When did train codes cease to be displayed on trains?

[LNW-GW Joint]

View attachment 109027

Interestingly, the April 1971 cover of Modern Railways has this artists impression of an "87" as part of an English Electric / AEI advert.

It was just GEC from 1968 onwards...

 

[nw1]

Display on the front to convey information to the signaller faded out in the 1970s (as already stated above). However, that didn't mean they stopped displaying info; sometimes the crew put the code in 'for fun'; sometimes they were simply left in whatever state they were in (so showing 'rubbish' as far as that particular service is concerned). Gradually the boxes were plated over.

Not the codes, but it does remind me of the practice of showing random locations on heritage DMUs, such as, for example, 'Merthyr Tydfil' on a Reading to Paddington service.

 

[Trackman]

Consideration was given as early as 1970, as the maintenance of the displays was costing BR a fortune.

Is it correct that when domino glasses were smashed (due to running not vandalism or anything) they were replaced with a plate rather than faffing about trying to source a new glass?
I was thinking about more high speed examples of the time.. like 55's, 86's etc.. but it seems class 86's were plated over no matter what.
Saying that, some other classes had a plate on one end and a domino on the other. 45's and of course 47 555 spring to mind, the latter I think was plated over at a later date.

 

[hexagon789]

Is it correct that when domino glasses were smashed (due to running not vandalism or anything) they were replaced with a plate rather than faffing about trying to source a new glass?
I was thinking about more high speed examples of the time.. like 55's, 86's etc.. but it seems class 86's were plated over no matter what.
Saying that, some other classes had a plate on one end and a domino on the other. 45's and of course 47 555 spring to mind, the latter I think was plated over at a later date.

That I don't know, but I'll see what I can find out.

 

[Trackman]

That I don't know, but I'll see what I can find out.

Thanks.
A class 55 had one smashed on a railtour a few years back, that's what had me thinking.
There was 40 158 too (the only 40 with a plate?), not sure about 40 062, it could have been a plastic covering on one end.

 

[John Luxton]

If I recall most of the Westerns had the loco number on the head code blinds in their final days.

 

[Mag_seven]

As a slight aside, the side displays of Pendolinos show the headcode in the "train number" field.

The Xrail 345s also display the headcode on the side display panels.

 

[Inversnecky]

If the TRNs were originally displayed for the benefit of signalmen, then, upon removal, they could only be identified by position in the timetable, I presume?

They wouldn’t have identifying transponders like aircraft, but it’s not as though trains could overtake each other on a line!

 

[Magdalia]

Saying that, some other classes had a plate on one end and a domino on the other. 45's and of course 47 555 spring to mind, the latter I think was plated over at a later date.

In a lot of these instances the end with the plate was a collision damage repair. In those days there were a lot of collisions.

 

[Pit_buzzer]

In a lot of these instances the end with the plate was a collision damage repair. In those days there were a lot of collisions.

For quite a few months after most locos were wound to 0000 Knottingley merry go round workings continued to display their 6Kxx reporting numbers as though nothing had changed. They finally fell into line some time in 1976 although could have been late 75,memory is getting a bit hazy now

 

[Strathclyder]

In regards to locos having discs at one end and headcode boxes/dominos on the other, Peak D9/44009 Snowdon was a notable recipient of this. It recieved boxes as part of accident damage repairs at Derby in 1969. It retained this combo until it's withdrawal in March 1979.

BR Sulzer Class 44 Peak D9 SNOWDON at Toton

Not my photo, an eBay purchase

www.flickr.com

44009 Toton 15Mar78

The bespoke side grilling reveals this to be either 44009 or 44010, but identity is confirmed by the rebuilt front nose as 44009. Seen drifting down the flyover lines into Toton, and without her "Snowdon" nameplates, she still looks in good external condition courtesy of the repaint job...

www.flickr.com

44009 Passing Toton

One of the ten original "Peaks", 44009 "Snowdon" is seen passing the north end of Toton Yard with a northbound mixed freight. This was taken while having a weeks holiday on an East Midlands Railrover ticket. They're still available today with pretty much the same routes and boundaries - but not...

www.flickr.com

(all image copyrights remain with their respective owners)

 

[tbwbear]

It was just GEC from 1968 onwards...

Yes, the advert has both the English Electric and AEI logos prominently displayed and then in very small letters - "English Electric-AEI Traction Ltd" - A subsidiary of GEC power engineering limited. Seems like they weren't pushing the GEC image at that stage. Also, the locomotive is described as being of 5,100 hp. The 87s were 5,000 werent they? So they lost 100hp with the headcode.

 

[Railsigns]

The withdrawal of four-digit headcode indicators was first advised in operating notices around October 1975, with the wording below (the second sentence was added in January 1976):

* FOUR DIGIT INDICATORS ON LOCOMOTIVES
The four-digit indication hitherto displayed on the front of locomotives is being progressively withdrawn
and replaced by two white lights horizontally placed. In the meantime, certain regions are setting the
indicators to show four white zeros and such indication must not be regarded as an incorrect headcode.

 

[gg1]

Regarding HST's, I've always wondered if the original purpose of the large window below the windscreen on the prototype power cars was to contain a headcode box/indicator, with the feature being deleted either at a a very late stage of design or after production started. It's certainly an unnecessarily large expanse of glass to merely house head, tail and marker lights.

 

[Dibbo4025]

With the exception of the Southern two-digit headcodes which remained until 2004

As an aside, SWR's 455s still display the SR headcode on their nearside roller blind

 

[XAM2175]

Regarding HST's, I've always wondered if the original purpose of the large window below the windscreen on the prototype power cars was to contain a headcode box/indicator, with the feature being deleted either at a a very late stage of design or after production started. It's certainly an unnecessarily large expanse of glass to merely house head, tail and marker lights.

That's been my suspicion as well.

 

[nw1]

As an aside, SWR's 455s still display the SR headcode on their nearside roller blind

Yes, I do remember seeing that but I wasn't sure whether they were still shown.

I always thought it was a shame that the newer EMUs (444s, 450s, 377s etc) didn't have space to keep the headcode going. For some of us, SR headcodes were a nice quirky little feature of the stock of our childhood and youth and it would have been good to keep them going with a space for an electronic '81' or '92' on a 444, for instance

(As an aside I believe that the original BR/NSE plan for replacement of the slam-door stock with Class 47x long-distance Networkers would have allowed space for the headcode..)

 

[D6968]

If I recall most of the Westerns had the loco number on the head code blinds in their final days.

1023 had dominos fitted just before it worked a tour on the Eastern Region (need to check, but think it was ‘The Western Talisman’)

 

[Magdalia]

1023 had dominos fitted just before it worked a tour on the Eastern Region (need to check, but think it was ‘The Western Talisman’)

Yes, it was the "Western Talisman". The story was that the Eastern Region insisted on dominoes, but that may be an urban myth.

 

[L+Y]

As others have said- discontinued in January 1976. I'm often surprised when people question dates with a loco clearly bearing dominoes or a working headcode: it's about the most prominent part of a locomotive!

As an aside, I've always thought pretty much all BR classes look more attractive with a working headcode display (or DMU route-indicator) as opposed to late 70s blanking.

 

[2192]

Didn't the Charles & Di honeymoon special have a class 73 displaying headcode CD?

 

[Ken H]

Didn't the Charles & Di honeymoon special have a class 73 displaying headcode CD?

And some of the Pope specials had HF (Holy Father)

 

[Albaman]

Something that always interested me in the days when headcodes were displayed, was the headcode at the other end of the locomotive which indicated what the previous working had been. In particular, the era when 2xclass50s worked the majority of WCML day time anglo Scottish trains , much information could be obtained on the overnight freight trains which these locos worked.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

And ECS into Waterloo carried the headcode of the outgoing service though the same did not apply with down trains. I have this vague memory of 01 and 03 on down ECS, distinguishing between Clapham Yard and Wimbledon.

 

[D6130]

And ECS into Waterloo carried the headcode of the outgoing service though the same did not apply with down trains. I have this vague memory of 01 and 03 on down ECS, distinguishing between Clapham Yard and Wimbledon.

Yes....and up ECS/van trains arriving in Clapham Junction Up Main Loop, prior to shunting into the yard, carried headcode 02.

 

[Ken H]

And ECS into Waterloo carried the headcode of the outgoing service though the same did not apply with down trains. I have this vague memory of 01 and 03 on down ECS, distinguishing between Clapham Yard and Wimbledon.

Surely that was wrong? The rear of the train should have carried the red panels in the headcode display to protect the rear of the train????

 

[30907]

Surely that was wrong? The rear of the train should have carried the red panels in the headcode display to protect the rear of the train????

Yes, in contrast to post #53.
They carried the headcode on the front. It was the same with steam disc codes.
Though when units carried an oil tail lamp and had stencil route codes (the pre-EPB ones), crews weren't so fussed - the tail lamp was essential, the route code could be left up (again, as with steam).

 

[Cricketer8for9]

@Ken H sorry if I wasn’t clear enough. The head code of the outgoing service was carried on the front of the EMU as it headed into Waterloo in the evening peak. Passengers in the know would join the train knowing which service it would when it headed out. The rear of the ECS into Waterloo had the two red panels.

 

[miklcct]

GWR still displays route code nowadays in front of the train, like 03 for Reading - Redhill / Gatwick Airport and 51 for Cardiff - Portsmouth.

I wish such codes can be made standard across the country and displayed on every train.

 

[158747]

January 1976 for some reason is sticking in my mind and this was across the whole BR network, from what I can remember the majority of locomotives and units from that month had their 4 character headcode boxes set to display 0O00.

HEADCODES

British Railways Train Headcodes

www.2d53.co.uk

I remember that in January 1976 and at the time wondered why all trains were displaying 0O00. Shortly after the class 52 Westerns used to display the loco number instead of 0O00 and also class 50s, minus one of the zeros in the number. Although with the 50s I’m not sure how long this continued as I remember by the summer of 1976 was the first time I saw a 50 with the display plated over with two lights replacing the headcode.