Know thse train acronyms!?

Question

I found these "acronyms" from rail carriages in Sri Lanka.The following acronyms were printed seperately(one acronym in one carriage) on both sides of a carriage.Please explain what they are meant for:

1)TS 5)TCBU 9)SV 13)BRW 17)scs

2)SBC 6)TC 10)MDA/AF 14)BLS 18)PBV

3)SBD 7)SC 11)NF 15)WWL 19)POV

4)TV 8)BCGS 12)CGS 16)TCS

Thanks for your time.

or give me a site to find it

Answer 1

I tried looking on the web - needle in a haystack job!

Why not contact the Sri Lanka Railways (URL below) and ask them for the information?

Good Luck :-)

Answer 2

Steve Baxter would know!

Answer 3

I've searched but cannot find a site identifying these acronyms which do seem similar to those used by British Rail. Here's an educated guess at some of them:-

TS Trailer Second**

TCBU Trailer Composite* Brake (Utility?)

BRW If this were BCW it would be Birmingham Carriage and Wagons. ?Birmingham Railway Wagons?

scs - no idea

SBC Best I could come up with is Second Brake Composite

TC  Trailer Composite

MDA/AF MDA no ideas AF automatic fitted (as in brakes)?

BLS  Brake ? Second

PBV Parcels Brake Vehicle

SBD Only thing I could come up with is Second Brake Diner or Second Bedroom Diner

SC Second Composite?

NF Normal? National? Freight?

WWL No ideas

POV Parcels Open Vehicle?

TV Trailer Vehicle

BCGS Brake Composite Gangwayed Second

CGS Composite Gangwayed Second

TCS Trailer Composite Second

*'Composite' used throughout as a vehicle part open, part compartment. Does this accord with your observations?

** 'Second' throughout as in 'second class'

Answer 4

As Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was part of the British Empire, a lot of the railway acronyms are probably the same. These look like car definitions (ie what type of car it is, what accommodation there is, whether there is buffet, etc). Look at the website below and you should be able to find at least some of the letters.

Example:

1. TS - Trailer Second (class)

2. TCBU - Trailer Composite Buffer Unclassified

10. MDA - Modular Driving something

Some unlisted letters may be to do with air conditioning or other items.