1A20 Headcode/Reporting number

[96RAF]

0000

 

0Z00

 

0X00

[Chrissaf]

None of those.......

Time for another clue..........Cheddington........you'll probably get it now.

[Postman Prat]

The headcode applies to the West Coast Postal  -  the train robbed by the Great Train Robbers 😮

[walkingthedog]

Train robbery. Still don’t know the head code though.

[96RAF]

1M44 then. The Bandit Express.

[Chrissaf]

Correct.....1M44

[Malcolm-1210933]

Hi, I found this thread because someone posted a photo on FARCEbook of the Tri-ang/ Hornby Freightliner set which had a Hymek incorrectly showing 1A20 which got me curious.

I also found this useful site below, which although shown in BR-ese, I found that 1A20 was a named express passenger service from Weston-Super-Mare, up to Paddington.

This shows how it worked through Bristol Temple Meads (BTM), dated 1961:

https://www.alextrack.co.uk/railways/station_workings/bristol_temple_meads_1961_summer.html

It's a long way down a long list..!

1A20 A SX 1635 Weston-super-Mare UR 1711 U 1727 UM Paddington (   ) ** The Merchant Venturer

1A20 A SO 1641 Weston-super-Mare UR 1715 U 1727 UM Paddington (   ) The Merchant Venturer

Iirc, SX denotes a Saturday working, and SO, Sundays only. I may also be right in thinking they both arrive at BTM routed on the Up Relief (UR), and depart from there routed Up Main (UM).

I hope this helps.

[Malcolm-1210933]

Meanwhile, in the 21st Century, this VTEC timetable from 2015-2016 shows this below. I don't know if it survived the new franchise takeover by LNER...

https://www.pindarcreative.co.uk/site/pdfs/rail-virgin-trains-east-coast-operational-tt.pdf

Not so far down the list this time - It's a long PDF though!

Saturdays New train - 1A20 09.40 Leeds to London King’s Cross, calling at Wakefield Westgate and Peterborough

[Going Spare]

I think the timetable notation SX meant Saturdays Excepted and SO was Saturdays Only. Sunday was denoted by Su.

[LCDR]

The use of train reporting numbers on the front of locomotives and multiple units started in the 1960 and were in use until about 1980, after which trains displayed marker lights instead.

The code letters followed a pattern, but each region used its own variation. The first number indicated the class of train, e.g. 1 - express passenger, 2 - stopping passenger, 4 - express freight, 5 - empty coaching stock, 6, 7, 8 & 9 freight trains of different speed.

The second letter indicated the destination or service group, this could vary depending upon the class of train. The lower letters tended to be allocated to the more important destinations or areas. The third and fourth number indicated the identity of the train within the group created by the first two digits.

As well as being displayed on the front of the train the train reporting number was printed above the column of the Working Timetable showing that train's timing, and also was used in train describers installed in signalboxes. The train description was passed from box to box. This function is still in use today.

When TOPS (the nationwide computerised train management system) was introduced in the 1970s the train description was incorporated into the train identity. As well as the four TD digits the train ID included as two digits prefix the first two digits of the code of the point of origin, and followed by two letters showing timetable information, and as a suffix the date of the day the train ran.

Some multiple units especially those on the Southern Region displayed only two digits indicating the route or destination.

The system is extremely complicated and the only certain way of getting an accurate code is to refer to the appropriate Working Timetable, although in 1962 Ian Allan published a pocket book showing some of the codes applicable at the time. This was re-printed as a facsimile edition about 20 years ago. There are a number of useful websites, and sites like RailCam (https://railcam.uk) provides up to the minute information on trains running on the network today.