Query Regarding Headcodes

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by solicitr, Mar 12, 2021.

  1. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    One of the services in the NTP heavy freight pack involves a "newspaper train"- not further explained, but I imagine hauling today's editions of the Times and Mail and Sun to Leeds so that Northern readers can get their footie results and Page 3 girls.

    My question is, what class of service is this? Is it "parcels?" The question arises because the HFP Class 40 still has the old headcode discs on the front, and matching light switches inside, and I'd like to know how to set it up.

    (No, the timetable doesn't provide a service number)
     
  2. Clumsy Pacer

    Clumsy Pacer Well-Known Member

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    I think newspaper trains came under the banner of parcels, like other mail.
     
  3. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

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    From my recollection (we still had them when I started working on the railway!) they were class 1 (express passenger) when carrying staff to sort and drop off papers en route, class 3 (parcels) otherwise.
     
  4. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Hmm- could be the Manchester Evening News, which was still around back then. But that wouldn't make much sense for an 0750 train. Come to think of it, 8 am is too late for morning papers and too early for evening papers, isn't it?
     
  5. DominusEdwardius

    DominusEdwardius Well-Known Member

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    The Manchester Newspaper trains were quite notable since most of the major papers still around to this day were printed in Manchester and distributed through much of the North of England (and I think as far as Scotland as well). The trains generally were loaded and departed between 11PM and 3AM ish each night (mostly around Midnight and 1AM) at Manchester. The one we have in game was purposefully moved to later in the day so you could actually see what you were doing as NTP suffered from lack of lights at Night making shunting borderline impossible and driving a chore.
     
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  6. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

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    NTP had the daytime newspaper empties back to Red Bank sidings (near Man Vic) back in the day. All gone now: both trains and sidings.

    I worked at London Liverpool Street in the 80s and early 90s. We had quite a few newspaper trains, as well as parcels. Great seeing the vans arriving from Fleet Street: Sun, Mail, Guardian, etc. One of my jobs was to make sure the Assistant Station Manager had a full set of papers that had 'fallen off the back of a lorry' :D
     
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  7. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    When would the evening papers go out?
     
  8. DominusEdwardius

    DominusEdwardius Well-Known Member

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    I don't think there were any Trains doing evening papers, looking at the 1981 WTT for Victoria there don't appear to be any departures relating to news outside of those at Night (and the return workings).
     
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  9. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

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    I tend to agree. Evening papers were quite localised and would have gone out by road or in guard's vans of service trains.
     
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  10. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Heck, those cutout speed boards are practically invisible in daytime.
     
  11. geloxo

    geloxo Well-Known Member

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    It´s type 1 according to this reference: HEADCODES (2d53.co.uk)

    So the two lower side lights should be active.

    Cheers
     
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