Headcodes in 00

Hello I am currently changing a Flying Dutchman model to Oliver cromwell and am hoping to add working headlamps however I was wondering whether this loco should carry headlamps or discs as if you do a google search she has carried both and was wondering wat the preferred method would be.

Also what headcodes does an Autotrain carry are they the same as usual or does it carry different ones on the autocoach end.

 

Depends on region - in most of the country, the lamps indicate the class of train (express passenger, stopping passenger, fitted goods etc). On the Southern Region, the discs indicate the route. (Lamps were used at night, but with the same meaning as the discs). Note also that in most of the country, there were four lamp positions; on the Southern, there were an additional two positions to the left and right of the smokebox, so six positions in total.

For most of the country, I'd suspect the best option, bearing in mind you're going to stick them in place, would be for a Class A train - one lamp over each buffer. If you're modelling the Southern Region, I believe the Britannias were mostly used on teh Golden Arrow train, so you'd need the disc code for Victoria - Dover - or just copy images turned up by Google!

Autotrains, being a Western thing, AFAIK would use whatever the correct lamp code is for the class of train; most likely a stopping passenger (one lamp under the chimney I believe - I might be wrong - , or the equivalent position on the front of the carriage, depending on direction of travel). Such beasts on the Southern would be called "Motor trains" and would have discs appropriate to the route.

Tom

 

When used on the Great Eastern lines from Liverpool Street, discs tended to be used instead of lamps but unlike the Southern, they were positioned to indicate the class of train.

Des

 

The discs were also slightly smaller on the GEML compared with the Southern type.

Regards,

Dan

 

Hmm I think that helps I'm gonna add the working headlamps then as they'll give a better impression and was after the autocoach headcodes