4-character Train Reporting Numbers

All trains running on the British railway system were allocated a 4 character identification code - called a train reporting number or headcode, for once it was carried on a display panel on the front of the train. This practice of displaying the headcode was abandoned on the 1st January 1976, so there are very few pictures on my site of trains carrying headcodes - especially as many of the locomotives and most of the DMUs running along the North Wales Coast at that time were not equipped to display the 4 character headcodes anyway!

However, the code was (and still is) used to identify the trains in the working timetable and for train reporting. Follow the links below to see what each part of the code meant, or click on the appropriate part of the picture.

Click on the headcode panel

Position 1 - Train Classification

Position 2 - Destination Code

Positions 3 & 4 - Train / Route Number

Examples

Special Numbers

Position 1 - Train Classification Position 2 - Destination Code Positions 3 & 4 - Train / Route Number