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Loco Number
Whilst there were 327 Class 25
locomotives between them they carried 337 different numbers so you may
have a bit of a problem if you wish to search for workings of the Class
25/9s. Throughout the tables I have used the original renumbering as
the source for the loco number. So you will find that up to 1974 the
comments column will have a reference to the original D number of the
loco (although I left the D out as I couldn’t be sure whether the loco
carried that prefix at that time). Similarly by 1986 the ‘creation’ of
a dozen Class 25/9’s meant for those locos I have had to use their
original number in this column. Again in the comment’s field you will
see the number they carried at the time of working. In case you
don't know what the 25/9s were renumbered from here they are.
| 25901 = 25262 |
25904 = 25283 |
25907 = 25297 |
25910 = 25315 |
| 25902 = 25268 |
25905 = 25286 |
25908 = 25307 |
25911 = 25316 |
| 25903 = 25276 |
25906 = 25296 |
25909 = 25309 |
25912 = 25322 |
Did someone say that 327 plus ‘12’
equals 339 so what gives with the 337 different numbers the class has
carried in passenger service? (And sorry Ethel’s, you don’t count).
Well two locos were never renumbered from the D series due to accidents
but I have used what they would have been renumbered to if or when I
discover any passenger train workings for them! Just for the record
this was the numbering series for Class 25 locomotives prior to 1974.
| D5151 to D5299 = 25001 to 25149 |
D7500 to D7627 = 25150 to 25327 |
Occasionally I have stooped to
including workings where the loco number was unknown. These are
identified by 25000 in this column and an explanation provided in the
comments field. I believe these may be working passenger trains but I
don’t know what the loco (and often train!) is. I’m not helped by my
records as whilst I used to record ECS workings differently to passenger
workings in my spotting notes there is no guarantee that these so called
passenger trains aren’t parcels trains made up of a few empty passenger
coaches.
Date
Now if you think there can’t be much
confusion over the date a loco worked (other than it being unknown) then
think again. Overnight trains, such as the Euston – Stranraer Harbour
would start out one day whilst the 25 would work the last leg of that
service, essentially on the next day. So the convention I have used is
to record overnight journeys with the date the loco actually worked on.
(This is the same as I used for haulage in my ‘bashing’ days). I don’t
think there will be any workings here that fall into what was my
tie-breaker, the day on which the majority of that working occurred.
However if after applying these rules I think there may still be
confusion the comments field will make clear on what day the train
started and the working occurred on.
Hint: Southbound overnight trains
with workings somewhere between Rugby and London are almost always
Sunday workings!
Head Code
Do you remember when locos displayed
a four character code in the roof display panel? You do then good,
you’ll know what I’m talking about. However if you’re from the era of
colour light signals and electric signalboxes you may not.
The following is taken from the excellent series of booklets Ken Howard
produced in the early 80's to aid 'Bashers'.
All British Rail trains, and certain
other trains running over BR lines, are allocated a four character
reporting number even though [by then] few locomotives or multiple units
are capable of displaying this as a headcode, as had been common
practice until the beginning of 1976.
The code normally consists of three
parts: a number, a letter and two numbers viz 1H80. The first
number denotes the class of train. An express passenger, mail,
postal or newspaper train is class 1, whilst a local passenger train is
class 2. The exact dividing line between these two categories
varies considerably from one area to another, depending on the nature of
services in that area.
The second digit gives an indication
of the area for which the train is bound. Most inter-regional
trains carry the relevant letter for the region in which the train
terminates as follows:
E for Eastern Region: M for London
Midland Region: O for Southern Region: S for Scottish Region: V for
Western Region
An inter-regional train includes one
that starts and finishes in the same region, but goes through another
region in the course of its journey ie 1M49 St. Pancras - Sheffield -
Manchester. For trains that run wholly on one region the letter
usually gives an indication of the train's destination area within that
Region. In most cases the letters E, M, O, S and V are avoided but
the Southern and Scottish Regions in particular resort to using them in
areas where they are unlikely to be confused with inter-regional trains.
The last two digits give a specific
number to a particular train although where there are several local
trains over a certain route this part of the code may be no more than a
code for that route and common to all trains.
Of particular interest to users of
this website will be the Z and T codes. The former is normally
associated with charter, railtour or additional trains whilst the latter
was used by the London Midland Region for BR excursion trains.
Source
This column indicates where I found
what I consider to be the most accurate information for this working.
This is what the codes mean:
O – It doesn’t get much better than
this. Somewhere during this working someone saw it, travelled on it or
photographed it. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean the loco will have
worked throughout the journey that has been quoted for it. We need to
be careful with workings where locos run round, eg the Llandudno –
Nottingham or where the train disappears into the unknown, ie beyond
Welshpool on the Aberystwyth/Pwlhelli line or into Norwich because
anything might happen (and usually did).
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