List of British Rail TOPS depot codes

From the introduction of

; at this time additional depot codes were added covering places with coaching stock allocations, and also works locations.

Allocations and TOPS depot codes

Locations given a TOPS code included all TMDs, servicing depots (where minor work such as A exams could be undertaken), and some

The application of a depot code was generally reliable as a guide to the base from which the locomotive or multiple unit operated but with some variations, mainly relating to shunters and departmental locomotives.

EMU depots such as Birkenhead North (BD) often required a diesel shunter for moving stock when not powered. As there was no fuelling or maintenance capability at BD, a shunter allocated to nearby Birkenhead Mollington Street (BC) was used, returning to its home depot every four weeks.^[2] This arrangement also existed at other locations such as Ilford/Stratford.

Departmental locomotives, by the nature of their use, were sometimes reported as allocated to a base location or even to a region in general rather than an official depot. The Western Region sometimes followed this practice, with number 20 (latterly 97020) reported as allocated to "Reading Signal Works" throughout the 1970s.^[3] Locomotives used for research purposes would be reported as allocated to the Derby Research Centre.^[3]

List of TMD, Servicing Depot, SP and other non-works codes

TOPS code	Shed name	Origins	Comments
AB	Aberdeen Ferryhill		[4]
AC	Aberdeen Clayhills		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
AF	Ashford Chart Leacon		[4]
AK	Manchester Ardwick		[6]
AL	Aylesbury		[7]
AN	Allerton		[4]
AY	Ayr		[4]
BA	Basford Hall (Crewe)		[7]
BB	Beachbrook Farm EWS		[7]
BC	Birkenhead Mollington Street	LNWR and GWR joint	[4]
BC	MoD Bicester		[7]
BC	Beachbrook Farm Freightliner		[7]
BD	Birkenhead North	Wirral Railway	[4] EMU depot,[8] from BN from 1976[7]
BE	Bedford Midland Station		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
BG	Botanic Gardens (Hull)		[4]
BG	Billingham		[7]
BH	Barrow Hill (Staveley)	Midland Railway	[4]
BI	Brighton Lovers Walk		[4] EMU depot[8]
BJ	Bristol Marsh Junction		[4] DMU depot[8]
BK	Birkenhead Central	Mersey Railway	[7] EMU depot
BK	Bristol Barton Hill		[7] from 1992
BL	Blyth		[4]
BL	Basford Hall Freightliner		[7]
BM	Bournemouth		[4] EMU depot[8]
BN	Birkenhead North		[7] to BD from 1976
BN	Bounds Green		[4] HST depot,[8] from 1976[7]
BP	Beattock		[7] to 1976
BP	Blackpool		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
BQ	Bury		[4] EMU depot,[8] from BV from 1975[7]
BR	Bristol Bath Road	GWR	[4]
BS	Bescot		[4]
BT	Bo'ness		[7]
BU	Burton		[4]
BV	Bury		[7] to BQ from 1975
BW	Barrow		[4]
BW	Barry		[7]
BX	Buxton		[4] DMU depot
BY	Bletchley		[4]
BZ	St. Blazey (Par)	Cornwall Minerals Railway	[4]
CA	Cambridge		[4] DMU depot
CB	Crewe Basford Hall		[7]
CC	Clacton		[4] EMU depot[8]
CD	Crewe Diesel Depot		[4]
CE	Crewe Electric Depot		[4]
CF	Cardiff Canton		[4]
CG	Croxley Green		[4] EMU depot, to closure in 1985
CG	Crewe Gresty Lane	GWR	[7]
CH	Chester		[4]
CJ	Clapham Junction		[4] No allocation.
CK	Corkerhill		[4] DMU depot[8][9]
CL	Carlisle Upperby		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
CM	Camden		[7] Carriage maintenance depot
CO	Coquelles (France)		[7]
CP	Crewe Carriage Shed		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
CQ	Crewe Heritage Centre	Crewe Heritage Centre	[7] Storage Facility & Heritage Centre
CR	Colchester		[4]
CS	Carnforth	West Coast Railways	[10]
CV	Coalville		[11]
CW	Cricklewood		[4]
CZ	Central Rivers		[7]
DA	Darnall		[4] DMU depot[8]
DE	Dewsbury		[10]
DE	Dundee		[4]
DF	Derby Fragonset		[10]
DI	Didcot Railway Centre		[10]
DL	Dollands Moor		[7] No allocation.
DM	Dagenham		[7]
DM	Dee Marsh		[7]
DN	Darlington		[4]
DR	Doncaster		[4]
DT	Dunfermline Townhill		[4]
DY	Derby Etches Park		[4] DMU depot
EC	Edinburgh Craigentinny		[11] HST depot[8] Carriage Maintenance Depot[5]
ED	Eastfield		[4]
EG	Edge Hill		[4]
EH	Eastleigh		[4]
EJ	Ebbw Junction (Newport)		[4]
EM	East Ham		[4] EMU depot[8]
EN	Euston Downside		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
EU	Euston Station		[4]
EX	Exeter St Davids		[4]
FB	Ferrybridge		[7]
FF	Brussels Forest (Belgium)		[7] Eurostar depot
FH	Frodingham (Scunthorpe)		[4]
FP	Finsbury Park		[4]
FR	Fratton (Portsmouth)		[4] EMU depot[8]
FW	Fort William		[4]
FX	Felixstowe		[7]
GC	Cowlairs (Glasgow)		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
GD	Gateshead		[4]
GF	South Gosforth		[4] DMU depot[8]
GI	Gillingham		[4] EMU depot[8]
GL	Gloucester		[4]
GM	Grangemouth		[4]
GU	Guide Bridge		[4]
GW	Glasgow Shields Road		[4] Electric locomotive/EMU depot[8]
GY	Garston Yard		[7]
HA	Haymarket		[4]
HD	Holyhead		[4]
HE	Hornsey		[4] EMU depot[8]
HF	Hereford		[4]
HG	Hither Green		[4]
HI	Hitchin		[4]
HM	Healey Mills (Wakefield)		[4]
HN	Hamilton		[4] DMU depot[8]
HO	Holbeck (Leeds)		[4]
HQ	BRB Headquarters		[7] Paper allocation
HR	Hall Road (Liverpool)		[4] EMU depot[8]
HS	Hammerton Street (Bradford)		[4]
HT	Heaton		[4] HST and DMU depot[8]
HY	Hyndland		[4] EMU depot[8]
IL	Ilford		[4] EMU depot[8]
IM	Immingham		[4]
IP	Ipswich Station		[4]No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
IS	Inverness		[4]
KD	Carlisle Kingmoor		[4]
KK	Kirkdale (Liverpool)		[7] EMU depot
KM	Carlisle Yard		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
KN	MoD Kineton		[7]
KT	MoD Kineton		[7]
KX	Kings Cross		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
KY	Knottingley		[4]
LA	Laira (Plymouth)		[4] Intercity HST, DMU
LC	Longsight International		[7] Eurostar depot
LE	Landore (Swansea)		[4]
LG	Longsight Electric Depot (Manchester)		[4] Electric locomotive and EMU depot[8]
LJ	Llandudno Junction		[4]
LL	Liverpool Edge Hill		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
LM	Long Marston (MoD)		[7]
LN	Lincoln		[4] DMU depot[12]
LO	Longsight Diesel Depot (Manchester)		[4]
LP	Le Landy (Paris)		[7] Eurostar depot, to 1994
LR	Leicester		[4]
LV	Liverpool Street		[4] No allocation
LY	Le Landy (Paris)		[7] Eurostar depot, from 1994
MA	Manchester Longsight Carriage Maintenance Depot		[5]
MB	Middlesbrough		[7]
MD	Merehead		[7]
ME	Marylebone		[4] DMU depot[8]
MG	Margam (Port Talbot)		[4]
MH	Millerhill (Edinburgh)		[4]
ML	Motherwell		[4]
MN	Machynlleth		[4]
MR	March		[4]
MV	Manchester Victoria (Red Bank)		[5]Carriage maintenance depot
NA	Newton Abbot	South Devon Railway	[4]
NC	Norwich Crown Point		[11] Carriage maintenance depot
NG	New Cross Gate		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
NH	Newton Heath (Manchester)	Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway	[4] DMU depot
NL	Neville Hill (Leeds)		[4] HST and DMU depot[12]
NT	Nottingham Carriage Sidings		[4]
NM	Northam		[7]
NN	Northampton		[7]
NP	North Pole International		[7]
NR	Norwich		[4]
NW	Northwich		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
OC	Old Oak Common		[4]
OD	Old Dalby		[7]
OH	Old Oak Common (Heathrow Express)	Heathrow Express EMU depot	[13]
OM	Old Oak Common Carriage Maintenance Depot		[5]
ON	Orpington		[4] EMU depot[8]
OO	Old Oak Common (HST)		[4] HST depot[8]
OX	Oxford		[4]
OY	Oxley (Wolverhampton)		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
PA	St Pancras		[4] No allocation.
PB	Peterborough		[4]
PC	Polmadie Carriage Maintenance Depot (Glasgow)		[5]
PH	Perth Station		[4]
PI	North Pole International		[7] 1994-1995
PM	Bristol St Phillips Marsh		[4] HST depot[8]
PO	Polmadie (Glasgow)		[4]
PQ	Parkeston Quay		[7]
PZ	Penzance		[4]
RB	Ranelagh Bridge		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
RE	Ramsgate		[4] EMU depot.[8] Changed to RM.
RG	Reading		[4] DMU depot
RL	Ripple Lane		[4]
RM	Ramsgate		[14]EMU depot.[8] Was RE.
RR	Radyr		[11]
RS	Reddish		[4]
RU	Rugby		[7]
RY	Ryde		[4] EMU depot[8]
SA	Salisbury		[5]
SB	Shirebrook		[4]
SD	Selafield	Direct Rail Services	[14]
SE	St Leonards		[4] DEMU depot[8]
SF	Stratford		[4]
SG	Slade Green		[4] EMU Depot[8]
SI	Soho (Birmingham)		[4]
SL	Stewarts Lane		[4] Electric locomotive and EMU depot[8]
SN	Stranraer		[7]
SP	Wigan Springs Branch		[4]
SQ	Stockport		[7]
SR	Stratford Repair Depot		[4]
ST	Severn Tunnel Junction		[4]
SU	Selhurst		[4] EMU depot
SV	Wembley Chiltern		[7]
SW	Swindon		[4]
SY	Saltley (Birmingham)		[4]
SZ	Southall		[4] DMU depot[15]
SZ	Southampton Maritime		[14] Freightliner
TB	Three Bridges		[7]
TD	Temple Mills		[7]
TE	Thornaby (Tees)		[4]
TF	Thornton Fields (Stratford)		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
TG	Tonbridge		[7]
TI	Tinsley (Sheffield)		[4]
TJ	Thornton Junction		[4]
TL	Tilbury		[7]
TN	Taunton		[7]
TO	Toton		[4]
TP	Trafford Park		[7]
TS	Tyseley		[4] DMU depot
TW	Tunbridge Wells West Station		[4] DEMU depot[8]
TY	Tyne Yard		[4]
VR	Vale of Rheidol Railway (Aberystwyth)		[4] Steam locomotive depot[8]
WA	Warrington Arpley		[14]
WB	Willesden Brent Sidings		[5] Carriage maintenance depot
WC	Waterloo & City line		[11]
WD	Wimbledon		[4] EMU depot
WH	Wath		[4]
WH	Whatley		[7] from 1994
WJ	Watford Junction		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
WK	Workington		[4]
WN	Willesden		[4]
WO	Wellingborough		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
WS	Worcester		[4]
WT	Westhouses		[4] No allocation - Fuelling Point only.
WY	Westbury		[4]
YC	York Clifton		[11]
YK	York		[4]

Works codes

TOPS code	Works name	Origins	Comments
ZB	Doncaster Works Wabtec		[14]
ZC	Crewe Works		[5]
ZD	Derby Litchurch Lane Works		[5]
ZE	Derby Locomotive Works		[5]
ZF	Doncaster Works Bombardier transportation		[5][14]
ZG	Eastleigh Works		[5]
ZH	Glasgow Springburn Works		[14]
ZH	Glasgow St Rollox Works		[5]
ZI	Ilford works		[14] Bombardier transportation.
ZL	Swindon Works		[5]
ZN	Wolverton Works		[5]
ZP	Horbury (Wakefield)		[14] Bombardier transportation.

References

Sources

• Fox, Peter; Hall, Peter (2002). British Railways locomotives & coacking stock. Sheffield: Platform 5.
  ISBN 1-902336-25-9
  .