headcode
headcode noun: a code used to distinguish classes of train for the benefit of signalmen, formerly by using white oil lamps (or white discs) placed on brackets on the front of the locomotive. The various lamp positions defined the class of train.
Noun
headcode (plural headcodes)
- A code used to distinguish classes of train for the benefit of signalmen, formerly by using white oil lamps (or white discs) placed on brackets on the front of the locomotive. The various lamp positions defined the class of train.
- Another appendix elucidates the S.E.C.R. headcode system.1961 July, “New reading on railways: The Locomotives of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway, by D. L. Bradley”, in Trains Illustrated, page vii
- Gaining a new headcode, it is then rebranded as the 2103 Carmarthen-Fishguard Harbour - a place I'd never visited by rail.2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 59
Forms of headcode
| plural | headcodes |
|---|
Origin of headcode
From head + code.
Questions about headcode
- What does headcode mean?
- Headcode means a code used to distinguish classes of train for the benefit of signalmen, formerly by using white oil lamps (or white discs) placed on brackets on the front of the locomotive. The various lamp positions defined the class of train.
- What part of speech is headcode?
- Headcode is a noun.
- What is the plural of headcode?
- The plural of headcode is headcodes.
Words near headcode in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: headcode (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “headcode.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/headcode. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.