it was.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

There's already been some deviation from the norm in terms of displayed numbers- there was the old SR tendency for 4-digit set numbers (last new stock to do this was 458/0s), and the 460s only displayed the last two digits. 180s and Voyagers are not numbered in a position that's very spotter-friendly either!

Voyagers have gotten better, the number is now on the lower edge by the rim of the door, rather than below platform level.

After all those spotter decapitations they had to change it....