Steam Era Headcodes, Headboards and Headsignals
| Variously called Headcodes, Headboards or Headsignals, train
headcodes were originally established by the Railway Clearing House and were
based on the position of lamps on the front of trains, usually denoting class of
train but also used to denote route, especially so by the southern companies.
Over the years local variations were introduced by the individual railways which
evolved into those we saw in use until the demise of slam-door rolling stock.
The codes depicted on these pages, used by the Southern Railway and its
constituents, were displayed by discs during daylight hours and lamps during
darkness. In modern times the lamps are white but other colours were used during
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Further details on this is
supplied on the appropriate page.
In the following pages are set out "snapshots" of the headsignals in use at varying times (at present only those for the LB&SCR, LC&DR, L&SWR, SECR, SER and SR are shown). |
photograph by Colin Duff The classic 15 inch diameter Southern disc used to represent the daytime headcodes. This one was photographed on 30777 Sir Lamiel whilst at the York Railfest 2004. |
| Access the headcodes by clicking the relevant link below: |
Please note the discs and lamps shown are indicative and not meant to represent fully the actual ones used, nor their size.
Return to Headcodes index page.
This page was last updated 1 August 2020
