|
Well hello Ash, and welcome to our forum.
Don't worry about headcodes, it's not that big a deal.
First number = Type of train
Next letter = route or nature
3rd /4th numbers are just an identifier.
You should appreciate that nowadays these tend to be company-specific, there isn't a 'one size fits all' answer. I used to work fast passenger trains on the South end of the East Coast Main Line. Here's some examples of our codes.
First (number) was allocated as per the Rule Book.....1 for express, 2 for stopper/all stations, 3 for an empty service which had a timed path to get it to its next start of service and therefore ran as if it were a normal service , 5 for an empty train ambling to or from a depot/yard which the signaller could delay or move out the way if needed.
For us, the second (letter) was a route code....P for King Cross to Peterborough, C for Kingx Cross to Cambridge, T for Kings Cross to Kings Lynn via Cambridge, etc
Last 2 numbers identified the exact train. For us, all down trains were even numbered, and all up trains were odd. And the numbers started small and got bigger as the day went on. Each train had a unique code, so for example everybody knew that 1T22 was the weekday 11:44 train out of Kings Cross - for the duration of that timetable period. Saturday and Sunday trains would have different headcodes.
Also of note is that if you took a train out to rescue 1T53, you would become 5Z53 once you attached to it and hauled it back to Hornsey maintenance depot for repair. Z being the letter for an unplanned/Very Short Notice movement
Hope this helps, BW
|