Southern Region EMU's.

[1018509]

What do the initials BIL, HAL, NOL, CEP and others, refer to in old Southern Region EMU type designations?

 

[HSTEd]

What do the initials BIL, HAL, NOL, CEP and others, refer to in old Southern Region EMU type designations?

This explains most of them

 

[chrisdoward]

Hopefully this will be of some use. All come prefixed by 2/4/6 depending on the number of coaches in the unit.

SUB - Suburban Units
EPB - Electro-Pneumatic Brake
CEP - Corridor Electro-Pneumatic Brake
BEP - Buffet version of CEP
CIG - Either IG was the L&BSC code for Brighton or Corridor Electro-Pnuematic
VEP - Vestibule Electro-Pnuematic
REP - Restaurant Electro-Pnuematic

You may be getting the hint of a theme here :roll:

TC - Trailer Control
MLV - Motor Luggage Van
HAL - Half-Lavatory
HAP as HAL but with electro-pneumatic brakes
CAP - Coastway HAP (2x2-HAP semi-permanently coupled)
SAP - Declassified HAP
BEL - All-Pullman Unit
PUL - Contained a Pullman Car
PAN - As PUL but contained a Pantry Car instead of a Pullman
COR - Four Car Main Line Corridor
BUF - COR with a Buffet Car
RES - COR with a Restaurant Car
GRI - COR with a Griddle Car
NOL - 2-Car Unit without Lavatory
LAV - Does this need a explanation?

HSTEd has beaten me with a link but some of the above goes into a little more detail.

 

[455driver]

LAV - Does this need a explanation?

No as its a bog standard abbreviation!

 

[Smudger105e]

CIG - Either IG was the L&BSC code for Brighton or Corridor Electro-Pnuematic

I was always told it meant Corridor Intermediate Guard...

 

[chrisdoward]

I was always told it meant Corridor Intermediate Guard...

I have always thought it was Corridor Intermediate Gangway, although I have seen Intermediate Guard as well.

To clear things up a little bit IG was the L&BSC telegraphic code for Brighton.

I had meant to Intermediate Gangway last night but my fingers were set for Electro-Pneumatic auto-type

 

[David Goddard]

Interesting how the codes were no longer allocated for the likes of classes 455/456 and 465/466, however were created, essentially based on a corruption of the unit's product name, for:
5-WES - Class 442
5-DES & 4-DES - Class 444 and 450
4-JOP - Class 458
8-GAT - Class 460

 

[jopsuk]

addition to these codes, the TOPS class numbers had a pattern to them- the leading 4 designated it as a southern region DC unit, the next digit was roughly to do with when they were made, and the final digit the unit type. the post privitisation units abandoned this.

 

[bigdelboy]

To state 2 misses, 4BIG was a 'CIG' with a buffet. 2BIL was Bi Lavatory, one in each coach. (wikepedia currently confirms this for class 401). On coatway services, with 2-BILs worked with 2-HALS in the sixties, the more rounded front of a 2-BIL meant a lavatory in each coach, the squared frny of a 2-HAL meant 50/50 on a lavatory in the coach.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Interesting how the codes were no longer allocated for the likes of classes 455/456 and 465/466, however were created, essentially based on a corruption of the unit's product name, for:
5-WES - Class 442
5-DES & 4-DES - Class 444 and 450
4-JOP - Class 458
8-GAT - Class 460

How about applying the following then?

455 = 4-YUK
456 = 2-YUK
465 = 4-NET
466 = 2-NET

395 = 6-AST:roll:

 

[jopsuk]

Cribbing from Wikipedia, note that the 465/466 were the last units to be numbered methodically:

the Southern Region adopted a more complicated system for their electric multiple units, with the second and third digits indicating in more detail the type of unit. Second digits were allocated as follows:Class Type
40x Southern Railway-designed units
41x 1950s British Railways-designed units
42x 1960s British Railways-designed units
43x 1967 Bournemouth Electrification units
44x 1970s British Railways-designed units
45x 1980s British Railways-designed units
46x 1990s Networker units
48x Underground ('Tube'-sized) units
(also temporary formations and, later, 'Gatwick Express' units)
49x Unpowered trailer units (later 4x8)


Third digits were allocated as follows:Class Type
4x0 Express units with buffet (later 4x2)
4x1 Express units
4x3 Four-car outer-suburban units
4x4 Two-car outer-suburban units
4x5 Four-car inner-suburban units
4x6 Two/three-car inner-suburban units
4x7 Special purpose units (e.g. first 'Gatwick Express' units)
4x9 Single car units


Of course, many exceptions arose over time. One major change was to change the classification of unpowered trailer units from 49x numbers to 4x8 numbers (which involved reclassifying Class 491 to Class 438). When Southern Region unit numbers were changed to fit with the TOPS classification system, former 4x0 classes were all reclassified to 4x2. This was necessary because Southern Region units only displayed the last four digits of their six-digit TOPS number, and it was decided that no painted unit number should commence with a '0'. It is worth noting that despite only showing the last four digits, the actual number of the unit was still the six-digit TOPS number. This often causes confusion both to enthusiasts and those outside the field alike.

For the post-privitisation fleet, this methodical system might have caused problems- after all, the 375/377 and the 450 are four carriage outer suburban units built in the same time fram (yes, there's three car 375/377s as well. And five car. Not relevant here). The system worked when the Southern region ordered all its units to standard designs, or was consolidating similar designs that had common electrical and mechanical equipment