Headcodes on Crewe–Chester Services?

[Chrius56000]

Just a quickie one!

. . .Given that local stopping services ended on the Crewe–Chester line when Tattenhall Road and Beeston Castle & Tarporley closed to passengers in April 1966, are trains on this route still Class 2 or Class 1 headcodes?

 

[jfollows]

For example, https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...6-02-23/0000-2359?stp=WVSC&show=all&order=wtt

Class 1

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...3/0000-2359?stp=WVSC&show=pax-calls&order=wtt is better

 

[Kite159]

A quick search on RTT would suggest the headcode is class 1.

1Dxx for Crewe - Chester
1Kxx for Chester - Crewe

 

[godfreycomplex]

To avoid a clash at Crewe - 2Kxx is for stopping services towards Stoke (and has been for a long time, IIRC). Traditional headcode for anything heading for Chester is xDxx (D for Deva)

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

In some past timetable periods, there have been Shrewsbury-Crewe stoppers extended to Chester, which possibly might have been class 2.
At times the Central Wales trains have worked from Shrewsbury to Chester via Crewe, and they are class 2 (but none beyond Shrewsbury in the current timetable).
Cardiff-Chester via Crewe is class 1.

 

[elltrain3]

There are a few Class 2's, one on weekday evenings from Llandudno to Crewe [2K26] , and one on a Sunday Evening to Shrewsbury [2J50] but as above, these are only for Crewe/Chester Routing purposes

Though the May TT changes that, as the Up Services stay as 1Kxx but the Down's become 1Jxx, and we lose 2K26, just retaining 2J50 on Sundays.

Also, there have been plans to re-instate the station at Beeston Castle & Tarporley floated about over the past couple years, (though last I heard the money which had come from a goverment scheme had been withdrawn when we had a general election if i recall correctly), but not sure how well it's progressing and if it was built, that could affect the headcodes?

 

[Sheridan]

To avoid a clash at Crewe - 2Kxx is for stopping services towards Stoke (and has been for a long time, IIRC). Traditional headcode for anything heading for Chester is xDxx (D for Deva)

Interesting, I always thought D was a blanket ‘down’ in north Wales (as services from Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Crewe all use it) but ‘Deva’ makes more sense, as presumably there are places where some of those travel in the Up direction even for a short time, but they definitely all have to go via Chester to reach north Wales!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The D for Deva comes from the regional car registration rules for Chester, although the later Ds cover Shropshire (and Stoke I think).
D for cars officially stands for Deeside.

The railway headcode D goes back to the BR regional list, and D covered Chester and North Wales (LM Region).
J was a Western Region letter covering Shrewsbury/Wrexham/Cambrian lines. (In LM-speak J was Manchester North (ie Victoria), and K was Crewe).

While many of the headcode letter meanings have changed now there are no Regions, some have not, like these.
TfW still use V for "interregional" southbound trains to Cardiff, but have adopted W for northbound trains rather than the old M.

 

[zwk500]

Interesting, I always thought D was a blanket ‘down’ in north Wales (as services from Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Crewe all use it) but ‘Deva’ makes more sense, as presumably there are places where some of those travel in the Up direction even for a short time, but they definitely all have to go via Chester to reach north Wales!

Worth pointing out that as headcode letters repeat across the country, the alignment of 'D' with deva may be more chance than intent. The Western region uses 'B' for Cardiff, and 'C' for Bristol!

1Dxx trains are also (for example) London KX-Leeds and London PAD-Oxford trains.

TfW still use V for "interregional" southbound trains to Cardiff, but have adopted W for northbound trains rather than the old M.

The use of W for trains from Cardiff to north of Shrewsbury presumably helps the signallers at Newport and Hereford out as they have other 1Mxx services there, to Birmingham New Street (via Gloucester and Worcester, respectively).

For those particularly interested, the Timetable Planning Rules include all the headcode allocation rules/groups and are published online: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/industry-and-commercial/information-for-operators/operational-rules/