Funny/odd ticket clip headcodes

[heart-of-wessex]

Hello all,

To Mods - First of all this is wholly ticket related, but if this doesn't belong here, please move as appropriate.

Has any of you had any funny or odd ticket clips from the ink stamp things that have the headcode? Some round here are light engine out of gauge ones (0X00) or it's a unit special (2Z10 or something). I like looking out for these as they are better than the headcode they should be showing!

Once on the Paddington Sleeper this year, my ticket was clipped as 3C29...a new GW Class 57 overnight parcels train with the sleeper maybe?
I've yet to have a ticket clipped as a freight train like 7Axx or 6Axx etc, that would be one I'd keep!
Has anyone had these yet?

 

[deltic1989]

i once had on on a lincoln-nottingham service that was something like 1S43 not an expert on headcodes but im not sure it was right i would have expected 2M something. iirc 1Sxx codes are for Nortbound ECML expresses going to scotland but could be wrong. would love to fully understand headcodes.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The letter relates to the route of the train (generally speaking), but they are reused across the country so I really couldn't say about that, the first number relates to the following (or something very similar):

Description Classification

1

Express passenger train
Nominated postal or parcels train
Breakdown or overhead line equipment train going to clear the line or returning from there (1Z99)
Traction unit going to assist a failed train (1Z99)
Snow plough going to clear the line (1Z99)

2

Ordinary passenger train
Breakdown or overhead line equipment train not going to clear the line (2Z99)
Officers’ special train (2Z01)

3

Freight train which can run at more than 75 mph
A parcels train
Autumn-railhead treatment train
Empty coaching stock train if specially authorised

4

Freight train which can run up to 75 mph

5

Empty coaching stock train

6

Freight train which can run up to 60 mph

7

Freight train which can run up to 45 mph

8

Freight train which can run at, or is timed to run at,
35 mph or less

9


Class 373 train

0

Light locomotive or locomotives

 

[headshot119]

I've had:

1O32 on a train to Chester
1R00 between York and Stalybridge
1O11 on the Bidston line
1A00 between Rugby and London
1A55 between Crewe and Holyhead (Actually Corrrect for a change)

and the best one has to be 1Z99 on a ranger ticket I have.

 

[156402]

Class 9 trains are also for services to / from the East London Line.

Class 3's are used quite a bit on the old Southern Region to indicate they form a peak hour service.

 

[craigwilson]

i once had on on a lincoln-nottingham service that was something like 1S43 not an expert on headcodes but im not sure it was right i would have expected 2M something. iirc 1Sxx codes are for Nortbound ECML expresses going to scotland but could be wrong. would love to fully understand headcodes.

I think some of the country-bound trains in Kent have "1S" headcodes.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I wonder whether anyone has ever had their ticket clipped with 1X01?

 

[craigwilson]

I wonder whether anyone has ever had their ticket clipped with 1X01?

Is that the Royal train?

 

[bb21]

Has any of you had any funny or odd ticket clips from the ink stamp things that have the headcode? Some round here are light engine out of gauge ones (0X00)

This isn't as rare as it might seem. I've got loads of this type of examples, usually 0X00, 0Z00, 1A00, 1Z00, etc. You get the idea.

 

[causton]

1A00

Which would be perfectly reasonable...

if you were travelling on the 0610 Peterborough - Kings Cross or the 1306 (why such a random time?) Victoria - Brighton

 

[bb21]

Which would be perfectly reasonable...

if you were travelling on the 0610 Peterborough - Kings Cross or the 1306 (why such a random time?) Victoria - Brighton

They are, but not in the instances I have encountered.

As for the VIC-BTN example, the services reached 1A98 sequentially and therefore have the headcode recycled from the beginning.

 

[causton]

Indeed, the cycle seems to start with the first service as 1A52 then round past 1A00 past 1A52 again to the late 70s then some get class 2 headcodes as the late night services start *shrug*!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Is that the Royal train?

Yes, but obviously I'm thinking in terms of a clipper being set to that code on an ordinary train...

 

[RPI]

The ziffa stampers only have the capacity for 10 characters hence why "X" or "Z" is used when there is no letter for that particular train, there are different combo's for different stampers, RPI's get different combo's to TM's, etc. I know a Penzance based person who was issued a set that had no A,C or F which seemed a bit daft as nearly all the main line trains in Cornwall are A's and C's, all of the St Ives are "A" and at the time all of the Falmouth's were "F", although the Falmouths are now "F" going towards Fal and "T" towards Truro (can't think why lol).