Currently still waiting on production and delivery of suitable copperclad to allow track laying to commence.

 

I went to the Bristol show at the weekend and was able to buy a Dapol Class 22 in BSYP, something I'd missed out on for a long time due to money being tight and then there being none to buy. It got me to thinking about headcodes for the S&P.

 

I've read up a bit on how such four character train reporting numbers work, and realised that though the basic arrangement itself works, what the first number means would need to be different for S&P. In conventional usage, it seems the first number is an amalgam of priority and train type. For the real railway, that works out most of the time. However, in the S&P case, having 'express passenger' tied to the number '1' makes no sense, as such. That, of course, then affects how all the rest of the numbers are understood.

 

So for the S&P I've come up with the following. But first, note that the main change regarding the first character is that I saw that 'priority' of train needed to be divorced from 'type' of train to properly understand how then to interpret 'type' into the number:

 

1. Commercial high prority train (freight or passenger)

2. Commercial lower priority train (freight or passenger)

3. Commercial lowest prority train (freight or passenger), and empty stock movements related to commercial activity

4. Reduced stopping heritage train (passenger only) (e.g., dining specials, etc)

5. Stopping heritage train (passenger only)

6. Empty stock movements related to heritage activity (passenger only)

7. Reduced stopping demonstration freight train

8. Stopping demonstration freight train, and empty stock movements related to demonstration freight activity

9. Special trains

0. Light engine movements

 

I hope this works out in practice. It will have an effect on headcodes I put on trains for S&P running, though whether any given locomotive will actually have a correct headcode on any given train is less easy to predict as it's not at all easy to implement changeable headcodes on models.

 

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As for the second character letter, I've yet to decide on the exact list but it would be simple destinations, something like:

 

Main route:

 

A. Sayersbridge

B. Cold Holt

C. Bere Dene

D. Arnford

E. Dunstow

F. West Frith

G. Weytonwell

H. Weytonwell Junction

J. Stokestone

K. Stokeholme

L. Sto Sands

M. Tynworth

N. Penmouth Waterside

P. Penmouth Harbour

 

Branch route:

 

Q. Grange Knowle

R. Steepleham

S. Knightonmore

 

Off line:

 

O. National Network (that is, not necessarily stopping at Sayersbridge)

 

Non-passenger or commercial:

 

X. Weytonwell Quarry and S&P Stock Sidings

Y. Penmouth Port

Z. Arnbrook Oil Depot

 

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As far as how disc arrangements would be used, either on steam or diesel, that is yet to be researched.