July 31, 2026 Graham Muspratt

SR Steam Engine Headsignals

Unlike the other railway companies that used engine headcodes, see our Skrifa post here, to denote the make up and purpose of the train, the Southern Railway / Region used discs during the day and lamps at night, officially known as Engine Head Signals, to denote the route of the train.

The three main constituents of the Southern Railway all used discs (including different shapes, some with black crosses and lamp colours at night) and these were all combined in to standard six position (unlike the four positions of the standard head codes used elsewhere) codes using white 15" diameter discs at grouping in 1923.

This post provides an overview and captures only some of the main routes associated with the disc positions in use from 1944, we are not attempting to show every associated route and timeframe, for the full details including the constituent company headsignals and those for the SR from 1934 and 1936 in addition to post 1944 we recommend the excellent SREmG resource here.

The Isle of Wight also used Engine Headsignals to denote route, but using only four positions, these Headsignals will be detailed in a future Skrifa post.

See the notes (x) below the table that highlight the applicable Engine Headsignals for some of our limited edition models.


1	2	3
Victoria and Dover Brighton and Portsmouth Reading and Margate Eastleigh and Bulford Southampton Terminus to Weymouth Weymouth and Portland and Easton; Plymouth Friary and Tavistock North (1)(2) Exeter and Ilfracombe Bodmin and Wadebridge (3) Exeter Central and Exmouth (1)	London Bridge or Bricklayers Arms and Portsmouth Victoria, Stewarts Lane and Clapham Junc to Holborn Ashford and Eastbourne direct East Croydon and Holborn via London Bridge Waterloo or Nine Elms and Southampton Terminus (except boat trains) Willesden and Feltham Yard via Gunnersbury Yeovil Junc. and Yeovil Town (2) Seaton Junc. and Seaton (2) Barnstaple Junc. and Torrington (1)Halwill and Bude	Victoria or Battersea yard and Brighton Horsham and Brighton Reading and Esher Brookwood and Bisley Camp (2) Alton and Fareham (2) Bentley and Bordon (2) Salisbury and Bulford Axminster and Lyme Regis Tipton St John's and Exmouth Plymouth Friary and Cattewater (1)(2) Wareham and Swanage (2) Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier Bere Alston and Callington (1)(2)

4	5	6
London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Dover Ramsgate Tonbridge and Hawkhurst Brighton and Bognor Regis direct Three Bridges and Tunbridge Wells West Waterloo or Nine Elms and Reading Guildford and Bordon (2) Exeter Central and Sidmouth (1) Plymouth Friary and Turnchapel (1) Waterloo and Virginia Water Eastleigh or Southampton and Fawley Bournemouth Central and Brockenhurst Torrington and Halwill (1)	Victoria, Battersea Yard or Stewarts Lane and Clapham Junc Brighton and Kemp Town Ford and Littlehampton Pulborough, Midhurst and Chichester Havant and Hayling Island Brighton and Eastbourne West Croydon and East Croydon Tonbridge and Maidstone West Ash and Aldershot Stewarts Lane to Victoria Southampton Docks and Nine Elms Havant and Hayling Island Guildford and Bordon via Ash (2)	London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Brighton Victoria or Battersea Yard and Epsom Downs Tonbridge and Brighton via Eridge (3 on test) Dunton Green and Westerham Lydd Branch Canterbury West and Whitstable Harbour Sandling Junc. and Hythe Folkestone Junc and Folkestone Harbour Crowhurst and Bexhill Sittingbourne and Sheerness Queenborough and Laydown Gravesend Central and Allhallows-on-Sea or Port Victoria All stations to Feltham (except Mortlake) Weymouth and Portland and Easton (goods trains) (1) Bournemouth West and Brockenhurst via Wimborne

7	8	9
Victoria or Battersea Yard and Portsmouth Harbour Via Maidstone East line to Victoria or Holborn London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Grove park or Bromley North Waterloo and Wimbledon via main line Waterloo or Nine Elms and Southampton Docks Salisbury and Dorchester	London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Brighton via Redhill West London line to Norwood Yard Victoria or Holborn to Dover Feltham Yard and Neasden via Kew East Junc. Exeter Central and Exmouth Junc. Bournemouth West to Dorchester Clapham Junc. and Guildford Southampton and Salisbury Alton and Eastleigh or Southampton Terminus (2) Southampton or Salisbury to Neasden Reading to Neasden	Victoria, Stewarts Lane or Holborn to Ramsgate Victoria and London Bridge via Balham and Tulse Hill London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and North Kent line Feltham Yard and Brent Via Kew East Junc. Reading to Brent via Kew East Junc Waterloo or Nine Elms and Guildford via Cobham Guildford and Godalming Goods Ascot and Farnham Portsmouth and Southsea to Salisbury Southampton or Salisbury to Brent

10	11	12
Victoria or Battersea Yard and Portsmouth Victoria or Holborn and hastings Branch Bricklayers' Arms and Guildford Waterloo to Waterloo Waterloo and Southampton Terminus (3) Salisbury and Bournemouth West Fareham and Gosport Ballast trains to Meldon Quarry from Exeter Central Windsor and Ascot	Waterloo and Plymouth (3) Victoria or Battersea Yard and Eastbourne or Hastings London Bridge, New Cross gate or West Croydon and Wimbledon Brighton and Littlehampton direct Victoria and Folkestone Harbour or Dover Marine Bournemouth Central and Dorchester goods trains Battersea Yard and Brent via New Kew Junc. Southampton Terminus and Portsmouth Harbour via Netley Brockenhurst and Poole Feltham to Salisbury via Chertsey	Victoria or Battersea Yard and Portsmouth Harbour London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Eastbourne or Hastings North Kent line via Blackheath Victoria, Stewarts Lane or Holborn to North Kent line Southampton Docks and Salisbury via Eastleigh Nine Elms and Feltham via Mortlake Exeter Central to Nine Elms (market goods and fish)

13	14	15
Victoria and Newhaven Harbour London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Epsom Downs Victoria or Holborn to Ramsgate Waterloo and Nine Elms and Portsmouth Southampton Docks and Bournemouth Romsey to Romsey via Eastleigh and Redbridge	Victoria, Stewarts Lane or Holborn Earlsfield or Wimbledon and Bognor Regis Oxted and Brighton via Haywards Heath Waterloo or Nine Elms and Reading Clapham Junc and Kensington All trains terminating at Portsmouth and Southsea Exeter Central and Padstow Portsmouth and Southsea to Waterloo Brent or Neasden or Willesden to Reading via Kew East Junc.	London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Tonbridge or Reading Three Bridges and Eridge Victoria or Holborn and Folkestone or Dover Tonbridge and Ashford Victoria and Dover (Golden Arrow & Night Ferry) (3) Waterloo and Clapham Junc Nine Elms Loco depot to Clapham Junc Clapham Junc and Hampton Court Southampton or Salisbury to Eastern Section passenger trains, Bournemouth Central and Weymouth Bournemouth West and Oxford, GWR

16	17	18
London Bridge and Portsmouth Victoria and Eastbourne or Hastings London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Ramsgate London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Tonbridge or Reading Holborn to Clapham Junc Waterloo or Nine Elms and Woking Waterloo or Nine Elms and Hampton Court Milk and empty trains to Clapham Junc Bournemouth West and Havant Exeter or Plymouth and GWR line via Lydford	Victoria or Battersea Yard and Brighton via Quarry line Victoria or Holborn and Ramsgate, Dover or Hastings Horsham and Guildford Twickenham and Shepperton Salisbury and Portsmouth Harbour via Eastleigh Reading or Feltham or Brentford to Temple Mills or Victoria Docks Exeter and Wadebridge via Lydford and Launceston GWR	London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Eastbourne or Hastings Victoria or West London line and Ramsgate London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Hastings West London line to East Croydon Special boat trains Waterloo and Southampton Docks Southampton and Andover via Redbridge Exeter or Devonport Junc and GWR lines via St Budeaux

19	20	21
London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Portsmouth London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Folkestone or Dover Victoria and Herne Hill or Orpington (local trains) Special boat trains Waterloo to Southampton Docks via Millbrook Basingstoke to Waterloo via Frimley and Twickenham	London Bridge and Portsmouth via Mitcham Junc. Oxted and Lewes or Seaford or Eastbourne Victoria and Sutton via Thornton Heath Holborn and Wimbledon London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Dover Waterloo and Nine Elms and Brockenhurst and Bournemouth West (3) Waterloo or Nine Elms and Waterloo via Brentford	London Bridge or Bricklayers' Arms and Dover, Ramsgate or Hastings Victoria, Oxted and Tunbridge Wells West Brighton and Newhaven or Seaford London Bridge and New Cross Gate via Old Kent Road Holborn and Ramsgate via Herne Hill or Catford Loop Light engines Feltham to Clapham Junc Southampton and Andover via Eastleigh Willesden or Neasden or Brent to Woking via Gunnersbury and Chertsey

22 Western Section	22 Central & Eastern Sections	23
Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour Feltham and Brent	West London line to Brighton Windsor and Dover (Excursion trains)	Brighton and Salisbury via Southampton Central Windsor and Hastings (Excursion trains) Windsor and Margate or Dover (Excursion trains) Nine Elms and Willesden via New Kew Junc. Eastleigh and Micheldever or Basingstoke

24 Western Section	24 Central & Eastern Sections	25
To GWR via West London line Waterloo and Guildford Southampton and Willesden Southampton or Salisbury to Willesden	To GWR via West London line Via Preston park Spur (Down Goods trains) Waterloo and Guildford via Leatherhead Reading to Willesden	Breakdown Train (and Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train 30/01/1965)

26	27	28
Royal Train (two red lamps at the rear)	To LMSR via West London line Brighton and Salisbury Windsor and Bognor Regis (Excursion train) Nine Elms and Brent	Portsmouth and Brighton Waterloo and Wimbledon Park Sidings Merstham and Staines Moor

29	30	31
Hither Green Sidings and Feltham via Brentford	Hither Green Sidings and Feltham	Hither Green Sidings and Feltham Plumstead and Feltham

32	33
Plumstead and Feltham	All stations to Aldershot Government Sidings

Notes, suitable Engine Headsignals for the following:

(1) A service potentially with our LSWR O2 tanks on the mainland.
(2) A service potentially with our LSWR Gate Stock
(2) A headcode carried by our Beattie Well Tanks
(3) A headcode carried by our Bulleid Diesels