Difference between revisions of "Telegraph codes"

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The 1939 GWR Telegraph Code Book included the following introduction: ''To facilitate the transmission of Telegraph Messages, a code of Phrases in common use in telegrams sent on the Company’s business has been prepared, each phrase being represented by a distinctive word, and that word only to be sent instead of the complete phrase which it represents''.<ref name=ABT>[[Bibliography#Other References|Atkins, Beard & Tourret (2013)]] p. 9.</ref>
 
The 1939 GWR Telegraph Code Book included the following introduction: ''To facilitate the transmission of Telegraph Messages, a code of Phrases in common use in telegrams sent on the Company’s business has been prepared, each phrase being represented by a distinctive word, and that word only to be sent instead of the complete phrase which it represents''.<ref name=ABT>[[Bibliography#Other References|Atkins, Beard & Tourret (2013)]] p. 9.</ref>
  
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Codes were used for all sorts of administrative matters, for example LIMA meant "can you spare a horse for a few days".  However it is the codes used to describe types of carriage and wagon that are still used on the SVR today. Some carriage and Brown Vehicle types and most wagon types were assigned telegraph codes, although engineers’ vehicles were usually not. Wagon codes often had a suffix letter added to distinguish variants within a particular type, eg LORIOT A, LORIOT B etc. Frequently the code would be painted on the wagon, although this was not done on the most common types such as OPEN and MINK.<ref name=ABT/>
+
Codes were used for all sorts of administrative matters, for example LIMA meant "can you spare a horse for a few days".  However it is the codes used to describe types of carriage and wagon that are still used on the SVR today. Some carriage and [[:Category:Non Passenger Carrying Coaching Stock (NPCCS)|Brown Vehicle]] types and most wagon types were assigned telegraph codes, although engineers’ vehicles were usually not. Wagon codes often had a suffix letter added to distinguish variants within a particular type, eg LORIOT A, LORIOT B etc. Frequently the code would be painted on the wagon, although this was not done on the most common types such as OPEN and MINK.<ref name=ABT/>
  
 
The following examples of rolling stock on the SVR were assigned GWR telegraph codes:
 
The following examples of rolling stock on the SVR were assigned GWR telegraph codes:
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|CONFLAT ||Flat wagon for containers||[[GWR 39860 'Conflat' Container Wagon|39860]]|| Diagram H (Flat wagons)
 
|CONFLAT ||Flat wagon for containers||[[GWR 39860 'Conflat' Container Wagon|39860]]|| Diagram H (Flat wagons)
 
|-
 
|-
−
|FRUIT ||Fruit van||[[GWR 2303 Fruit Van | 2303]], [[GWR 2424 Fruit Van | 2424]], [[GWR 2815 Fruit C Van | 2815]], [[GWR 3429 Fruit D Van | 3429]], [[GWR 3467 Fruit D Van | 3467 ]], 92080, 92090, 134290 ||Diagram Y (Fruit vans)
+
|FRUIT ||Fruit van||[[GWR 2303 Fruit Van | 2303]], [[GWR 2424 Fruit Van | 2424]], [[GWR 2815 Fruit C Van | 2815]], [[GWR 3429 Fruit D Van | 3429]], [[GWR 3467 Fruit D Van | 3467 ]], [[GWR/BR 92080 Fruit D Van | 92080]], [[GWR/BR 92090 Fruit D Van | 92090]], [[GWR 134290 Fruit A Van | 134290]] ||Diagram Y (Fruit vans)
 
|-
 
|-
 
|GANE ||Wagons||[[GWR 60841 Bogie Bolster|60841]], [[BR 996730 Rail Carrier|996730]] (BR)|| Diagram J (Rail and timber bolster wagons)
 
|GANE ||Wagons||[[GWR 60841 Bogie Bolster|60841]], [[BR 996730 Rail Carrier|996730]] (BR)|| Diagram J (Rail and timber bolster wagons)
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|MICA ||Meat van||[[ GWR 105873 'Mica B' Refrigerated Meat Van|105873]]||Diagram X (Meat vans)  
 
|MICA ||Meat van||[[ GWR 105873 'Mica B' Refrigerated Meat Van|105873]]||Diagram X (Meat vans)  
 
|-
 
|-
−
|MINK ||Covered goods wagon||93016, 93045, 95353, 101961, 103592, 104621, 112889|| Diagram V (Covered goods and grain wagons)
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|MINK ||Covered goods wagon||[[GWR 93016 Mink 'A' Covered Goods Van | 93016]], [[GWR 93045 Mink 'A' Covered Goods Van | 93045]], [[GWR 95353 Mink 'A' Covered Goods Van | 95353]], [[GWR 101961 Mink 'A' Covered Goods Van | 101961]], [[GWR 103592 Mink 'A' Covered Goods Van | 103592]], [[GWR 104621 Mink 'A' Covered Goods Van | 104621]], [[GWR 112889 Mink 'G' Covered Goods Van | 112889]]|| Diagram V (Covered goods and grain wagons)
 
|-
 
|-
 
|MOGO ||Covered goods van for one motor car||[[ GWR 65801 Mogo Van|65801]]|| Diagram G (Flat and well wagons for carrying road vehicles, covered vehicle trucks etc)
 
|MOGO ||Covered goods van for one motor car||[[ GWR 65801 Mogo Van|65801]]|| Diagram G (Flat and well wagons for carrying road vehicles, covered vehicle trucks etc)
 
|-
 
|-
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|OPEN ||Open wagon||13154, 14428, 25190, 41277, 97398, 98480, 99965, 102691, 108085 || Diagram O (Open wagons)
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|OPEN ||Open wagon||[[GWR 13154 5 plank Open Goods Wagon | 13154]], [[GWR 14428 Open Wagon (Signal Dept) | 14428]], [[GWR 25190 5 plank Open Goods Wagon | 25190]], [[GWR 41277 4 plank Open Goods Wagon | 41277]], [[GWR 97398 5 plank Open Goods Wagon | 97398]], [[GWR 98480 5 plank Open Goods Wagon | 98480]], [[GWR 99965 Open 'C' Goods Wagon | 99965]], [[GWR 102691 5 plank Open Goods Wagon | 102691]], [[GWR 108085 5 plank Open Goods Wagon | 108085]] || Diagram O (Open wagons)
 
|-
 
|-
−
|SIPHON ||Milk Van||[[GWR 1257 Siphon G Bogie Milk Van | 1257]] [[GWR 2926 Siphon G Bogie Milk Van | 2926]]|| Coach Diagram O
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|SIPHON ||Milk Van||[[GWR 1257 Siphon G Bogie Milk Van | 1257]], [[GWR 2926 Siphon G Bogie Milk Van | 2926]]|| Coach Diagram O (Milk vans)
 
|-
 
|-
−
|SNAKE || Passenger Brake || [[GWR 261 Toplight 'Snake C' Passenger Brake | 261]] [[GWR 1145 Toplight 'Snake C' Passenger Brake | 1145]] || Coach Diagram K
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|SNAKE || Passenger Brake || [[GWR 261 Toplight 'Snake C' Passenger Brake | 261]], [[GWR 1145 Toplight 'Snake C' Passenger Brake | 1145]] || Coach Diagram K (Brake vans)
 
|-
 
|-
−
|TOAD ||20 Ton brake van||17410, 68501, || Diagram AA (Brake vans)
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|TOAD ||20 Ton brake van||[[GWR 17410 'Toad' 20T Goods Brake Van | 17410]], [[GWR 68501 'Toad' 20T Goods Brake Van | 68501]] || Diagram AA (Brake vans)
 
|-
 
|-
−
|VANFIT ||Covered goods van||65620 || Diagram V (Covered goods and grain wagons)
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|VANFIT ||Covered goods van||[[GWR 65620 'Vanfit' Covered Goods Van | 65620]]|| Diagram V (Covered goods and grain wagons)
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
Locomotive Department wagons such as [[GWR 83831 Loco Coal Wagon|83831]] were identified by a large 'LOCO' painted on the sides, although LOCO did not appear in the GWR telegraph code list.
  
 
==War Department telegraph codes==
 
==War Department telegraph codes==
−
*RECTANK
+
 
−
*PILLBOX
+
{| class="wikitable"
−
*WARWELL
+
! Code !! Rolling stock type !! Examples ||Notes
 +
|-
 +
|RECTANK ||Tank Carrier wagon || [[WD 4607 'Rectank' Tank Carrier Wagon|WD 4607]]|| 
 +
|-
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|PILLBOX ||Brake van (25 ton) || [[WD 55577 Brake Van (fictitious number)|WD 55577]] ||
 +
|-
 +
|WARWELL || Well wagon (50 ton) || [[WD 314153 Well Wagon|WD 314153]] ||
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|-
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|}
  
 
==BR Era Telegraph Codes==
 
==BR Era Telegraph Codes==
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Examples of codes from this era are:
 
Examples of codes from this era are:
  
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*DOGFISH
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{| class="wikitable"
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*FLAT
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! Code !! Rolling stock type !! Examples !! Notes
−
*MACKEREL
+
|-
−
*MERMAID
+
|DOGFISH || 24T Ballast hopper wagon || [[BR 'Dogfish' Ballast Hopper Wagons|9836115]] ||
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*PARR
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|-
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*PRAWN
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|FLAT || Flat wagon || [[BR 906811 Flat ED|906811 ]], [[BR 906825 Flat ED|906825 ]], [[BR 906830 Flat ED|906830 ]] ||
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*RUDD
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|-
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*SEACOW
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|HERRING || 20T Ballast hopper wagon || [[London Transport ‘Herring’ Ballast Hopper Wagons|HW 410, HW 411 and HW 436]] || Also London Underground
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*SHARK
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|-
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*TUNNY
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|MACKEREL || 17T Ballast hopper wagon || [[BR 992329 'Mackerel' Ballast Hopper|992329]] ||
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*WELTROL
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|-
 +
|MERMAID || 14T Ballast tipper wagon || [[BR 989098 'Mermaid' Ballast Wagon|989098]]  ||
 +
|-
 +
|PARR || Bogie rail wagon || [[BR 'Parr' Bogie Rail Wagons | 967526]], [[BR 'Parr' Bogie Rail Wagons |967577 ]] ||
 +
|-
 +
|PRAWN || 30T S&T Bogie bolster || [[BR 997623 'Prawn' Bogie Bolster|997623]] ||
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|-
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|RUDD || 21T Ballast wagon || [[BR 'Rudd' Ballast Wagons| 15 x RUDD wagons]] ||
 +
|-
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|SEACOW || 40T Bogie ballast hopper || [[BR 'Seacow' 40t Bogie Ballast Hoppers|6 x SEACOW hoppers]]  ||
 +
|-
 +
|SHARK || 20T Ballast plough brake || [[BR 993876 'Shark' Ballast Plough Brake|993876]], [[BR 993898 'Shark' Ballast Plough Brake|993898]] ||
 +
|-
 +
|STARFISH || 10T Ballast open wagon || [[GWR 80225 Ballast Wagon|80225]] ||
 +
|-
 +
|TUNNY || 20T Ballast open wagon  || [[BR 991124 'Tunny' Ballast Wagon|991124]]  ||
 +
|-
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|WELTROL || Well trolley || [[BR 900760 Weltrol EC|900760]], [[BR 901010 Weltrol MV|901010]] ||
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Latest revision as of 22:58, 19 August 2021

Telegraph codes were used to shorten the telegraphic messages sent between the stations and offices of the railway. They were commonly painted on the side of Goods Wagons.

History

In the mid-nineteenth century, single and double needle telegraph machines were introduced on railways. The primary purpose was to relay information on train workings for safety purposes, but they were also used to pass messages between the staff. Code words were used to replace complicated or regularly used phrases in these messages, for reasons of brevity and clarity.

By 1922 most railways has adopted common standard code words, however the GWRGreat Western Railway continued to use an extended list of codes within its own network until 1943 when all railways were brought into a common system.

GWRGreat Western Railway Telegraph Codes

The 1939 GWRGreat Western Railway Telegraph Code Book included the following introduction: To facilitate the transmission of Telegraph Messages, a code of Phrases in common use in telegrams sent on the Company’s business has been prepared, each phrase being represented by a distinctive word, and that word only to be sent instead of the complete phrase which it represents.[1]

Codes were used for all sorts of administrative matters, for example LIMA meant "can you spare a horse for a few days". However it is the codes used to describe types of carriage and wagon that are still used on the SVRSevern Valley Railway today. Some carriage and Brown Vehicle types and most wagon types were assigned telegraph codes, although engineers’ vehicles were usually not. Wagon codes often had a suffix letter added to distinguish variants within a particular type, eg LORIOT A, LORIOT B etc. Frequently the code would be painted on the wagon, although this was not done on the most common types such as OPEN and MINK.[1]

The following examples of rolling stock on the SVRSevern Valley Railway were assigned GWRGreat Western Railway telegraph codes:

Code Rolling stock type Examples Notes
CLAY China clay wagon 94059 Diagram O (Open wagons)
CONE Gunpowder van 58725 Diagram Z (Gunpowder vans)
CONFLAT Flat wagon for containers 39860 Diagram H (Flat wagons)
FRUIT Fruit van 2303, 2424, 2815, 3429, 3467 , 92080, 92090, 134290 Diagram Y (Fruit vans)
GANE Wagons 60841, 996730 (BRBritish Rail or British Railways) Diagram J (Rail and timber bolster wagons)
LORIOT Wagons 41990, 42138, 42272, 42343 Diagram G (Flat and well wagons for carrying road vehicles, covered vehicle trucks etc)
MACAW Bolster rail and timber wagon 107291 Diagram J (Rail and timber bolster wagons)
MICA Meat van 105873 Diagram X (Meat vans)
MINK Covered goods wagon 93016, 93045, 95353, 101961, 103592, 104621, 112889 Diagram V (Covered goods and grain wagons)
MOGO Covered goods van for one motor car 65801 Diagram G (Flat and well wagons for carrying road vehicles, covered vehicle trucks etc)
OPEN Open wagon 13154, 14428, 25190, 41277, 97398, 98480, 99965, 102691, 108085 Diagram O (Open wagons)
SIPHON Milk Van 1257, 2926 Coach Diagram O (Milk vans)
SNAKE Passenger Brake 261, 1145 Coach Diagram K (Brake vans)
TOAD 20 Ton brake van 17410, 68501 Diagram AA (Brake vans)
VANFIT Covered goods van 65620 Diagram V (Covered goods and grain wagons)

Locomotive Department wagons such as 83831 were identified by a large 'LOCO' painted on the sides, although LOCO did not appear in the GWRGreat Western Railway telegraph code list.

War Department telegraph codes

Code Rolling stock type Examples Notes
RECTANK Tank Carrier wagon WD 4607
PILLBOX Brake van (25 ton) WD 55577
WARWELL Well wagon (50 ton) WD 314153

BRBritish Rail or British Railways Era Telegraph Codes

Use of 'telegraph codes' to describe wagon types continued into the BRBritish Rail or British Railways era. Many BRBritish Rail or British Railways era Civil Engineering wagons were allocated ‘Fish’ codes. A more formal classification system was later adopted using TOPS codes, with both codes appearing on some wagons.

Examples of codes from this era are:

Code Rolling stock type Examples Notes
DOGFISH 24T Ballast hopper wagon 9836115
FLAT Flat wagon 906811 , 906825 , 906830
HERRING 20T Ballast hopper wagon HW 410, HW 411 and HW 436 Also London Underground
MACKEREL 17T Ballast hopper wagon 992329
MERMAID 14T Ballast tipper wagon 989098
PARR Bogie rail wagon 967526, 967577
PRAWN 30T S&TSignals & Telegraph Bogie bolster 997623
RUDD 21T Ballast wagon 15 x RUDD wagons
SEACOW 40T Bogie ballast hopper 6 x SEACOW hoppers
SHARK 20T Ballast plough brake 993876, 993898
STARFISH 10T Ballast open wagon 80225
TUNNY 20T Ballast open wagon 991124
WELTROL Well trolley 900760, 901010

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Atkins, Beard & Tourret (2013) p. 9.

Links

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