Great Western Railway telegraphic codes were a commercial telegraph code used to shorten the telegraphic messages sent between the stations and offices of the railway.
The codes listed below are taken from the 1939 edition of the Telegraph Message Code book unless stated otherwise.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) pioneered telegraph communication over the 13 miles (21 km) from Paddington to West Drayton on 9 April 1839 using Cooke and Wheatstone equipment. Although this early system fell into disuse after a few years, from 1850 a new contract with the Electric Telegraph Company saw double-needle telegraphs working at most stations on the line; these were replaced by single-needle machines from 1860. Although used primarily as a safety device to regulate the passage of trains, it was also used to pass messages between the staff. In order to do this quickly and accurately, a number of code words were used to replace complicated or regularly used phrases. The codes were changed from time to time to reflect current needs.
By 1922 most railways in the country had agreed on standard code words, although the GWR had an extended list of codes that could only be used within its own network. In 1943 all railways were brought into a single system of codes and the GWR special codes were discontinued.
Note: many of these codes could have an extra letter to identify variations, such as Mink A (a 16 ft (4.9 m) ventilated van), or Mink G (a 21 ft (6.4 m) ordinary van). Most of these codes were painted onto the wagons for easy identification.
Aero – airscrew wagon (from 1941)
Ale – cattle wagon converted for beer barrels (from 1940)
Asmo – covered motor car truck
Beaver – flat truck
Bocar – covered truck for car bodies
Cone – gunpowder van
Conflat – flat wagon for containers
Coral – glass wagon
Cordon – gas reservoir truck
Covcar – covered carriage truck
Crocodile – well trolley
Damo – covered motor car truck
Fruit – fruit van
Gadfly – aeroplane truck
Gane – engineers rail truck
Grano – covered grain hopper
Loriot – machine truck
Macaw – timber truck
Mayfly – transformer truck
Mica – meat van
Mink – covered goods van
Milta – milk tank
Mite – twin timber trucks
Mogo – covered motor car wagon
Morel – propeller truck
Open – open wagon
Parto – covered van with movable partitions
Pollen – girder or boiler truck
Rectank – trolley for steam rollers, etc.
Roder – flat truck for road vehicles (to 1935)
Rotruck – road-rail truck for milk tanks
Serpent – carriage truck
Tevan – converted Mica for special traffic
Toad – goods brake van, which became the standard designs nickname
Totem – armour plate and girder wagon
Tourn – eight-wheeled open (to 1934)
Note: many of these codes could have an extra letter to identify variations, such as Scorpion C (a 45 ft (14 m) carriage truck), or Scorpion D (a 21 ft (6.4 m) carriage truck).
Beetle – special cattle truck
Bloater – covered fish truck
Catox – cattle box
Chafer – invalid carriage
Chintz – family carriage
Chub – third saloon
Cricket – composite carriage
Emmett – brake third carriage
First – first class carriage
Gnat – slip coach
Goliath – bogie open scenery truck
Hydra – well truck for road vehicles
Melon – brake third carriage
Mex – cattle wagon
Monster – scenery truck
Paco – horse box
Python – covered carriage truck
Scorpion – carriage truck
Siphon – milk van
Snake – passenger brake van
Termite – third class carriage
Standard phrases
The 1939 Telegraph Message Code book contains in excess of 900 code words (around half of which were standard codes also used by other railways) yet very few were the familiar codes seen painted on the side of goods wagons. By using these codes long and complex sentences could be sent using just a few words. Some examples of the codes representing phrases include:
Adex – Advertised day excursion.
Boyne – There is no water at the following station. Instruct drivers.
Chicory – Cannot trace delivery. Wire full description, marks, and contents, and say who complains.
Cynic – Can only offer ordinary service. Wire what decided.
Earwig – Following urgently wanted.
Lough – Shunting horse ill. Send relief.
Osage – Send men here for undermentioned engine to leave at ...
Palm – Report fully by next train with reference to delay.
Smoke – Owing to fog in London Division restriction train service to operate in accordance with current fog-working notice.
Stork – We have no trace of your invoice; send copy next train.
Zola – Can you send engine and men to undermentioned station? If so, state time leaving.
