From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Southern Railway created classification and numbering systems for its large fleet of electric multiple units that were perpetuated by the Southern Region of British Rail until the early 1980s, when the impact of TOPS was felt. Even now, some stock have still been allocated Southern-style classifications in a semi-official manner.
[edit] Classification
The early AC overhead electric multiple unit types were referred to by a two-letter code. This was adapted for the DC third-rail system that was adopted as standard by the Southern Railway, with unit type being given a three-letter code (sometimes two letters) prefixed by the number of carriages within each unit, e.g. 4SUB for a 4-car suburban set.
The Southern Region of British Rail perpetuated this method of classification, and the same principles were also adopted for diesel-electric multiple unit stock, but with single-letter codes. The last type to be officially allocated a designation in this series was the PEP stock of the early 1970s. However, some types built since then have been given semi-official designations in this style.
NB: This was different from the system used by British Rail (adopted from the LNER) to indicate the type of non-powered coach — see British Rail coach designations.
[edit] AC overhead EMUs
| SR Designation |
Meaning |
| CP |
Crystal Palace Stock |
| CW |
Coulsdon & Wallington Stock |
| SL |
South London Stock |
[edit] DC third rail EMUs
| SR Designation |
BR Class |
Meaning |
| GLV |
489 |
Gatwick Luggage Van |
| MLV |
419 |
Motor Luggage Van |
| TLV |
499 |
Trailer Luggage Van |
| 2BIL |
401 |
Bi-Lavatory Stock |
| 2EPB |
416 |
Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 2HAL |
402 |
Half Lavatory Stock |
| 2HAP |
414 |
Hal electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 2NOL |
- |
No Lavatory Stock |
| 2PAN |
402 |
Parcels and Newspapers Stock |
| 2PEP |
446 |
Prototype Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 2SAP |
418 |
Second-Class Only Hap Stock |
| 2SL |
- |
South London Stock |
| 2WIM |
- |
Wimbledon Line Stock |
| 3COP |
421 |
Coastway Open Plan |
| 3SUB |
- |
Suburban Stock |
| 3TC |
492 |
Trailer Control Stock |
| 3TIS |
486 |
Vectis (Isle of Wight) Stock |
| 4BEP |
412 |
Buffet Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 4BIG |
422 |
Buffet Brighton Stock |
| 4BUF |
404 |
Buffet Stock |
| 4CAP |
413 |
Coastway Hap Stock |
| 4CEP |
411 |
Corridor Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 4CIG |
421 |
Corridor Brighton Stock |
| 4COR |
404 |
Coridor Stock |
| 4DES |
450 |
Desiro |
| 4DD |
- |
Double Decker Stock |
| 4EPB |
415 |
Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 4GRI |
404 |
Griddle Car Stock |
| 4JOP |
458 |
Juniper Outersuburban Porterbrook |
| 4LAV |
- |
Lavatory Stock |
| 4PEP |
445 |
Prototype Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 4REP |
432 |
Restaurant Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 4RES |
404 |
Restaurant Stock |
| 4SUB |
405 |
Suburban Stock |
| 4TC |
438 |
Trailer Control Stock |
| 4TEP |
412 |
Temporary BEP Stock |
| 4VEC |
485 |
Vectis (Isle of Wight) Stock |
| 4VEG |
427 |
VEP Gatwick Express Stock |
| 4VEP |
423 |
Vestibule Electro-Pneumatic Brake Stock |
| 4VIP |
423 |
VEP Intermediate Plan |
| 4VOP |
423 |
VEP Open-Plan |
| 5BEL |
403 |
Brighton Belle Pullman Stock |
| 5DES |
444 |
Desiro |
| 5TCB |
438 |
TC and Buffet Stock |
| 5WES |
442 |
Wessex Stock |
| 6CIT |
- |
City Limited Stock |
| 6PAN |
- |
Pantry Stock |
| 6PUL |
- |
Pullman Stock |
| 6REP |
431 |
Reformed REP Stock |
| 6TC |
- |
Trailer Control Stock |
| 7TC |
- |
Trailer Control Stock |
| 8DIG |
422 |
Dedicated Brighton Stock |
| 8GAT |
460 |
Gatwick Express Stock |
| 8MIG |
421 |
Miniature Buffet and CIG Stock |
| 8VAB |
480 |
Vestibule Autobrake Buffet Stock |
[edit] Diesel-electric multiple units
| SR Designation |
BR Class |
Meaning |
| 3D |
207 |
Oxted Line Stock |
| 3H |
205 |
Hampshire Stock |
| 3R |
206 |
Reading Line Stock |
| 3T |
204 |
Hampshire and added Trailer Stock |
| 6B |
203 |
Hastings Buffet Stock |
| 6L |
202 |
Hastings Long-bodied Stock |
| 6S |
201 |
Hastings Short-bodied Stock |
[edit] Unit numbering
Unit numbers were allocated in a series commencing from 1001, which followed the set numbers given to semi-fixed formations of hauled coaching stock, 1-1000. Different types of unit were given numbers according to the following division:
| 1001-1200 |
Unpowered trailer units for working with 3SUB stock (this series was later expanded to include unit numbers 989-1000) |
| 1201-1800 |
3SUB stock (ex-LSWR units had 1200 added to their original number) |
| 1801-1999 |
Two-car inner-suburban stock (e.g. 2NOL) |
| 2001-2899 |
Two-car outer-suburban stock (e.g. 2BIL) |
| 2901-3999 |
Four-, five- and six-car outer-suburban stock (e.g. 4LAV) |
| 4001-4999 |
Four-car inner-suburban stock (4SUB and 4DD) |
| 5001-5599 |
British Railways four-car inner-suburban stock (4EPB) |
| 5601-6999 |
British Railways two-car stock (e.g. 2HAP) |
| 7001-7999 |
British Railways four-car outer-suburban stock (e.g. 4CIG) |
| 8001 |
Temporary eight-car formation (8VAB) |
| S1-S101 |
Departmental (non-revenue earning) stock |
This series was perpetuated by the Southern Region of BR, though with modifications, as older set numbers were reused for the following different types:
| 001-099 |
Parcels and departmental stock (Former Sxxx units renumbered into this series) |
| 301-999 |
Trailer Control stock (first digit indicated number of cars, e.g. 301 = 3TC) |
| 1001-1499 |
Diesel Electric Multiple Units (e.g. 6S) |
The 2PEP stock reused number 2001, the 4REP stock reused numbers from 3001 and the 4PEP stock reused numbers 4001/4002. This series was abandoned only in 1983, when units were renumbered to fit in with the TOPS classification system, which had nominally been in use for a decade. Even then, many units only displayed the last four digits of their TOPS number, dropping the first two digits - e.g. unit 412 301 would have the number "2301" applied. Only with later units and the 2xx series DEMUs were the full numbers shown, e.g. Classes 456, 465 and 466, along with some Class 455 sets, carry full 6-digit numbers.
[edit] See also
|
British railway rolling stock numbering and classification systems |
|
|
|
|
