Southern Railway multiple unit numbering and classification

The Southern Railway created classification and numbering systems for its large fleet of electric multiple units, perpetuated by the Southern Region of British Rail until the early 1980s, when the impact of TOPS was felt. Some stock is still allocated Southern-style classifications in a semi-official manner.

Classification

The early AC electric multiple units were referred to by a two-letter code. This was adapted for the DC third-rail system that was adopted by the Southern Railway, with units being given a three-letter code (sometimes two letters) prefixed by the number of cars in each unit, e.g. 4SUB for a 4-car suburban unit.

The Southern Region perpetuated this, and the same principles were adopted for diesel-electric multiple units but with single-letter codes. The last type to be officially allocated a designation in this series was the PEP stock of the early 1970s. Some types built since have been given semi-official designations in this style.

This is different from the system used by British Rail (adopted from the LNER) to indicate the type of non-powered coach — see British Rail coach designations.

AC EMUs

SR Designation	Meaning
CP	Crystal Palace
CW	Coulsdon & Wallington
SL	South London

DC EMUs

SR Designation	BR Class	Meaning
GLV	489	Gatwick Luggage Van
MLV	419	Motor Luggage Van
TLV	499	Trailer Luggage Van
2BIL	401	Bi-Lavatory^[1]
2EPB	416	Electro-Pneumatic Brake
2HAL	402	Half Lavatory^[1]
2HAP	414	Half lavatory with electro-Pneumatic Brake^[2]
2NOL	-	No Lavatory^[1]
2PAN	402	Parcels and Newspapers
2PEP	446	Prototype Electro-Pneumatic Brake
2SAP	418	Second-Class Only Hap
2SL	-	South London
2WIM	-	Wimbledon
3COP	421	Coastway Open Plan
3SUB	-	Suburban
3TC	492	Trailer Control
3TIS	486	Vectis (Isle of Wight)
4BEP	412	Buffet Electro-Pneumatic Brake
4BIG	422	Buffet Brighton^[3]
4BUF	404	Buffet
4CAP	413	Coastway Hap
4CEP	411	Corridor Electro-Pneumatic Brake
4CIG	421	Corridor Brighton^[3]
4COR	404	Corridor
4DES	450	Desiro
4DD	-	Double Deck
4EPB	415	Electro-Pneumatic Brake
4GRI	404	Griddle Car
4JOP	458	Juniper Outersuburban Porterbrook. Unofficial classification.
4LAV	-	Lavatory
4PEP	445	Prototype Electro-Pneumatic Brake
4REP	432	Restaurant Electro-Pneumatic Brake
4RES	404	Restaurant
4SUB	405	Suburban
4TC	438	Trailer Control
4TEP	412	Temporary BEP
4VEC	485	Vectis (Isle of Wight)
4VEG	427	VEP Gatwick Express
4VEP	423	Vestibule Electro-Pneumatic Brake
4VIP	423	VEP Intermediate Plan
4VOP	423	VEP Open-Plan
5BEL	403	Brighton Belle
5DES	444	Desiro
5TCB	438	TC and Buffet
5WES	442	Wessex
6CIT	-	City Limited
6PAN	-	Pantry
6PUL	-	Pullman
6REP	431	Reformed REP
6TC	-	Trailer Control
6JAV	395	JAVelin. Unofficial classification, also referred to as 6HIT (Hitachi).
7TC	-	Trailer Control
8DIG	422	Dedicated Brighton
8GAT	460	Gatwick Express. Unofficial classification.
8MIG	421	Miniature Buffet and CIG
8VAB	480	Vestibule Autobrake Buffet

Diesel-electric multiple units

SR Designation	BR Class	Meaning
3D	207	Oxted
3H	205	Hampshire
3R	206	Reading
3T	204	Hampshire and added Trailer
6B	203	Hastings Buffet
6L	202	Hastings Long underframe
6S	201	Hastings Short underframe

Unit numbering

Unit numbers were allocated from 1001, following the 1-1000 set numbers of semi-fixed formations of hauled coaching stock. Different types of unit were given numbers:

1001–1200	Unpowered trailer units for working with 3SUB stock (this series was later expanded to include 989-1000)
1201-1800	3SUB (ex-LSWR units with 1200 added to their original numbers)
1801–1999	Two-car inner-suburban (e.g. 2NOL)
2001-2899	Two-car outer-suburban (e.g. 2BIL)
2901-2999	Four-car outer-suburban (4LAV)
3001-3999	Four, five and six-car express (e.g. 4COR, 5BEL and 6PUL)^[4]
4001-4999	Four-car inner-suburban (4SUB and 4DD)
5001-5599	British Railways four-car inner-suburban (4EPB)
5601-6999	British Railways two-car (e.g. 2HAP)
7001-7999	British Railways four-car outer-suburban (e.g. 4CIG)
8001	Temporary eight-car (8VAB)
S1-S101	Departmental (non-revenue earning)

This series was perpetuated by the Southern Region with modifications, as older set numbers were reused for the following different types:

001-099	Parcels and departmental (Sxxx units renumbered)
301-999	Trailer Control (first digit indicated number of cars, e.g. 301 = 3TC)
1001-1499	Diesel Electric Multiple Units (e.g. 6S)

2PEP reused number 2001, 4REP from 3001 and 4PEP 4001/4002. This series was abandoned in 1983, when units were renumbered to fit in with the TOPS classification system, which had nominally been in use for a decade. Even then, many units displayed only the last four digits, dropping the first two digits - e.g. unit 412 301 would have the number "2301" applied. Only with later units and 2xx series DEMUs were the full numbers shown, e.g. Classes 456, 465 and 466, and some Class 455 sets, carry full 6-digit numbers.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Ian Allan ABC, 1968 British Railways Motive Power Survey, p.15 "2NOL, 2HAL and 2BIL ... no lavatory, half lavatory and both lavatory, depending on whether toilet facilities were provided in either one or both coaches of a two-car set or not provided at all"
^ Ian Allan ABC, 1968 British Railways Motive Power Survey, p.15 "The 2HAP provides similar accommodation to a 2HAL, but is fitted with electro-pneumatic brakes"
^ ^a ^b Ian Allan ABC, 1968 British Railways Motive Power Survey, p.15 "the letters IG (4CIG, 4BIG), the old LBSCR telegraphic code for Brighton"
^ The three 5BEL units were originally numbered 2051-3, but later renumbered 3051-3 to conform with the general scheme (Southern Electric by G.T. Moody, Ian Allan Ltd., various dates).

References

British Rail Locomotives and other motive power. London: Ian Allan. 1968. ISBN 0-7110-0008-5.
History of the TC /REP stock on BloodandCustard

[SRsemifast-1] Ian Allan ABC, 1968 British Railways Motive Power Survey, p.15 "2NOL, 2HAL and 2BIL ... no lavatory, half lavatory and both lavatory, depending on whether toilet facilities were provided in either one or both coaches of a two-car set or not provided at all"

[2] Ian Allan ABC, 1968 British Railways Motive Power Survey, p.15 "The 2HAP provides similar accommodation to a 2HAL, but is fitted with electro-pneumatic brakes"

[4BIG-3] Ian Allan ABC, 1968 British Railways Motive Power Survey, p.15 "the letters IG (4CIG, 4BIG), the old LBSCR telegraphic code for Brighton"

[4] The three 5BEL units were originally numbered 2051-3, but later renumbered 3051-3 to conform with the general scheme (Southern Electric by G.T. Moody, Ian Allan Ltd., various dates).

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v t e British railway rolling stock numbering and classification systems
Locomotives and multiple units	British Rail and post-privatisation companies British Rail - regional multiple unit numbering British Rail - first TOPS arrangement Great Western Railway London, Midland & Scottish Railway London & North Eastern Railway Southern Railway - locomotives Southern Railway - multiple units
Carriages and wagons	British carriage and wagon numbering and classification London Underground rolling stock numbering and classification