Destination Blinds
Eastern Region Great Eastern 2-digit Codes
Submitted by Robert Chilton
List One
Thought to be pre-1963. I imagine there must have been some changes every now and then because one or two are at odds with what I have seen in photos, e.g. the Buntingford branch - I have only ever seen DMUs on the Buntingford branch showing either 25 or 26, but this list gives 26 for St. Margarets and 27 for Buntingford.
0 - Wickford
0 - Southminster
00 - Parcels/postal
01 - Fenchurch St.
02 - Stratford (Main)
03 - Ilford
04 - Chadwell Heath
05 - Gidea Park
06 - Brentwood
07 - Shenfield
08 - Southend Victoria & all branches except Wickford
09 - Chelmsford
10 - Enfield Town
11 - Cheshunt via Edmonton
12 - Broxbourne via Edmonton
13 - Hertford East via Edmonton
14 - Bishops Stortford via Edmonton
15 - Seven Sisters
16 - White Hart Lane
17 - Palace Gates
21 - Cheshunt via Hackney Downs & Tottenham or Stratford
22 - Broxbourne via Hackney Downs & Tottenham or Stratford
23 - Hertford East via Hackney Downs & Tottenham or Stratford
24 - Bishops Stortford via Hackney Downs & Tottenham or Stratford
25 - Tottenham
26 - St. Margarets
27 - Buntingford
30 - Wood Street
31 - Chingford
35 - Stratford (Low Level)
36 - North Woolwich
40 - Witham
41 - Maldon
42 - Braintree
43 - Marks Tey
44 - Colchester Direct
45 - Manningtree
46 - Parkeston
47 - Harwich
50 - Colchester via St. Botolphs
51 - St. Botolphs
52 - Wivenhoe
53 - Brightlingsea
54 - Thorpe-Le-Soken
55 - Clacton
56 - Walton
C - Empty Trains
Additional info: Trains from Liverpool Street display the destination station code. Trains to Liverpool Street display the starting station code. Trains between two intermediate stations display the destination station code. Electric trains booked to call at all stations to destination carry a white bar above the appropriate number code (this would have applied to class 306 EMUs).
'00' was a genuine route code on the Great Eastern suburban used for parcels trains but in this case I wonder if it was used because there was no official route code for Romford-Upminster (there was a four character headcode allocated though, which was the same for all trips). See images 28704 and 28705 at Romford in 1964.
It is interesting to see this borrowed DMU pictured at Shenfield showing the correct route code for Chelmsford where the caption states it is heading, although the crew have decided to display it centrally so have used a letter O in place of the zero.
List Two
This one is dated 1963.
01 - Fenchurch St.
02 - Stratford (Main)
03 - Ilford
04 - Chadwell Heath
05 - Gidea Park
06 - Brentwood
07 - Shenfield
08 - Southend Victoria & the Southminster branch
09 - Chelmsford
10 - Enfield Town
11 - Cheshunt via Edmonton
12 - Broxbourne via Edmonton
13 - Hertford East via Edmonton
14 - Bishops Stortford via Edmonton
16 - Seven Sisters & the Palace Gates branch
16 - Cambridge & Willington
17 - Bishops Stortford & Braintree
17 - Wood Street
18 - Chingford
19 - Stratford (Low Level) & Fork sidings
20 - Tottenham
21 - Cheshunt via Tottenham
22 - Broxbourne via Tottenham
23 - Hertford East via Tottenham
24 - Bishops Stortford via Tottenham
25 - St. Margarets & the Buntingford branch
26 - Northumberland Park
27 - Woolwich North
29 - Elsenham
30 - Marks Tey
31 - Colchester Direct
32 - Manningtree
33 - Parkeston & Harwich branch
34 - St. Botolphs & Colchester via St. Botolphs
35 - Wivenhoe & Brightlingsea
36 - Thorpe-Le-Soken
37 - Clacton
38 - Walton
39 - Witham & the Maldon or Braintree branches
45 - ECS to Thornton Fields
46 - ECS to Stratford old yard
47 - ECS to Channelsea
48 - ECS or light engines to Stratford diesel depot
49 - ECS to Ilford car sheds
It seems odd that there is some duplication of codes when there are gaps which could have been used.
As before up trains carry the starting station code. Also, where a four character headcode display is fitted, the letter O was displayed for fast and semi fast services, L was displayed for stopping services and A for special trains. The usual first digit for class of train was otherwise used.
Eventually this system was dropped and standard four character headcodes were used, class 306s displayed the last two numerals of the four character code and the class 125s were ultimately transferred away. I have often wondered if this class 125 might be operating in that fashion because it seems unlikely that it had worked a Clacton service as according to the route code on the earlier list, although not impossible. Given the side of Liverpool Street it appears to be entering, it seems much more likely it is working in from Broxbourne or Hertford East etc. on a four character headcode which ends in 55.
This class 125 pictured some years earlier shows on the destination blind Cheshunt and the caption confirms this, it is showing the correct two digit route code for Cheshunt.