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First Loco (re)Numbering Using TOPS System ?


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i'm sure 76 050 was the first renumbered, 83.011 was not far behind and 41 001 and 2 were built with tops numbers, i can't find my old notebook but we are taiking late 1971/ early72

 

i will keep looking

 

the first few (4?) peaks had numbers on all four corners but not sure about the full stops

 

a further thought, the first deltic was 55 020 and it was outshopped with double arrows on the drivers side only, it regained 4 arrows shortly later, any pictures anyone?

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Andy Evening Sir! I answer to you query - as soon as I read it a class 76 sprang to mind - and lol & behold 26032 becoming 76 032 on 19 Jan '72 could be the lucky winner - i haven't read the 48 replies or whatever is quoted.

 

(my bold)

 

Well, given that blithe and breezy approach, there really seems little point in anyone putting in the time to check out and provide an accurate, definitive answer :scratchhead:

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quote re Andy Evening Sir! I answer to you query - as soon as I read it a class 76 sprang to mind - and lol & behold 26032 becoming 76 032 on 19 Jan '72 could be the lucky winner - i haven't read the 48 replies or whatever is quoted.

(my bold)

Well, given that blithe and breezy approach, there really seems little point in anyone putting in the time to check out and provide an accurate, definitive answer :scratchhead:

 

But look on the bright side at least it might finally go to prove that so called 'TOPS renumbering' really did have nothing much to do with TOPS (which didn't arrive on the scene until 1973 and could only accept 4 digit loco numbers - but perhaps that isn't relevant either?). Maybe there is something after all to the old saying that every cloud (or obfuscation and piece of misinformation) has a silver lining?

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It is an interesting diversion to look back at the original TOPS classification of the late 1960s, especially with regard to DMUs.

 

The motor and trailer cars were given a separate class, for instance the Derby heavyweight MBS (E50001-49) were listed as class 114, but the DTCs (E56001-49) were class 148.

 

The Swindon Trans Pennine units were 124/1 and 124/2 for the motor composites and motor brake seconds respectively, but the trailer seconds and trailer buffets were classes 180 and 181.

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................

The motor and trailer cars were given a separate class, for instance the Derby heavyweight MBS (E50001-49) were listed as class 114, but the DTCs (E56001-49) were class 148................

 

I once asked a question elsewhereabout the Derby Heavyweight DTC referring to it as Class 148 - oh what confusion that created............

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i always thought they made hard work of the renumbering, would have acheived the same if for example, class 40 became 40 200 to 40 399 and class 50 were 50 400 to 50 449.

 

they could have just put little prefix stickers on instead of the time and effort painting out numbers and putting a whole 5 digit number on

 

( yes i know the 47s and 08s would have been trickier but not by much)

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i always thought they made hard work of the renumbering, would have acheived the same if for example, class 40 became 40 200 to 40 399 and class 50 were 50 400 to 50 449.

 

they could have just put little prefix stickers on instead of the time and effort painting out numbers and putting a whole 5 digit number on

 

( yes i know the 47s and 08s would have been trickier but not by much)

 

 

But that was when "the establishment" did things it's own way. Actually allowing someone to think up a solution without a committee meeting would have been unthinkable.

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Close, but no cigar ;) 76050 preceded the AC locos, done in late 1971.

My notes show I saw "76050" on Reddish, 28th December, 1971..It was the first TOPS numbered loco I recorded and the only TOPS numbered loco amongst:-(E)26002, 26006, 26008+26023, 26013, 26014, 26018, 26019, 26026, 26031, 26032, 26038, 26041, 26043, 26044, 26052, 26054, 26057 .I didn't see another until 83012 (E3035) and 84008 (E3043)at Bescot on 26th August, 1972.Brian r

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My recollection is that originally the TOPS numbers were originally intended to have a decimal point (or full stop, they're the same character on a computer keyboard) between the class number and the ordinal number.

 

Having programmed computers on and off for most of my working life, I have worked on several systems which have numbered things in such a split fashion and there have indeed been times when we have 'lost' the item 'numbered' zero after the place where the split occurs - presumably this is why BR TOPS numbers could not keep the first loco in each class where the number ended in '000'. With carriages and wagons the numbers are one entity and the system handles the numbers ending '000' quite satisfactorily - there has never (AFAIR) been a coach or wagon numbered '0'.

 

In my hazy recollection the Southern Region got off to a slow start with TOPS renumbering, but had a blitz in early '74 and it seemed like the entire fleet were done almost overnight - although with 97 Class 33s, 48 Class 73s, 24 Class 71/74s and couple of dozen shunters the fleet wasn't exactly that large compared to other regions!

 

Of course the Southern Region being the Southern Region it decided to keep its four-digit numbers for the multiple unit stock - it was only with the wholesale refurbishments starting in the latter part of the 70s that they started giving the MU stock the correct numbers that corresponded with the TOPS class designations.

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  • 4 years later...

I have resurrected this thread in order to ask if anyone knows if there is website where the D and E-number locos are listed in order with their TOPS equivalent?

 

I know some classes are easy but 45s, 47s and 86s are rather random depending on timing of works visits.

 

I have books with them in, but they are all ordered with the 5-figure numbers first.

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