tbwbear
Member
- Joined
- 28 Nov 2017
- Messages
- 285
I was looking at some photographs of the old Class 502 Liverpool to Southport EMUs recently and it made me recall that they were numbered M283XXM etc..
That second (suffix) "M" was part of a numbering system that denoted that they were pre-BR and originally owned by the LMS.
That system was applied across BR with W, S, and E being added to the end to denote the original ownership by the other 3 companies.
I am old enough to remember seeing "Gresley Buffet Cars" that used to have an E on the end of the numbers too.
I am just curious -
When did that system first start ?
Why was it so important to make that distinction ?
Was it comprehensively applied ?
Did it apply just to the age of the design or the age of the vehicles themselves / Weren't some post-BR builds of pre-BR designs numbered in the same way (e.g. replacement 503's in 1950s) ?
What was the last surviving item in service with a suffix letter ?
That second (suffix) "M" was part of a numbering system that denoted that they were pre-BR and originally owned by the LMS.
That system was applied across BR with W, S, and E being added to the end to denote the original ownership by the other 3 companies.
I am old enough to remember seeing "Gresley Buffet Cars" that used to have an E on the end of the numbers too.
I am just curious -
When did that system first start ?
Why was it so important to make that distinction ?
Was it comprehensively applied ?
Did it apply just to the age of the design or the age of the vehicles themselves / Weren't some post-BR builds of pre-BR designs numbered in the same way (e.g. replacement 503's in 1950s) ?
What was the last surviving item in service with a suffix letter ?