Headcodes on Southern slammers

[telstarbox]

Until their withdrawal in the 1990s/early 2000s, slammer units on the Southern region displayed 2-digit route headcodes, as shown in this photo. These were also shown in some timetables as "route codes".

Can anyone remember any of the rest?

4, 8 and 90 were used on South East Main Line services to Ashford.
22 was used for London - Tonbridge - Hastings services.

Flickr photos suggest:

36 London Waterloo - Reading
93 London Waterloo - Bournemouth

 

[455driver]

google is your friend, 5 seconds finds-

http://www.semgonline.com/headcodes/eheadcodes.html

 

[telstarbox]

Cheers - never thought there would be a list out there!

 

[transportphoto]

Don't some SWT 455s still use these numbers on their blinds?

 

[455driver]

Most/all of them do on the drivers side (via) blind, 90% of drivers put the right numbers up.


The other 10% are Waterloo based!

 

[steamybrian]

Headcodes on SR slammers were allocated with some pattern to them-
On the Brighton-London line even numbered headcodes were allocated to trains running to Victoria and odd numbers to London Bridge but there were a few exceptions such as 41 which ran to Victoria via East Croydon, Norwood Jn, Crystal Palace and Balham because it took the London Bridge route at Windmill Bridge Jn.
Numbers with the same two numerals(e.g.22, 33, 66, etc) were allocated to lines that were originally operated by DMU services when the system was first introduced thus you will find these on Victoria-East Grinstead, Redhill-Tonbridge or London-Hastings via Tonbridge . The reason being that the original old ( such as prewar stock and 4SUB) units only had one of each numeral of 0-9 in the cab at the time thus the driver could display 12 but could not display 22. DEMU units carry roller blind route indications so could display any number.
On the South Eastern side services via Tonbridge to London were allocated even numbers to Charing Cross and odd numbers to Cannon Street
I believe services via Chatham to London were allocated evens to Victoria and odd numbers to Cannon Street.
I cannot remember South Western Services so would have to research the pattern of those.
Today many EMU services still carry route headcodes.

 

[eastwestdivide]

I believe services via Chatham to London were allocated evens to Victoria and odd numbers to Cannon Street.

I think for Chatham services, evens were via Herne Hill and odds via Catford loop, e.g
50 Vic-Herne Hill-Chatham-Ramsgate
51 Vic-Catford loop-Chatham-Ramsgate
(ditto 30/31 for Dover Priory, 74/75 for Dover Marine)
while 07 was Cannon St-Chislehurst-Chatham-Ramsgate (rush hour services)

 

[Oswyntail]

...
4, 8 and 90 were used on South East Main Line services to Ashford.....

90 was certainly used on the London Bridge-Victoria Inter-City Flier when I lived in Peckham in 1978, but had changed to 01 by 1991.

 

[Southern]

I remember last year that Southern were still using headcodes on Class 455/456 units working the following:

Victoria - Sutton/Epsom via Norbury - 90
Victoria - Epsom/Dorking/Horsham via Mitcham Junction - 84

 

[CatfordCat]

To add a detail or two -

SR EMUs also had the capability to show a further code in a thin slot above the headcode numbers - visible in this picture showing a single white stripe.

Various combinations of stripes / dots / dashes could indicate further variations within a specific headcode, e.g. "not calling at London Bridge"

I think the possibilities on the blind were / included

broad white stripe
two white dashes
one white dot
two white dots
four white dots
black blank

I don't know when these officially went out of circulation - I remember seeing them occasionally on the SE division into the late 80s (as well as units showing a white stripe because the blind in that box was missing) but don't know if this was through long service drivers continuing the old practice, or drivers just playing.

Additionally, SR diesel / electric locos showed a similar 2 digit headcode, except that freight workings had alpha-numeric headcodes. From memory number / letter (or vice versa) was wholly within the SR, a two letter headcode meant something to / from another region.

I've not been able to find a listing of these online.

However, the SEG did publish a small booklet listing them all every year or two - in the years before the internet of course. Second hand copies are probably around.

 

[chrisdoward]

I think for Chatham services, evens were via Herne Hill and odds via Catford loop, e.g
50 Vic-Herne Hill-Chatham-Ramsgate
51 Vic-Catford loop-Chatham-Ramsgate
(ditto 30/31 for Dover Priory, 74/75 for Dover Marine)
while 07 was Cannon St-Chislehurst-Chatham-Ramsgate (rush hour services)

For Chatham services from Victoria they were all allocated even numbers, the odd numbers were for services from Holborn Viaduct/Blackfriars (my era for knowing them):

eg for services to Orpington from London was:

70: Victoria - Orpington via Herne Hill
71: Blackfriars - Orpington via Herne Hill
72: Victoria - Orpington via Catford
73: Blackfriars - Orpington via Catford.

I don't think the headcodes between Victoria and Ramsgate/Dover via Faversham were any different whether routed via Herne Hill or Catford, as they could be sent either way. I can't remember whether this applied to services routed via Maidstone East.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
My mistake, having reconsidered it and checked, I was wrong about the Vic - Ramsgate/Dover Priory headcodes and eastwestdivide right.

 

[MikeWh]

To add a detail or two -

SR EMUs also had the capability to show a further code in a thin slot above the headcode numbers - visible in this picture showing a single white stripe.

Various combinations of stripes / dots / dashes could indicate further variations within a specific headcode, e.g. "not calling at London Bridge"

I think the possibilities on the blind were / included

broad white stripe
two white dashes
one white dot
two white dots
four white dots
black blank

I don't know when these officially went out of circulation - I remember seeing them occasionally on the SE division into the late 80s (as well as units showing a white stripe because the blind in that box was missing) but don't know if this was through long service drivers continuing the old practice, or drivers just playing.

I remember when they had to close half of Charing Cross, because Hungerford Bridge needed strengthening, and some trains terminated at Waterloo East, where an extra crossover was installed at the country end of platforms A&B, the dashes were used above the usual Charing Cross headcode to indicate terminating/starting at Waterloo East.

 

[bishdunster]

90 was certainly used on the London Bridge-Victoria Inter-City Flier when I lived in Peckham in 1978, but had changed to 01 by 1991.

S.W.Division headcodes on Waterloo-Weymouth route in the 1970s were: 90 Waterloo-Weymouth Quay boat trains via the much lamented Tramway, 91 Waterloo-Bournemouth\Weymouth fasts, 92 Waterloo-Bmth\Wey semis, 93 Waterloo-Bmth\Wey stoppers and 98 Wareham- Swanage, cant for the likes of me remember the Lymington branch code though :roll:

 

[30907]

90 was certainly used on the London Bridge-Victoria Inter-City Flier when I lived in Peckham in 1978, but had changed to 01 by 1991.

That's a change I missed, they were always 2 before then. But that of course was a Central Division code, and 90 was a SE code (Margate via Canterbury) and a Chatham code (Sheerness via Herne Hill). Fortunately there was no chance of a Central 90 using the Chatham lines out of Victoria even after the resignalling.

 

[EM2]

Ashford - Victoria via Maidstone East was 94 for the semi-fasts and 96 for the stoppers.

 

[David Goddard]

Class 319s displayed headcodes on units and in timetables for a while after introduction.

 

[Tom C]

So many memories!

3 - Blackfriars to Beckenham Junction/Kent House
5 - Oxted to Uckfield
24 - Charing X to Hayes (25 from Cannon Street)
37 - Blackfriars to Sutton via Wimbledon (some drivers still use this one!!!!!!)
66 - Victoria to East Grinstead
71 - Blackfriars to Orpington via Herne Hill
73 - Blackfriars to Orpington via Catford
83 - Blackfriars to Sevenoaks via Catford
88 - Victoria to Uckfield
97 - Blackfriars to Ashford/Maidstone East
99 - London Bridge to Uckfield
01 - Grove Park to Bromley North
06 - Elmers End to Addiscombe
08 - Elmers End to Selsdon/Sanderstead

 

[30907]

@EM2: this is where the system got confusing.

The Chatham "90" codes followed the suburban model - evens for Vic and odds for Holborn - whereas the Kent Coast codes (40s, 50s and boats) worked on evens for Herne Hill and odds for Catford!

So 94 was Maidstone via Herne Hill, 96 via Catford, whatever the stopping pattern. The SEMG website disagrees, but it's an error!

 

[Tom C]

At the end of 400 operation, the 18:02 BF-AD always carried 97 whereas the Sunday diverts from Victoria to say Ramsgate would be 34.

 

[Controller1701]

More memories

01 - Ore/Hastings to St Leonards West Marina Traction and Rolling Stock Maintainence Depot.

06 - Any location to Lovers Walk Traction and Rolling Stock Maintainence Depot.

6 - Charing Cross to Grove Park Shed.

7 - Cannon Street to Grove Park Shed

20 - Hastings to Ashford (not Ashford International as it didn't exist), London Victoria to Gatwick Airport (via Quarry).

30 - London Victoria to Gatwick Airport (via Redhill).

31 - Tonbridge to Tunbridge Wells.

44 - London Victoria to Hastings (via Orpington, Tonbridge and Battle).

Paul C