LB&SCR Steam Locomotive Headcodes

The headcodes detailed on this page are those used by the London Brighton & South Coast Railway between 1910 and 1917, after which just plain white discs were used. The night codes changed earlier than this, though the precise details are not to hand. Virtually all routes had two sets of headcodes, the Ordinary for timetabled trains and the Special for others. A white disc and/or white disc with a black cross was shown during daylight hours, with a white lamp used for the white disk and a green lamp used for the black cross disc during darkness, to designate the following routes:- (N.B. All references to the "Through Line" refer to the "Quarry Line".
Day Ordinary	Day Special	Day Ordinary	Day Special
1		2
London Bridge, Willow Walk and Brighton (via Redhill). Including Gatwick specials from London Bridge or Brighton.		London Bridge, Willow Walk and Brighton Including Gatwick specials (via Through Line).
3		4
London Bridge and Brighton (via Streatham Spur and Through Line)		London Bridge, Willow Walk, West Croydon, Epsom, Dorking, Horsham and Portsmouth (Local line between Norwood Junc and Bricklayers Arms Junc)
5		6
London Bridge, Willow Walk, West Croydon, Epsom, Dorking, Horsham and Portsmouth (Main line between Norwood Junc and Bricklayers Arms Junc)		London Bridge, Willow Walk and Portsmouth (via Redhill and Three Bridges)
7		8
London Bridge, Willow Walk and Portsmouth (via Through Line and Three Bridges)		London Bridge and Portsmouth (via peckham Rye)
9		10
London Bridge, Willow Walk and Hastings (via Rehill, Keymer Line and Polegate)		London Bridge, Willow Walk and Hastings, Eastbourne and Newhaven (via Through Line and Keymer Line)
11		12
London Bridge, Willow Walk and Tunbridge Wells (via Oxted Line and Edenbridge)		London Bridge, Willow Walk and East Grinstead (Low Level) (via Oxted) Note - Also Tunbridge Wells Trains, via East Grinstead High Level, as between London and Oxted; other part of Journey, Section 89.
13		14
London Bridge and Stoats Nest (via Local Line) Trains running on Main Line to Norwood Junc must carry same Boards or Lights as Section 5, and change there to Section 13.		London Bridge and Victoria (via Local Line and Norwood Junc) Trains running on Main Line to Norwood Junc must carry same Boards or Lights as Section 5, and change there to Section 14.
15		16
London Bridge and Victoria (via Crystal palace)		London Bridge and Victoria (via South London Line)
17		18
London Bridge, Clapham Junc and Victoria (via Tulse Hill)		London Bridge and Crystal Palace (via Tulse Hill to South or Croydon side of Vrystal Palace Station). Trains going beyond to change Boards or Lights according to route.
19		20
London Bridge and Crystal Palace (via Tulse Hill to East or London Bridge side of Crystal palace Station) Trains going beyond to change Boards or Lights according to route.		London Bridge and Crystal Palace (via Main Line to Forest Hill) Trains going beyond to change Boards or Lights according to route.
21		22
London Bridge and Streatham Common (via South London Line and Streatham Spur Line) and Streatham Common and London Bridge (via Norwood Junc)		London Bridge and Wimbledon (via Upper Loop) Returning via Lower Loop.
23		24
London Bridge and Wimbledon (via Lower Loop) Returning via Upper Loop.		London Bridge and Epsom Downs (via Main Line between Brisklayers Arms Junc and Norwood Junc) Specials only.
25		26
London Bridge and Epsom Downs (via Local Line between Brisklayers Arms Junc and Norwood Junc) Specials only.		London Bridge and Epsom Downs (via Peckham Rye) Specials only
27		28
London Bridge or New Cross and Eardley Sidings Empties		London Bridge, Willow walk or New Cross to Norwood Junc (Down Trains Local to Main at Norwood Junc)
29		30
London Bridge, Willow walk or New Cross to Norwood Junc only (Down Relief Line at Norwood Junc)		London Bridge to Peckham Rye Sidings
31		32
London Bridge and New Cross Empties (via Local Line, Blue Anchor Route)		London Bridge and New Cross Empties (via Main Line and Blue Anchor)
33		34
London Bridge and New Cross Empties (via South Bermondsey Spur Line)		London Bridge and New Cross Empties (to Up Sidings at Bricklayers Arms Junc)
35		36
London Bridge and New Cross Empties (via Old Kent Road)		Victoria, Battersea Yard and Brighton Including Gatwick Specials (via Balham Line and Redhill)
37		38
Victoria, Battersea Yard and Brighton Including Gatwick Specials (via Balham Line and Through Line)		Victoria and Brighton (via Crystal palace) Specials only.
39		40
Victoria, Battersea Yard, Mitcham, Sutton, Epsom, Dorking, Horsham and Portsmouth		Victoria, Battersea Yard and Portsmouth (via Balham Line, Redhill and Three Bridges)
41		42
Victoria, Battersea Yard and Portsmouth (via Balham Line, Through Line and Three Bridges)		Victoria, Battersea Yard, Crystal Palace, West Croydon, Sutton, Horsham and Portsmouth
43		44
Victoria, Battersea Yard and Hastings (via Balham Line, Redhill, Keymer Line and Polegate)		Victoria, Battersea Yard and Hastings, Eastbourne and Newhaven (via Balham Line, Through Line and Keymer Junc)
45		46
Victoria, Battersea Yard and Edenbridge or Tunbridge Wells		Victoria, Battersea Yard and east grinstead (Low Level) (via Oxted Line) Note - Also Tunbridge Wells Trains via East Grinstead High Level as between London and Oxted; other part of journey, Section 89
47		48
Victoria and Stoats Nest (via Balham Line)		Victoria, Battersea Yard and Stoats Nest (via Crystal palace)
49		50
Victoria, Battersea Yard, West Croydon and Sutton (via Balham Line)		Victoria and Epsom Downs (via Mitcham Jun) Specials only
51		52
Victoria and Crystal palace only Specials only. (also Kensington Specials as between Clapham Junc and Crystal Palace)		Victoria, Battersea Yard and Streatham Hill (also between Crystal Palace and Streatham Hill)
53		54
Victoria or Battersea Yard and Eardley Sidings		Victoria and New Cross (via South London Line and Old Kent Road Spur Line)
55		56
Victoria and Battersea Yard Empties (also Engines via Battersea Park Junc or Stewarts Lane Junc)		Victoria and Kensington (via Stewarts Lane)
57		58
Kensington or Lille Bridge and Brighton Including Gatwick Specials (via Balham Line and Through Line) (Also Through Willesden trains)		Kensington to Brighton (via Crystal Palace and Through Line) (Also Through Willesden Trains)
59		60
Kensington and Portsmouth(via Mitcham Junc) Specials only.		Kensington and Epsom Downs(via Mitcham Junc) Specials only.
61		62
Kensington and East Croydon Local (via Crystal Palace), also Short Trains to and from Kensington and Clapham Junc.		Kensington or Lille Bridge and Norwood Junc (via Balham Line)
63		64
Kensington and Eardley Sidings		Shoreditch and Brighton Specials only. (also Up Trains from any other part of the System to East London Line via New Cross. Main Line to and from New Cross) Note - Down Trains for any other route than to Brighton on the Main Line must change Head Boards or Lights at New Cross.
65		66
Shoreditch and East Croydon Local. (also Up Trains from any other part of the System to East London Line via New Cross. Main Line to and from New Cross) Note - Down Trains for any other route than to East Croydon Local on the Local Line must change Head Boards or Lights at New Cross according to route.		Shoreditch and New Cross Ordinary Trains only.
67		68
Shoreditch and Peckham Rye Ordinary Trains only.		Special Trains to East London Line from any part of the system (via Peckham Rye)
69		70
Deptford Wharf and New Cross		Crystal Palace to London Bridge or Willow Walk (Main Line from Sydenham Junc)
71		72
Crystal Palace and Hastings Specials only.		Crystal Palace, East Croydon, West Croydon, Sutton etc., to Battersea Yard Light Engines only.
73		74
Up Empties and Light Engines to New Cross From Peckham Rye and Stations below (via Old Kent Road and Old Kent Road Spur Line) Main or Local Lines.		Sutton, Mitcham and Wimbledon
75		76
Sutton and Epsom Downs		Woodside and Selsdon Road
77		78
Brighton and Portsmouth		Brighton and Horsham (via Shoreham) Trains going to or from London by this route to carry, north of Horsham, same as Portsmouth Trains.
79		80
Brighton and Littlehampton direct		Brighton, Haywards Heath and East Grinstead (via Horsted Keynes) (Also Up Trains from East Branch to east Grinstead) Note - Down Trains, East Grinstead or Horsted Keynes to East Branch carry Boards or Lights as per Section 9.
81		82
Brighton and Hastings (direct from Polegate)		Brighton, Newhaven and Seaford
83		84
Brighton and Tunbridge Wells (via Uckfield)		Brighton and Hove (via Preston Park) (Engines to turn)
85		86
Lewes and Seaford Up Trains, Seaford or Newhaven to London to carry Boards or Lights as Trains Hastings to London direct.		Lewes to Eastbourne, also between Eastbourne and Hastings (via the Spur Line each way) Up Trains from Eastbourne to London or Brighton to carry same Boards or Lights as Trains Hastings to London or Brighton direct.
87		88
Eastbourne and Polegate (Hailsham Line Trains)		Oxted and East Grinstead (High Level)
89		90
Worthing and Haywards Heath (via Preston Park Spur Line)		Three Bridges and Portsmouth Including short Trains between Ford Junc, Arundel, Pulborough and Horsham, also Horsham to Gatwick Specials and Horley Motors
91		92
Horsham and Litlehampton direct		Ford and Littlehampton
93		94
Portsmouth and Fratton (Light Engines) Note - Light Engines Fratton to Portsmouth carry the same Head Boards or Lights as they will on the Trains they are going to work.		Fratton and East Southsea
95		96
Breakdown Tool Van Trains On Outward journey only. On Return journey special Boards or Lights must be carried according to route.		Deptford Wharf and Old Kent Road, *West Croydon and Mitcham Junc, Brighton and Kemp Town, Pulborough and Chichester via Midhurst, Barnham Junc and Bognor *Goods Trains between Norwood Junc, Waddon Marsh and Mitcham Junc carry the white Board or Light on centre of buffer beam.
97		98
Mitcham Junc and Wimbledon, Brighton and the Dyke, Havant and Hayling Island(Carrying Train Staff) Note - When carrying train Ticket an additional white Board or Light must be carried on the near side end of buffer beam.		Three Bridges and Tunbridge Wells
99		100
Tunbridge Wells LB&SC and Tunbridge Wells SE&CR		Tunbridge Wells and Polegate (Eastbourne Line Trains)
101		102
Brighton and East Grinstead (via Lewes)		Horsham and Guildford (Carrying Train Staff between Horsham and Baynards or Electric Staff between Baynards and Guildford) Note - When carrying Train Ticket between Horsham and Baynards an additional Black Cross Board or Green Light must be carried on offside end of buffer beam.

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This page was last updated 5 April 2011