Re: nsw carriage codes

["Barry Campbell" <campblbm@ozemail.com.au>]

Chris Brownbill wrote in message <385B72F8.91EF6B75@enternet.com.au>...
>How about this for a theory on how NSW carriage codes codes turned out to
be the
>way they are.
>
>Initially there were three classes of travel - first, second and third and
they
>used the codes A, B and C to designate these classes.  When the number of
>classes of travel was reduced to two, the old first class was abolished but
the
>luxury carriages retained the "A" code (sleepers, diners and lounges), the
old
>second class became first class and retained the "B" code, and the old
third
>class became second or economy class - but instead of getting the "C" code,
>because the commissioner of the time had a lisp, he referred to it as
"Fird"
>class - hence "F".  :-}
>
>Well, you do better then.
>
>
The theory I have heard is that the letters were chosen to be most
convenient for morse transmission. In general A = sleeping ( and as most
special cars were converted from sleepers they kept this coding), B = first,
F = second, C = composite and H = guard accommodation. There was no third
class in existence when this scheme was intoduced. The existence of a
shadowy figure named Mal Cody has also been mentioned.

Barry Campbell