Why "V" for Western Region?

[contrex]

Two-digit numerical codes were introduced in 1933 for the Brighton electrification, but single letters, first introduced in 1916, continued to be used on suburban routes until 1939.

The older stock continued to use the alpha codes until withdrawal, the last of the augmented '3 sets' going in January 1962. They used to run back and forth past my home in Herne Hill, and had a P with a bar over it, inter-running at the end with BR Standard 4EPBs using headcode 06. As far as I know, if a prewar type SUB was coupled to a post-war type, one end of the resulting formation would have a letter code and the other a double-digit numerical code.

 

[etr221]

The older stock continued to use the alpha codes until withdrawal, the last of the augmented '3 sets' going in January 1962. They used to run back and forth past my home in Herne Hill, and had a P with a bar over it, inter-running at the end with BR Standard 4EPBs using headcode 06. As far as I know, if a prewar type SUB was coupled to a post-war type, one end of the resulting formation would have a letter code and the other a double-digit numerical code.

The early LSWR/SR suburban stock ('3', later augmented to '4-SUB') of the 1920s motor (end) coaches were fitted with panels/frames to only old a single, letter stencil - and that is the way they stayed until withdrawal. From the 1930s the SR moved to a system that displayed two numeric stencils (for 2 digit numbers), initially on main line stock, and later the Bulleid replacement suburban stock (though only one stencil of each digit was supplied, precluding codes using the same digit twice until roller blinds came along). None of the old stock was converted, so for many years the instructions provided for both systems.

A phonetic alphabet has been used by railways for at least 100 years; it's on the first page of the 1924 LMS ''Telegraphic Code to be used for Telegrams' and probably introduced long before.
It is not the present one but generally used Christian names, and W is William. Still used on BR into the eighties at least.

The LMS 1924 code was inherited from the LNWR, and I believe was the same as one used on the NER, and is also the same as that in the GWR 1939 code book (listed by railway codes website)
So was this a code standardised by the RCH (or ...?) for all railways?

But it not the same as any I've seen for 'contemporary' (pre WW2) use in other fields (armed services, PO telegraphs/telephones, etc.); nor that listed by railway codes as a BR 1950 version.

So is anyone able to give any background as where it originated? And what drove the change between 1939 and 1950 (and when was this? was there an itermediate stage?)?

How, when and to what extent were these codes actually used, until the relatively recent adoption of the international NATO/ICAO standard code/alphabet?

 

[Merle Haggard]

The early LSWR/SR suburban stock ('3', later augmented to '4-SUB') of the 1920s motor (end) coaches were fitted with panels/frames to only old a single, letter stencil - and that is the way they stayed until withdrawal. From the 1930s the SR moved to a system that displayed two numeric stencils (for 2 digit numbers), initially on main line stock, and later the Bulleid replacement suburban stock (though only one stencil of each digit was supplied, precluding codes using the same digit twice until roller blinds came along). None of the old stock was converted, so for many years the instructions provided for both systems.


The LMS 1924 code was inherited from the LNWR, and I believe was the same as one used on the NER, and is also the same as that in the GWR 1939 code book (listed by railway codes website)
So was this a code standardised by the RCH (or ...?) for all railways?

But it not the same as any I've seen for 'contemporary' (pre WW2) use in other fields (armed services, PO telegraphs/telephones, etc.); nor that listed by railway codes as a BR 1950 version.

So is anyone able to give any background as where it originated? And what drove the change between 1939 and 1950 (and when was this? was there an itermediate stage?)?

How, when and to what extent were these codes actually used, until the relatively recent adoption of the international NATO/ICAO standard code/alphabet?

The 1/12/24 LMS one has the following note an the second page 'CODES printed in ORDINARY type are for GENERAL use between ALL COMPANIES
CODES printed in ITALICS and the ROLLING STOCK CODE, are to be used only between L M and S stations

///

Somewhere (as usual!) I have a paper produced by the head of rolling stock distribution, LNER, dated about 1924 which basically criticised the wagon code system which seemed to be about to be adopted by all companies. He gave examples of what he thought were opaque codes such as 'TOAD' for brake van so one can assume that there was a suggestion that the GWR system be adopted.
The LMS code system (eg BRO for freight brake van, XC for engine and YC for guard) were still universal in LM control offices & logs, and freight trains office communications in my own experience 1969 - 72.

 

[etr221]

I recall reading that other companies - in particular the LSWR - used 'TOAD' for goods brake vans.

 

[Rescars]

These recent posts about the differences and variations in codes (or more precisely code words) raises a further question. In more recent times coded messages were sent by telex so could be read as printed messages, but previously they were presumably sent by telegraph (ting-tong machines). What code was used by the telegraph operators, I wonder? Was this standard Morse, or were there railway variants perhaps? Does anyone know?

 

[Merle Haggard]

These recent posts about the differences and variations in codes (or more precisely code words) raises a further question. In more recent times coded messages were sent by telex so could be read as printed messages, but previously they were presumably sent by telegraph (ting-tong machines). What code was used by the telegraph operators, I wonder? Was this standard Morse, or were there railway variants perhaps? Does anyone know?

When I started on the LMR in 1969 the divisional offices and some area managers used STRAD which was similar to telex. I'm not sure what STRAD stood for, but it had the ability to be sent to a number of addressees. One feature was if the operator didn't make a key depression for a short period the message ended and was sent. As a result, if the STRAD operator had difficulty reading the (handwritten) message the 'e' key would be held down to keep the line open. Curious result was print out with normal words with 'eeeeeee' on the end. However, Northampton still had a 'telegraph office' and I'm pretty sure the occupant sent at least some some messages 'ting-tong' not sure whether it was Morse. Sticks in my mind because he was an old very quiet bloke (probably not that old - I was young) in a BR clerk grey jacket who effortlessly and quickly worked the tapper, fingers almost a blur.

 

[etr221]

There is a web site Distant Writing regarding the early years of Electric Telegraphy in Britain (until the GPO takeover in 1868), which is probably worth a study if you're interested. In the early days there were various systems, of which Morse's ('American') was one of later ones. 'Standard (International) Morse' code only dates from 1865: while I imagine PO and Railway 'message' (as distinct from block signal) telegraphs (AIUI, there was more to this than just a change in the code) did change over to this, how long that took I don't know.

 

[stuving]

According to this Rail Engineer article, it was "Signal Transmit Receive And Distribution (STRAD) – an electronic teleprinter exchange ahead of its time when it was introduced on the London Midland Region (LMR) at Crewe 60 years ago."