Alternative three-letter acronyms for SR EMUs

[contrex]

The 4-PER thing could all be from the same source, like the 850v thing, and that famous error where people spell 'dilemma' with an N - dilemna. There was a misprint or editing error in a US school dictionary decades ago but it still persists. Agree about Marsden's book not being a good reference. And that magazine. I'd accept it from someone who worked on BR SWD maybe.

 

[AY1975]

The alternative (which I tend to believe) is that IG stands for Intermediate Guard and that the telegraph code is mere coincidence. The 1963 Brighton stock was a major departure from the established SR design in which four-car units had a motor bogie and guard's/luggage accommodation at each end, behind the cabs. The new arrangement comprised a single non-driving motor brake vehicle, a plain trailer and two driving trailers.

Therefore, 4 VEP should have been 4 VIG ?

According to the Ian Allan BR Fleet Survey on third rail DC EMUs CIG was used because of the IG telegraphic code for Brighton.

I suppose the CIGs could have been called 4-SOB (South coast EPB), 4-SOC (South Coast or South Coast Corridor) or 4-SUC (Sussex Coast or Sussex Corridor), in which case the buffet variants would have been 4-BOB, 4-BOC or 4-BUC.

As the initial batch of Phase 2 CIGs was built for the South Western Division, mainly for the Portsmouth line, if they'd wanted a different acronym for the Phase 2 CIGs they could have gone for PIG (Portsmouth CIG), WIG (Western section CIG), POB (Portsmouth EPB), POC (Portsmouth Corridor unit), POX (Portsmouth Express unit), WEB or WEX (Western section Express EPB or Express unit) or WEC (Western section Express Corridor unit). For the buffet version replace the P or W with a B (or in the case of PIG and WIG, PIB and WIB if you want something different from BIG).

 

[Grumbler]

I'm surprised the SR did not designate the Gatwick sets as LGW. Then if the proposal to extend the SR to Heathrow has come about, then there'd be LHRs as well I suppose.

 

[JohnElliott]

As well as the production PEPs, I've seen 4-PER applied to the original prototype PEPs explained as Prototype Electro-Rheostatic.

 

[EveningStar]

Recall that when the prototype PEP's appeared, there was some sniffy comments about the ratio of seats to standing space, along with the suggestion that PEP denoted Pack 'Em in Perpendicular.

 

[AY1975]

In terms of alternative acronyms for the CEPs, they could have gone for SEP or SEB (South Eastern EPB), KEP or KEB (Kent EPB), SEC (South Eastern & Chatham unit), or KEC (Kent Coast unit), again substituting a B for the first letter for the buffet units.

The original Isle of Wight units, which were formed of rebuilt Standard Tube Stock and ran on the island from 1967 until about 1989/90 (Classes 485 and 486 as I recall) were known as 5-VEC and 3-TIS, which put together spell Vectis, the Roman name for the Isle of Wight.

But AFAIK the recently retired Class 483s were never given a three-letter designation. The only obvious ones that I can think of are 2-TUB (to denote Tube stock) or 2-NOR (because they had latterly run on the Northern Line before going to the IoW). Or possibly 2-BAK because some of them ran on the Bakerloo Line until about the mid-1980s.

As for the 484s that are due to enter service on the Island Line in April, I would say 2-DIS because they are ex-District Line.

 

[bishdunster]

IIRC the IOW units were 4VEC and 3TIS.