Note – when you put a search term into the box, it displays the PAGE that item is on – not the item itself. You will need to click the link and then go down the page to the entry you seek. For instance, ‘D63’ will bring every page a D63XX diesel is featured, plus the ‘Peak’, ‘D63’. Beware though – pages bearing every instance of the word will be displayed; the word ‘Novelty’ will not just bring up the Class 86 diesel with that name, but every time that word appears in general text as well!
Dates
The dates used are reversed abbreviations of the normal English writing of a date. The more usual contraction of the 25th day of December 2018, for instance, is 25/12/18, which when reversed without delineators becomes 181225. In this form – from the greater to the smaller – they list sequentially when placed with others.
When a digit is unknown, the number symbol (#) appears. To find a precise date, key the whole six digits in. To cover a decade, type the third digit (e.g. 7 for 197…); for a year type the last two (e.g.72 for 1972); for a known month in a known year, type the first four (e.g. 7206 for 1972, the sixth month – June).
Locations
The locations are based on the BR 3-character code for stations and depots which can be found at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/48541.aspx, with additions for closed stations or non-station venues. Commonly listed ones of this site appear below:
| Newlyn | NYN |
| Penzance | PNZ |
| Chyandour | CYR |
| Ponsandane | PDN |
| Long Rock | LRK |
| Marazion | MZN |
| St Erth | SER |
| Lelant | LEL |
| Carbis Bay | CBB |
| St Ives | SIV |
| Hayle | HYL |
| Gwinear | GWI |
| Praze | PZE |
| Nancegollan | NCG |
| Truthall | TLL |
| Helston | HSN |
| Camborne | CBN |
| Roskear | RKR |
| Carn Brea | CNB |
| Redruth | RED |
| Drump Lane | RDL |
| Scorrier | SCO |
| Wheal Busy Siding | WBS |
| Chasewater | CWR |
| Mount Hawke | MHK |
| St Agnes | SGS |
| Goonbell | GON |
| Mithian | MIT |
| Shepherds | SHD |
| Goonhavern | GHN |
| Perranporth | PNP |
| Truro | TRU |
| Perranwell | PRW |
| Penryn | PYN |
| Falmouth | FAL |
| Grampound | GPR |
| Burngullow | BGW |
| St Austell | SAU |
| Par | PAR |
| Bugle | BGL |
| St Dennis Junction | SDJ |
| St Columb | SCR |
| Newquay | NQY |
| Bodmin | BOD |
| Boscarne | BOS |
| Dunmere | DME |
| Largin | LRN |
| Doublebois | DBS |
| Lostwithiel | LOS |
| Liskeard | LSK |
| Looe | LOO |
| Saltash | STS |
| Royal Albert Bridge | RAB |
| Plymouth | PLY |
| Laira | LRA |
| Dainton | DAI |
| Totnes | TOT |
| Hemerdon | HDN |
| Newton Abbot | NTA |
| Teignmouth | TGM |
| Dawlish | DWL |
| Dawlish Warren | DWW |
| Starcross | SCS |
| Exeter | EXD |
| Taunton | TAU |
| Bristol | BRI |
| Bristol Bath Road | BBR |
| Cardiff Canton | CCN |
| Bath | BTH |
| Swindon | SWI |
| Swindon Works | SWW |
| Didcot | DID |
| Oxford | OXF |
| Westbury | WSB |
| Newbury | NBY |
| Reading | RDG |
| Sonning Cutting | SGC |
| Old Oak Common | OOC |
| Southall | STL |
| West Ealing | WEA |
| Ranelagh | RGH |
| Paddington | PAD |
| Marylebone | MYB |
| Euston | EUS |
| St Pancras | STP |
| Kings Cross | KGX |
| Liverpool Street | LST |
Locomotives
Most viewers of this site will be primarily interested in locomotives, which have numbers to tell them apart. Identical locomotives are referred to as a ‘Class’, and where the numbers of a class were imprecise, a capital ‘X’ replaced the variable numbers (so ’43XX’ could represent locos 4300, 4301, 4302, etc.) This was a usage from steam days that lingered into the diesel and electric period.
The diesel era was ushered in by numbers allocated being preceded by the letter ‘D‘ for ‘diesel’. In 1968, as standard gauge steam had ceased on UK railways, the ‘D’s were dropped, … and so as to correctly enable them to list correctly with their peers, this difference is indicated by a lower case ‘d’ in these file titles. The ‘E‘ prefix for electric locomotives is treated in a similar fashion.
Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) are listed with their “set” number where known – three numbers preceded by the area they were allocated to (e.g. ‘P’ for Plymouth, ‘B’ for Bristol, ‘L’ for London’, etc.)
When the TOPS system came in (Total Operations Processing System) every locomotive unit was given a three number class identity, preceded by a class number. For instance, D4XX locos became Class 50s – so D401 became 50001, D402 became 50002, etc. Normally the first number of a class had two ‘0’ digits (e.g. D1500), so to avoid a negative listing (e.g. 50000) the double zero loco was added to the end of the class listing, or plugged a hole if there had been a withdrawal of a loco, causing a gap in the sequence.
Where there is no locomotive as the subject of a photograph, a contracted description is used, followed a sub-category of description (e.g. a station (main description ‘STATN’) might be followed by the sub category ‘VIS_E’ (meaning a vista looking Eastwards). Underscores (ruled lines) in character strings alert to the fact that a space exists between the components).
Description
The file names of the images describe abbreviated essential information – ending with a description of the item portrayed – from the list below.
| BRDGE | Bridge |
| BDR_P | Builder’s Plate |
| BLDNG | Building |
| BALST | Ballast |
| CBSDE | Cabside |
| CEMNT | Cement |
| COACH | Coach |
| COALG | Coaling (Stage) |
| C_CLY | China Clay |
| C_REM | Component Removal |
| C_SDG | Coach Sidings |
| CNCSE | Concourse |
| CNSTN | Construction |
| CRSNG | Crossing |
| DEPOT | Depot |
| DMLTN | Demolition |
| DYNOM | Dynometer |
| D_LCO | Diesel Locos |
| D_TLR | Driving Trailer |
| E_LOC | Electric Loco |
| D_T_D | Door to Door Container |
| EMBKT | Embankment |
| E_C_S | Empty Coaching Stock |
| E_SHD | Engine Shed |
| FLATS | Flats |
| FOOTB | Footbridge |
| FREIG | Freightliner |
| FUELG | Fueling |
| GDS_D | Goods Down |
| GDS_U | Goods Up |
| GOODS | Goods |
| G_SHD | Goods Shed |
| G_YRD | Goods Yard |
| GUARD | Guards Vans |
| HEATG | Heating |
| HOP_B | Hoppers, Ballast |
| HOP_E | Hoppers, Empty |
| HST_D | HST Depot |
| INTRR | Interior |
| LEASE | Lease Plate |
| LIG_D | Light Down |
| LIGHT | Light Engine |
| LIGx2 | Light Engine x 2 locos |
| LIG_U | Light Up |
| L_YRD | Loco Yard |
| LOCOS | Locos (>1) |
| MAI_U | Mail Up |
| MNLNE | Mainline |
| MIN_E | Minerals, Empty |
| MIN_C | Minerals, Coal |
| MIN_M | Minerals, Mixed |
| MNTCE | Maintenance |
| MULTI | Multiple |
| NAM_B | Nameboard |
| NAMEP | Nameplate |
| NUMBR | Number |
| NUM_P | Numberplate |
| PARCL | Parcels |
| PARKD | Parked |
| PASGR | Passenger |
| PAS_D | Passenger Down |
| PAS_U | Passenger Up |
| PILOT | Pilot (Spare) |
| PLTFM | Platform |
| PULMN | Pullman |
| REF_R | Refreshment Rooms |
| R_I_B | Running-in Board |
| SHNTR | Shunter |
| SHU_G | Shunting, Goods |
| SHU_M | Shunters’ Mess |
| SNDDR | Sand Drier |
| SHU_S | Shunting, Station |
| SDNGS | Sidings |
| SIG_B | Signal Box |
| SGNLS | Signals |
| SSDNG | Stock Sidings |
| STATN | Station |
| S_BLG | Station Building |
| S_YRD | Station Yard |
| STP_B | Stop Blocks |
| TNK_M | Tanks – Milk |
| TNK_O | Tanks – Oil |
| TURNT | Turntable |
| VIADT | Viaduct |
| VISTA | Vista |
| VIS_E | Vista East |
| VIS_N | Vista North |
| VIS_S | Vista South |
| VIS_W | Vista West |
| WAGON | Wagons |
| WRKNG | Working |
| WTR_T | Water Tower |
The Eric Curnow Collection 