immunisation

en-noun

immunisation (countable and uncountable, plural immunisations)

From French immunisation. Equivalent to immunise + -ation or immune + -isation.

"Secondly, we have to find more cost-effective ways of electrifying. And we've had a real breakthrough in the last couple of years in terms of bridge clearances and immunisation, meaning we've been able to take hundreds of millions of pounds off the cost of electrification.

2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 33:

electrical engineering
electrical engineering

(rail transport, electrical engineering) The process of immunising signalling and traction power supplies so they don't interfere with each other.


TPH

(rail transport) Initialism of trains per hour.


switcher

(rail transport, US) A railway locomotive used for shunting; a shunter.

järjestelyveturi

(rail transport, trucking, US) The yardman who operates such an engine, or performs a similar role in a trucking depot.


headboard

A new use has been found for the L.M.S.R. observation car which previously worked in the Llandudno area. Mr. W. G. S. Wike writes that, still carrying headboards with the inscription "Llandudno and Blaenau Festiniog", it found its way to the Blackpool District, where it was used for familiarising enginemen with the various routes of access to this populous resort.

1939 June, “What the Railways are Doing: Novel Use of an Observation Car”, in Railway Magazine, page 462:

(rail transport) A board on the front of a train, carrying the train's name or that of the service it is on.


railhead

The improved service to and from Taunton is fully justified by the passenger patronage to and from this town, which is a railhead for a large surrounding area.

1961 October, “The winter timetables of British Railways: Western Region”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 590–591:

It would also offer an important opportunity to move construction materials in bulk, using a new railhead.

2019 October, John Glover, “Heathrow rail expansion”, in Modern Railways, page 71:

(rail transport) A point on a railway system where goods (or passengers) are loaded, unloaded or transferred to other transport.

Alternative form: rail head

High levels of railhead contamination (which can prevent train predictor systems working correctly) were present in the area - probably as a result of limited operation of the railhead treatment train, according to RAIB.

2020 December 30, “Network News: Railhead contamination contributed to level crossing near miss”, in RAIL, page 10:

"During the winter, we get really bad snow conditions. We can go to eight inches of snow above the railhead, then the trains are stopped. It's usually more like four inches, but you get big drifts up towards Rannoch.

2023 November 29, Paul Clifton, “West is best in the Highlands”, in RAIL, number 997, page 39:

(rail transport) The top surface (head) of a rail.


mainline

(rail transport) Of or pertaining to the principal route or line of a railway.

(rail transport) Of or pertaining to a surface railway as distinct from an underground, elevated or light rail one.


mainline

Coordinate term: trunk line

(rail transport) The principal route or line of a railway.


Therefore, the new standard design in fact has materialised as a 4-6-2 with two 20 in. cylinders and a boiler pressure of 250 lb. per sq. in.

1951 April 16, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 272:

(rail transport) Under the Whyte notation system, a steam locomotive that has four coupled leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels, and a pair of trailing wheels. Also known in British English as a "Pacific" locomotive.


speeder

Coordinate term: handcar

(rail transport) A motorized railroad track crew cart.


pan

(rail transport, informal) Short for pantograph.


signaller

'We're recruiting an extra signaller for Nunthorpe, the only box [signal box] on the branch', says Chris Gee, Head of Operations - North at Network Rail in York. 'From December Nunthorpe will be staffed 24/7'.

2019 October, James Abbott, “Esk Valley revival”, in Modern Railways, page 77:


firebox

From fire + box. In the sense of a redheaded woman, from box (“vagina”).

The firebox married to Britannia's boiler is not, however, in the Doncaster tradition, notwithstanding that it is comparable in dimensions to that of the "V2." […] Britannia's firebox would appear to have derived from those of the Bulleid Pacifics, which it closely resembles.

1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 273:

(rail transport) The chamber of a steam engine, or a steam locomotive, in which the fuel is burned.


booster

Another notable new series of locomotives, now in course of delivery to the Canadian National Railways, [...]. Fifteen are being built by the Montreal Locomotive Works Limited, and ten by the Canadian Locomotive Company, of Kingston, Ontario; the former are being provided with boosters and the latter are not.

1941 January, “Recent North American Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 27:

(rail transport) A booster engine fitted to a steam locomotive.


derailment

derailment (countable and uncountable, plural derailments)

The length ganger saw the train passing with the van derailed and promptly telephoned the Sandbach signalman, who restored his signals to danger, but not in time to stop the train before the final derailment occurred.

1961 November, “Talking of Trains: Derailment near Holmes Chapel”, in Trains Illustrated, page 652:

In retrospect, it was small wonder that Railtrack found its finances under pressure, as with ever increasing demand there was an inevitable effect on infrastructure renewals. Matters came to a head with the Hatfield accident on October 17 2000, when there was a high-speed derailment as a result of deferred track maintenance.

2024 January 10, 'Industry Insider', “Success built on liberalisation and market freedom”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 69:

(rail transport) The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.


marshalling

marshalling (countable and uncountable, plural marshallings)

It is the first British yard in which every activity of hump marshalling, except for the driving of the hump locomotive and the uncoupling and coupling of wagons, is fully automatic or drastically simplified by modern aids.

1960 June, “Talking of trains: The new Margam yard”, in Trains Illustrated, page 323:

He wanted to see less marshalling of trains, and a move away from a culture that allowed 85% of a wagon's life to be spent "empty, being used as storage bins for goods or in sidings as coal scuttles".

2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 42:

(rail transport) The sorting of rolling stock in a marshalling yard.


MR

(UK, rail transport) Initialism of Midland Railway.


brake shoe

(rail transport) A hard friction-producing element which is pressed against the tread of a wheel to provide braking.


drawspring

(rail transport) The spring to which a drawbar is attached.


drawhead

(rail transport) The flanged outer end of a drawbar.


drawrod

(rail transport) A rod which unites the drawgear at opposite ends of the car, and bears the pull required to draw the train.


drawgear

Although loads of up to 900 tonnes could be handled by one of these locomotives, in practice the load is limited to 790 tonnes by drawgear.

1961 February, “Letters to the Editor: Swiss railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 126:

(rail transport) The means or parts by which cars are connected to be drawn.


drawbar

(rail transport) An open-mouthed bar at the end of a car, which receives a coupling link and pin by which the car is drawn. It is usually provided with a spring to give elasticity to the connection between the cars of a train.

kytkin

open-mouthed bar at the end of a car which receives a coupling link and pin

(rail transport) A bar of iron with an eye at each end, or a heavy link, for coupling a locomotive to a tender or car.


LU

(UK, rail transport) Initialism of London Underground.


Pacer

diesel multiple unit
diesel multiple unit

(rail transport) A British lightweight railbus diesel multiple unit of class 140, 141, 142, 143 or 144.


rail head

(rail transport) The top part of a railway rail; the part of the rail the wheel runs on.


standard gauge

The city began as a local trading centre for north Chinese settlers at the end of the 18th century. It expanded rapidly and from 1905 to 1935 was a major junction and transshipment point between the Russian-owned broad-gauge Chinese Eastern railway and the Japanese-owned standard-gague South Manchurian railway. Ch’ang-ch’un was equipped with sizable railroad shops and also became the junction for railways extending westward into Inner Mongolia and eastward into northern Korea.

1964, Norton S. Ginsburg, “CH’ANG-CH’UN”, in Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 5, →OCLC, page 267, column 2:

(rail transport) A track gauge of 56.5 inches (1435 mm).


smoke wagon

From smoke + wagon, probably a humorous reference to a conveyance or implement which “carries” or generates smoke.

If you gwine afoot, it'll take you about a day; if you gwine in de stage or de homneybuss, you make it in half a day; but if you get in one ob dese smoke-waggons, you be almost dar now!

1852 December 25 (week ending), “Random Readings”, in Family Herald: A Domestic Magazine of Useful Information and Amusement, volume X, number 503, London: George Biggs, […], →OCLC, page 560, column 1:

The village priests were seen to go to and fro by train, and the simple country folk thought that what they did could not be wrong. By degrees the peasants themselves began to try the "smoke-wagons" too, […]

1888 August, David Ker, “A Wonderful Railroad”, in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, volume LXXVII, number CCCCLIX, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 483:

Indians of Idaho are losing their superstitious feeling about the "smoke wagon," as they call an automobile, and the rush to get machines has started among the more intelligent and wealthy tribesmen.

1913 October 17, “Idaho Indians Take to Autos: Two Enterprising Nez Perces Start Rush for ‘Smoke Wagons’”, in The Carlisle Arrow, volume X, number 7, Carlisle, Pa.: Carlisle Indian Press for students of the United States Indian School, →OCLC, page [4]:

I am not old enough to remember those one- and two-cylinder primitives that first chugged on the scene around the turn of the century. But those who can remember attest to the fact that they came in with billowing plumes of smoke in their wake. Indeed, "smoke-wagon" was commonly their derisive designation. You can still see why, if you witness a demonstration of antique cars restored to their prime by proud owners today.

[1958 November 18 (date delivered), Harry A. Williams, “Accomplishments in Air Pollution Control by the Automobile Industry”, in Proceedings: National Conference on Air Pollution, Washington, D.C., November 18–20, 1958 (Public Health Service Publication; number 654), Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office [for the Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare], published 1959, →OCLC, page 58:

[T]he President said nothing on how to protect our lungs from the some 70 million smoke wagons currently on the road.

1970 February 11, “The environment: clean up or patch up?”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page A20; reproduced in “President [Richard] Nixon’s Environmental Message”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 91st Congress, Second Session (United States Senate), volume 116, part 3, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, February 17, 1970, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3496, column 3:

(rail transport, road transport) A vehicle that generates smoke; specifically, an automobile or a train.


freight-only

(rail transport) Describing a railway line that is used only by freight trains


passenger train

passenger train (plural passenger trains)

The "Scotian" is hardly a passenger train at all: typically, it consists of two 1,750 h.p. diesel units, four fish cars, five parcel cars, two mail cars, a baggage car, two passenger coaches and a sleeper which only goes part of the way.

1959 November, J. N. Westwood, “The Railways of Canada”, in Trains Illustrated, page 553:

The programme would increase capacity and create space for 736 more passenger trains on the network each day.

2019 October, Tony Miles, “Midlands Connect's £3.5bn plan”, in Modern Railways, page 16:

(rail transport) A train whose primary function is to carry passengers.


cornfield meet

Either from the fact that early train collisions often occurred out in the country alongside a cornfield rather than in a station or siding; or from staged events where two old steam locomotives were purposely run head on at each other, often in an open field, for public entertainment. In the latter idea, the term may jocularly echo field meet as a spectacle in the field involving opposing contestants.

Do you think it's possible for two trains to have a cornfield meet right in the middle of an automatically protected block? Of course it is, if one of the hoggers is drunk or asleep at the throttle […]

1943, Railroad Magazine, volume 34, New York, N.Y.: Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 100, column 1:

One such instance when a conductor failed to follow a prescribed timetable resulted in a head-on smashup on the Long Island Railroad at the end of the Civil War. On August 28, 1865, General Grant and General Sherman collided in a pasture at Jamaica, New York. Five passengers were killed in this cornfield meet.

1968, Robert C[arroll] Reed, “Head-on Collisions”, in Train Wrecks: A Pictorial History of Accidents on the Main Line, New York, N.Y.: Bonanza Books, Crown Publishing Group, →OCLC, page 55:

[A] couple of passenger trains staged a cornfield meet in the deep cut on Mount Holly, which the road settled with "gratuities" amounting to $50,000. By this time the Rutland had built up enough fiancial stability to weather these incidents with a minimum of distress.

1997, Jim Shaughnessy, “The Hunted Traps the Hunter”, in The Rutland Road, 2nd edition, Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, →ISBN, page 26:

One hundred years ago, staged railroad accidents were popular events. […] "Head-on Joe" Connolly made a business out of "cornfield meets" holding seventy-three events in thirty-six years.

1998, Ian Savage, “Preface”, in The Economics of Railroad Safety (Transportation Research, Economics and Policy; 7), New York, N.Y.: Springer Science+Business Media, →ISBN, page xi:

[A 1899 man discovering ragtime:] Now they're writing music that sounds like a cornfield meet.

2007, Eddie Campbell, The Black Diamond Detective Agency: Containing Mayhem, Mystery, Romance, Mine shafts, Bullets, New York, N.Y., London: First Second Books, →ISBN, page 137:

(US, rail transport, euphemistic) An accidental head-on collision or near head-on collision of two trains.


one under

2002, "Tube Troll", ">Incident @ Hangar lane tube <", uk.transport.london http://groups.google.com/group/uk.transport.london/browse_thread/thread/9a749f81e7f414b9/04825cc24c006db5?lnk=st&q=%22one+under%22+train&rnum=3#
The twist in this tale is that the driver (who was at the back and hadn't seen anything) booked off with stress (as drivers often do after a one under) and the guard who had been driving and witnessed the whold [sic] traumatic event had to creep into work the next day and pretend that nothing had happned...

About a one under on the Northern line.

2004, "Joe", "TV Alert: BBC3 9pm Trauma TONIGHT", uk.railway http://groups.google.com/group/uk.railway/browse_thread/thread/dacc3df5d74e3501/4b2dff0298b19cc4?lnk=st&q=%22one+under%22+train&rnum=39#4b2dff0298b19cc4

2005, "Neilw001", "'One under'", uk.transport.london http://groups.google.com/group/uk.transport.london/browse_thread/thread/2a2f71c4882d54ca/96db8446353aa28d?lnk=st&q=%22one+under%22+train&rnum=7#96db8446353aa28d
I've been on a train when some [sic] has gone under. Actually heard the thump and then the driver on the radio saying "I've got one under".

(rail transport, slang, British) A person under a train; a person hit by a train after jumping or falling in front of it.


shunter

Concurrent to this order, Good forged a link with Irish Railways, which resulted in the latter building five shunters with Brush equipment, marking the inception of dieselisation in the country.

2021 June 30, David Clough, “Brush: a UK rail icon”, in RAIL, number 934, page 55:

(rail transport, British) A railway locomotive used for shunting; a switcher.

The shunter has a lightweight portable radio transmitter by which, as he uncouples an incoming train into cuts for marshalling, he informs the Traffic Office of the number of wagons in each cut and its siding; [...].

1960 June, “Talking of Trains: The new Margam yard”, in Trains Illustrated, page 323:

(rail transport, British) A person who carries out shunting operations.

стрелочник

a person who carries out shunting operations


snakehead

(US, rail transport) A loose, bent-up end of one of the strap rails, or flat rails, formerly used on American railroads.


run around

en-verb

run around (third-person singular simple present runs around, present participle running around, simple past ran around, past participle run around)

runs around (present singular third-person)
running around (participle present)
ran around (past)
run around (participle past)

(rail transport, of a locomotive) To move from one end of the consist to the other, so as to pull the train in the opposite direction.


trainload

On February 14, Mr. S. F. Sanders observed two trainloads of football supporters from Bolton which were conveyed to Luton by Nos. 45710, Irresistible, and 45712, Victory, respectively.

1953 April, “Notes and News: Locomotive Notes: London Midland Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 285:

A surprisingly technical question from the audience on the possibility of working coal traffic in more substantial trainloads from pit to power station elicited the answer that the N.E.R. had hopes of more circuit working with specially designed high-capacity wagons on the style of the bogie 56-tonners used for the ore traffic between Tyne Dock and Consett, [...].

1961 April, “Talking of Trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 195:

A new oil traffic in block trainloads, expected to amount to 150,000 tons of refined motor spirit annually for B.R., has begun between the Shell refinery at Stanlow and a new terminal built at Hunslet East in connection with Shell-Mex and B.P.'s expansion scheme at Knostrop, Leeds....

1962 November, “News in Brief”, in Modern Railways, page 306:

Has anything not gone to plan? "It is not possible to send a train load of humanitarian aid without a train load of bureaucracy to go with it. We live and learn...!"

2022 April 20, Tony Streeter, Paul Clifton, “Relief train from the UK takes aid to Ukraine”, in RAIL, number 955, page 29:

(rail transport) The amount that can be transported by a train.


bay platform

The corridor includes the busy Oxford Road station, with its four through and one bay platform, and has a mix of local and long-distance trains as well as freight from nearby Trafford Park.

2020 January 2, Philip Haigh, “Is there relief to congestion along Castlefield Corridor?”, in Rail, page 22:

(rail transport) A platform that can be accessed from only one end; a dead-end platform.


trainman

Fourth, if there is a shortage of motive power or of trainmen, it is generally the lower orders of freight train which have to be curtailed or cancelled altogether.

1961 March, Warren Smith, “The problems of train regulation - a study of operation at Trent”, in Trains Illustrated, page 169:

(rail transport) A person who works on trains on a railway / railroad.


trainmaster

In the past, trainmasters were promoted brakemen or conductors who retained their union seniority.

Trainmasters are American officials, who perform duties somewhat akin to those of a British controller, but with obvious differences dictated by the different operating conditions in America.

1946 March and April, “The Why and The Wherefore: The Duties of Yardmasters, Controllers and Trainmasters”, in Railway Magazine, page 127:

(US, rail transport) A superintendent or supervisor of a freight railroad, responsible for train movements, crew assignments, derailments and more.


ATOC

(rail transport, historical) Acronym of Association of Train Operating Companies.


wye

wye (third-person singular simple present wyes, present participle wyeing or wying, simple past and past participle wyed)

wyes (present singular third-person)
wyeing (participle present)
wying (participle present)
wyed (participle past)
wyed (past)

Attested as wi c. 1200. Of uncertain origin. Perhaps borrowed from Old French ui or gui.

Since the train didn't have a control cab at the other end, they wyed the train to turn it around for the trip back to the city.

Committee contend that when these trains are wyed at Springfield, the road passenger crews are performing yard work at that point to eliminate switching by yard crews.

(transitive, rail transport) To reverse the direction of a train using a wye.


dod

Shunting discs (or "dods") are generously provided, and following modern practice, most of them permit a movement in any direction for which the road is set.

1951 October, Norman Crump, “Signalling at Thorpe-le-Soken”, in Railway Magazine, page 649:

(rail transport, UK) A ground signal, such as a shunting disc.


piped

Vacuum-fitted wagons are provided with complete vacuum-brake equipment; "piped" wagons have through pipes, enabling them to be marshalled in vacuum-braked trains without interrupting the continuity of the vacuum brake connections, but are not provided themselves with vacuum brake gear.

1946 March and April, “The Why and The Wherefore: "Fitted" and "Piped" Wagons”, in Railway Magazine, page 128:

(rail transport) Of a rail vehicle, having a through brake pipe, without the vehicle having brakes operating from it.


singling

[…] associated with this project would be the singling of the line from Selby to Shipton Lane, 2½ miles from Market Weighton, and the working of this section on the one-engine-in-steam principle, […]

1959 June, “Talking of Trains: North Eastern report”, in Trains Illustrated, page 293:

(rail transport) The reduction of a railway line from double-track to single-track.


stabled

(rail transport, of a rail vehicle) parked


milepost

But beyond these cut-offs, to avoid the wholesale alteration of all mileposting and mileages—of bridges and culverts, for example—the original mileposts have remained unaltered.

1946 July and August, “Mileposts and their Peculiarities”, in Railway Magazine, page 217:

[...] the 4 miles at 1 in 180 up to Sanquhar were mounted with no greater fall in speed than from 65 to 59 m.p.h., after which, possibly as a result of easing the engine or because the strain on steam supply was beginning to tell, the final 3½ miles up at 1 in 200 up to milepost 59½ were surmounted at a minimum of 49½ m.p.h.

1960 April 16, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, page 212:

(rail transport) A sign or post beside a railway marking the distance from the (actual or nominal) start of a line (usually the principal terminus or junction with a more major line).


unfitted

en-adj

unfitted (comparative more unfitted, superlative most unfitted)

more unfitted (comparative)
most unfitted (superlative)

Basically, heavy unfitted trains are hauled by ex-G.W.R, ex-L.M.R. or ex W.D. 2-8-0s and fast freights by "Halls" and "Granges", [...].

1963 January, Jeffrey P. Burke, “Railway crossroads of the north-west: Shrewsbury”, in Modern Railways, page 55:

(rail transport, dated, not comparable) Of trains, or wagons in the train, not having a through brake pipe, or brakes on the wagons that can be operated from the locomotive (the wagons did have handbrakes however).


decapod

Borrowed from French décapode, see deca- + -pod.

(rail transport) A nickname for either the 0-10-0 or 2-10-0 train configurations. Sometimes capitalized.


four-foot

(rail transport) Alternative spelling of four foot


six foot

From the nominal distance of six feet between two adjacent railway lines in Great Britain.

Cattle are of course liable to stray on the line at these level crossings, but to prevent this, barriers are placed on each side of the crossing, and a deep trench is made in the four-foot and six-foot spaces, …

1882, George P. Neele, Atlantic and American Notes, M'Corquodale & co., limited, Page 54

Richardson dropped into the six-foot between the two engines, ran for a few yards, grabbed Mitchell's engine, and swung himself up. Mitchell had got to his feet by this time, but he made no move. Richardson shut off steam, reversed her, and brought her to a stand.

1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, page 54:

He fell wildly, his head struck the carriage footboard with tremdous force, and he bounded into the six-foot, where he rolled over and over …

1981, Ludovic Henry, Coverly Kennedy, A Book of Raliway Journeys, Fontana, Page 21

2007 September 5, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Rail Accident Report 33/2007: Fatal collision between a Super Voyager train and a car on the line at Copmanthorpe 25 September 2006, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Deptarment for Transport, Page 20 http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/070905_R332007_Copmanthorpe.pdf
As a result, all three wheelsets derails to the six foot side.

(rail transport, colloquial) the area between the closest rails of two parallel standard gauge railway lines, regardless of the actual distance.


four foot

From the 4 feet 8½ inch (1435 mm) distance between the rails on a standard gauge railway.

When placed in the four foot it should be so arranged that a loose carraige coupling shall not strike the box, as such a blow might possibly break it.

1877, William Edward Langdon, The Application of Electricity to Railway Working, Page 230

In this case, the third crossing i.e., where one turnout crosses the other, is in the four foot of the main

1922, J. Thomas Lee, William Hepworth, Railway Permanent Way: Dimensional Theory and Practice, C. Sever, Page 224

The reason for this is, that as in these cases there are obstructions in the four foot which might become foul of wheels of stock …
Page 48
For ‘ E ’ and ‘ F ’ switches the key jaw is provided on the inside of the four-foot in the 1.P. and 2.P. chairs, as in these chairs there is not room between the switch and stock rails …

1943, C. L. Heeler and Ronald Albert Hamnett, British Railway Track: Design, Construction and Maintenance, Permanent Way Institution Page 19

2007 September 5, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Rail Accident Report 33/2007: Fatal collision between a Super Voyager train and a car on the line at Copmanthorpe 25 September 2006, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Department for Transport, Page 8 http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/070905_R332007_Copmanthorpe.pdf
The car came to rest with its front wheels in the four foot of the nearest railway line, the down Leeds line.

The importance of track workers obeying site rules has been stressed after a man was hospitalised after being hit by a moving road-rail vehicle (RRV) and falling into the 'four foot' between the rails.

2024 June 26, “Network News: RAIB stresses importance of road-rail vehicle vehicle safety procedures”, in RAIL, number 1012, page 17:

(rail transport, colloquial) the space between the rails on a standard gauge railway line.


Bradshaw

From Old English brād + sceaga (“thicket”), equivalent to broad + shaw.

He was at breakfast at nine, and for the twentieth time consulted his Bradshaw to see at what earliest hour Dr Grantly could arrive from Barchester.

The "5th Mo. (May) 1939" issue of Bradshaw's Railway Shipping, and Hotel Guide for Great Britain and Ireland appears in a cream cover printed in blue and gold, and a prefatory note explains that, as 1939 is being celebrated as the centenary year of Bradshaw, it is intended to adopt this livery from now until the September issue inclusive. For October, the centenary month, Bradshaw will be published in a gold cover printed in red and blue.

1939 June, “Railway Literature: Bradshaw's Guide”, in Railway Magazine, page 465:

(British, rail transport) A former railway guide and timetable published by George Bradshaw. Publication ceased in May 1961.


interurban

interurban car, interurban line, interurban railroad

On the steam roads, the engine, representing with its tender an enormous weight, is required to generate enough power not only for its own propulsion, but drag after it a train of cars. Several important consequences result from this difference between steam and electric traction. First, on the electric railway single cars may be used, taking their power as required under such headway as may be required to accommodate the traffic, while the steam engine must for the sake of economy be loaded somewhere near its capacity, so that the service is necessarily less frequent than that offered by the interurban.

1909, Thomas Conway (Jr.), The Traffic Problems of Interurban Electric Railroads, page 7:

Q. Took the interurban at Denison? A. Yes, sir. Q. And went from there to McKinney on the interurban?

1916, Records and Briefs of the United States Supreme Court, page 20:

The act was elective and included the hazardous employments listed (they fill 112 pages of print) and include railroads, mines, interurbans, logging, iron and steel manufacture, packing houses, construction work, etc., etc.

1919, Records and Briefs of the United States Supreme Court, page 117:

... but debits and credits arising from the operation of such street electric passenger railways, including railways commonly called interurbans, as are at the time of the agreement not under Federal control, shall be excluded.

(Can we date this quote?), Southern Pacific Company, Corporation Annual Reports to Shareholders, page 30:

Returning to Seattle we took the interurban to Everett, 32 miles north, $1.30 for the round trip

1927, The Union Pacific Magazine, volume 6, page 13:

In 1945, Vancouver had 347 street cars (not counting interurbans)

(Can we date this quote?), Canadian Transportation and Distribution Management, volume 53, page 15:

Why did people ride the interurban? No one knows. If you had asked a rider, he might have said "Fast, convenient, comfortable, economical“ – yet those are the same reasons that people give for riding in automobiles.

1960, Felix E. Reifschneider, Interurban Limited, page 8:

(rail transport, US) An electric railway carrying mainly passengers between two or more urban centres.


wharfinger

/ˈwɔːfɪnd͡ʒə/

/ˈwɔɹfɪnd͡ʒəɹ/

From Late Middle English wharfager (“keeper of a wharf”) (modified in the same way as messenger from Middle English messager, passenger from Middle English passager, etc.), from wharfage (“use of a wharf; payment for such use”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns, especially names of persons engaged in professions or trades). Wharfage is probably derived from Medieval Latin wharfāgium, or from Middle English wharf (“structure projecting into a body of water for ships to moor and load or unload, pier, quay, wharf”) + -age (suffix forming nouns denoting actions, states, etc.). By surface analysis, wharfage + -er.

inh

A female wharfinger—a grade of staff peculiar to the Wenford Mineral Line—lives in an adjacent house.

1940 December, Charles E. Lee, “The Wenford Mineral Line”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 645:

(by extension, England, rail transport) The manager of a wharf along a railway line, that is, a place used for loading and unloading goods on to trains.

laiturinpitäjä

manager or owner of a wharf; manager of a wharf along a railway line


cess

Possibly from an archaic dialect word meaning “bog”. According to the OED, from earlier suspiral (“water pipe, setting tank”).

In April 1923, he was working with a gang of five others in Glasgow on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). They were told to walk in the cess. But as it wasn't clear, they walked on the sleepers, each carrying a 70lb lifting screw on his shoulder. McGuinness was struck by a train and killed for want of a safe path.

2022 August 10, Dr Mike Esbester, “New understandings from old incidents”, in RAIL, number 963, page 58:

(rail transport) The area along either side of a railroad track which is kept at a lower level than the sleeper bottom, in order to provide drainage.


LMC

(rail transport) The station code of Lok Ma Chau in Hong Kong.


pantograph

From French pantographe, from panto- (from Ancient Greek παντός (pantós), genitive singular of πᾶν (pân, “all”)), and -graphe (from γράφειν (gráphein, “to write”)).

(rail transport) A similarly-formed conductive device, now usually Z-shaped, that collects electric current from overhead lines for trains and trams.

pantográf

rail transport: device that collects electric current from overhead lines


PED

en-noun

PED (countable and uncountable, plural PEDs)

platform edge door
platform edge door#English

(rail transport) Initialism of platform edge door.


jerk-water

The mail was brought by a tiny "jerk-water" bobtail dummy and coach run by one, Tony, from Pearl City, a mile away, to a station near the end of the peninsula.

1918, Charmian London, Jack London and Hawaii, page 19:

(rail transport, derogatory) A branch line train, using light equipment


jerk-water

en-adj

jerk-water (comparative more jerk-water, superlative most jerk-water)

more jerk-water (comparative)
most jerk-water (superlative)

He had risen to the head of the greatest street car system in the world from the position of brakeman on a jerk-water railroad.

1915, Daniel Jacob Hauer, The Economics of Contracting: A Treatise for Contractors, Engineers […], volume II, page 212:

Can the keen-minded Mr. Willard at Baltimore be more anxious than the keen-minded Mr. Rea at Philadelphia to undertake the management of jerk-water branches in Connecticut or in Rhode Island or down on Cape Cod ?

1922, Edward Hungerford, Our Railroads To-morrow, page 297:

(US, colloquial, derogatory, rail transport) Railroads with low traffic.


branch line

But the states were generally concerned with the location of trunk lines and left it to cities and counties to worry about branch lines.

1987, William H. Rehnquist, The Supreme Court:

(rail transport) A secondary railroad route or one subsidiary to a railroad's mainlines.

They saddled themselves with the handling of light flows on a multiplicity of branch lines, and they sacrificed the speed, reliability and low cost of through train operation, even over the main arteries of the system.

1962 December, “Dr. Beeching previews the plan for British Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 377:

Above all, Eurostar needs to be proactive in improving the service, reducing fares, and getting back to a post-COVID normal, despite Brexit. Or is it that SNCF just feels London is on a branch line from the rest of Europe, and not worth bothering about?

2023 February 8, Christian Wolmar, “Pressing issues to help Eurostar fulfil its ambitions”, in RAIL, number 976, page 39:

(rail transport) A non-through line which joins a mainline (or another branch or secondary line) and ends at a terminus.


jerk water

en-verb

jerk water (third-person singular simple present jerks water, present participle jerking water, simple past and past participle jerked water)

jerks water (present singular third-person)
jerking water (participle present)
jerked water (participle past)
jerked water (past)

The Santa Fe, called the Jerk Water route because they "jerked" water from ponds and wallows for the engine, still frayed out at the Kansas line.

1954, Mari Sandoz, The Buffalo Hunters: The Story of the Hide Men, page 171:

[…] by bailing from near streams with buckets, (the brake-man called this operation jerking water) and from this the road gets its name of jerkwater road.

1975 Mar, Indiana Historical Society, Indiana Magazine of History, volume 71, number 1, page 355:

(US, rail transport, apocryphal) To fill a steam locomotive water tank manually from natural water supplies (a hypothetical process whose use has been discredited).

In 1870 at Montrose, N.Y., the New York Central made the first installation of a track pan and scoop to permit locomotives to take water on the fly. Since these installations invariably were in tiny communities, and since they permitted locomotives literally to “jerk water”

1979, The Train Dispatcher - Volumes 61-62, page 49:

The early, crude "jerk water" device applied by the New York Central is shown in figure 8.24.

2001, Anthony J. Bianculli, Trains and Technology: Track and structures, page 19610:

Towns with track pans no longer had as many trains stop there, and they became derisively known as “jerkwater” towns, where the trains would jerk water and just keep on going.

2016, Kevin EuDaly, Mike Schafer, Steve Jessup, The Complete Book of North American Railroading, page 335:

(US, rail transport, dated) To scoop water from a track pan mounted on the tracks directly into a steam engine's tank without stopping.


deadman

From dead + man. In the sense referring to a safety switch, the notion of an operator who is dead is the figurative archetype representing any incapacitation, absence, or inattention. See also Dead Hand in that regard.

[...] a Brown-Boveri deadman's control; [...].

1962 April, “Beyond the Channel: Western Germany: The Henschel 4,000 h.p. V320 diesel”, in Modern Railways, page 274:

(rail transport, manufacturing, agriculture, safety equipment) A cutout device that operates in the event that an operator releases the control handles, leaves the operator's seat, or otherwise seems to be no longer present and alert.


UZ

(rail transport) Initials of Ukrainian Railways or Ukrzaliznytsia.


CHH

(rail transport) The station code of Choi Hung in Hong Kong.


NG

en-noun

NG (countable and uncountable, plural NGs)

no good: attested in The Comprehensive Standard Dictionary of the English Language (1909) and in Students’ Edition of a Standard Dictionary of the English Language (1915).

(rail transport) Initialism of narrow gauge.


FAN

(rail transport) The station code of Fanling in Hong Kong.


light rail

light rail (countable and uncountable, plural light rails)

The new Denver light rail runs along the Interstate highway.

(US, Canada, rail transport) A kind of passenger railway in urban and suburban settings typically characterized by a mixture of tram (or in North America streetcar) and metro features, crossing streets at grade crossings and normally powered by electricity.

lättbana

translation of "light rail"; of rare usage


snow shed

The only snow shed in Great Britain is on the West Highland Railway, about 2 miles north of Rannoch Station. It is some 200 yd. long, and is situated in the deepest part of Cruach cutting, which is subject to heavy drifting during winter snowstorms.

1950 October, “The Why and the Wherefore: Snow Shed, West Highland Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 719:

(rail transport, road transport) A tunnel-like structure that provides roads and railroad tracks with protection from avalanches and heavy snowfalls that cannot be easily removed.

Denver and Salt Lake Railway
Howard L. Fogg
Rollins Pass

galeria

tunnel-like structure protecting roads and railroad tracks from snow


WTT

working timetable
working timetable#English

(rail transport, UK) Initialism of working timetable.


WTS

(rail transport) The station code of Wong Tai Sin in Hong Kong.


jumper cable

Complete absence of multiple-unit jumper cables (this class is not fitted for working in multiple) lends a neatness to this area not usually possible on British diesels.

1962 March, Brian Haresnape, “Design in 1961—a Retrospect”, in Modern Railways, page 195:

(rail transport, road transport) An electrical cable providing a connection between rail or road vehicles.


diesel engine

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-diesel engine.wav


footplate

Unlike the earlier standard designs, in which the whole of the footplate was on the engine, fall plates are re-introduced and these are hinged from the front of the tender to rest on the rearward extension of the cab floor.

1954 March, “New Class "9" 2-10-0 Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 166:

All the same, nearly eight hours on the footplate covering a distance of 320 miles, with an ambient temperature of up to 103° for much of the time, proved an ordeal which I would not lightly undertake again.

1960 October, P. Ransome-Wallis, “Modern motive power of the German Federal Railway: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 611:

After a while we left the engine, but not before André had examined the 4-6-4 very carefully, with hammer and torch, both outside and underneath. And that was the end of my footplate work on this particular weekend.

1961 March, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 148:

This uncoupling done, Gimbert opened the regulator as Nightall climbed back onto the footplate, in order to pull the one burning wagon away from the rest of the bomb-laden train.

2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42:

(rail transport) The metal plate which forms the base platform of a steam locomotive and supports the boiler and the driver's cab, particularly in the United Kingdom.


footplate

en-verb

footplate (third-person singular simple present footplates, present participle footplating, simple past and past participle footplated)

footplates (present singular third-person)
footplating (participle present)
footplated (participle past)
footplated (past)

Hard work is required from men and machines as I was to experience later when footplating Lambton No 5 on five bogies battling its way up Newtondale.

1979 August, Michael Harris, “A line for all reasons: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway”, in Railway World, page 415:

(rail transport) To travel (or work) on the footplate of a locomotive.


handbrake

On arrival at Spiez, the locomotive (No. 206) was immediately uncoupled and drew ahead to enable an Italian through coach from Interlaken to Milan to be loose shunted (with passengers aboard and controlled by means of its handbrake) on to the front of the train.

1953 August, J. G. Click, “The Lötschberg Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 515:

mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering

(mechanical engineering, automotive, rail transport) A brake in a vehicle, set by hand, and usually locking on until released by hand, enabling its use when parked.

(mechanical engineering, automotive, rail transport) The mechanism, particularly the locking hand-operated lever or foot-operated toggle lever in a motorcar or the hand-operated crank on a railcar, which is used to set and release such a brake.


forestaller

From Middle English forstaller, forstallor, forstallar, equivalent to forestall + -er.

Agent noun of forestall: one who, or that which, forestalls.

(rail transport, historical) A device that overrides an automatic brake signal.


dieselization

en-noun

dieselization (countable and uncountable, plural dieselizations)

Erie, always an interesting road to watch, fortified itself in the late '20's with the largest roster of Berkshires in the land, and these engines were easily able to sustain the road until dieselization …

1959, David P. Morgan, editor, Steam's Finest Hour, Kalmbach Publishing Co.:

(rail transport) The replacement of steam (or, more rarely, electric) locomotives with diesel locomotives.


OHLE

(rail transport) Initialism of overhead line equipment. (overhead lines, and supporting infrastructure, that provide power to electric trains).


ATC

automatic train control
automatic train control#English

(rail transport) Initialism of automatic train control.


toast rack

There are an Atlantic locomotive of free-lance design and six toast-rack coaches.

1949 July and August, “Notes and News: Poole Miniature Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 272:

(rail transport, usually informal) Any of several types of railway or tramway passenger vehicles with open sides and transverse benches that span the width of the vehicle body, such that it resembles a toast rack.


trailing points

trailing points pl (normally plural, singular trailing point)

(rail transport, plural only) A set of points at which two routes converge in the direction of travel.


facing points

facing points pl (normally plural, singular facing point)

Harrison said he had such a horror of facing points that for many years in the 160 miles between York and Berwick there were, except in Darlington and Newcastle stations, only three examples. [...] For some years now facing points have been practically as safe as any other part of the track and are regularly taken at high speed.

1941 June, “Notes and News: Working and Locking Facing Points”, in Railway Magazine, pages 278–279:

(rail transport) A set of points at which two routes diverge in the direction of travel.


training wheel

From training (“relating to the moving of a firearm laterally so that it points in a different direction; relating to imparting and acquiring skills”) + wheel.

compound

(rail transport, archaic) Synonym of trailing wheel (“on a steam locomotive, an unpowered wheel or axle located behind the driving wheels”)

training wheels

anything designed to make something easier for a novice


NDM

(rail transport, in multiple unit formations, initialism) non-driving motor


UNDM

(rail transport, London Underground, in multiple unit formations) uncoupling non-driving motor


DEMU

(rail transport) Initialism of diesel-electric multiple unit.


DMU

diesel multiple unit
diesel multiple unit#English

(rail transport) Initialism of diesel multiple unit.


bubble car

(rail transport, informal) a single-car multiple unit


driving motor

(rail transport) a car in a multiple unit which is motored and from which the train can be driven.


driving van trailer

en-noun

driving van trailer (plural driving van trailers)

driving van trailer abbreviated as DVT (canonical)
driving van trailers (plural)

Grand Union proposes to use Class 91s hauling up to nine coaches and a driving van trailer to operate the service.

2019 October, “Grand Union targets '91s' to Stirling”, in Modern Railways, page 11:

(rail transport) a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train.


multiple unit

Euston is so traditionally a part of the London scene that many will lament the passing of the old station when rebuilding is complete in readiness for the new electric service, which will probably be by multiple-units between Euston and Wolverhampton.

1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 99:

(rail transport) A train consisting of one or more self-propelled cars capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab.


headshunt

(rail transport, British) A short length of track, provided to release locomotives at terminal platforms, or to allow shunting to take place clear of main lines.


mean distance between failure

mean distance between failure (plural mean distances between failure)

(rail transport, road transport) A measure of reliability that expresses the average distance travelled by a type of lorry, bus, rolling stock, etc, before preventative or reparative maintenance is required.


bullhead rail

With secondhand bullhead rail almost unobtainable, the NYMR has been forced to go for new flat-bottom rail and orders are being placed; 58 fb rails are already en route to the railway.

1979 August, Michael Harris, “A line for all reasons: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway”, in Railway World, page 412:

Network Rail has donated two miles of replaced bullhead rail from the Middlesbrough-Whitby line to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for reuse or onward sale.

2020 November 18, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: Eastern: Esk Valley”, in RAIL, page 26:

"When we upgraded the track, we couldn't use flat bottom rail, as some of the curves are too tight, so we are one of the few places still using bullhead rail.

2023 December 27, Ben Jones, “Inside Sellafield... by rail”, in RAIL, number 999, page 23:

(rail transport) A rail, most commonly used in the United Kingdom, with a head and foot nearly equal in cross-section, that is supported in cast iron chairs and secured by wedges or keys.


GOBLin

(British, rail transport, informal) Acronym of Gospel Oak to Barking Line, a railway line in north London.


underground railway

underground railway (plural underground railways)

It was advisable to avoid building an underground railway beneath private houses at the time, because the law would require you to buy those houses.

2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 29:

(rail transport) Synonym of subway: a railway under the ground.


LBSCR

(rail transport, British) Initialism of London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.


Sprinter

(rail transport, British) A British diesel multiple unit of class 150, 153, 155, 156, 158 or 159.


plain line

pointwork

antonym(s) of “railway track without points”

(rail transport) a stretch of railway track that does not have any junctions, crossovers or points on it.


plain line

en-verb

plain line (third-person singular simple present plain lines, present participle plain lining, simple past and past participle plain lined)

plain lines (present singular third-person)
plain lining (participle present)
plain lined (participle past)
plain lined (past)

(rail transport) to remove points and crossovers from a stretch of track.


double-header

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-double-header.wav

If this pipe is broken while running as the second engine of a double-header nothing will be lost as the operation of the distributing valve is then similar to that of a triple valve,[…].

1929, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen′s Magazine, volumes 86-87, page 132:

(rail transport) A train pulled by two locomotives.


Wimbleware

Blend of Wimbledon + Edgware (from Edgware Road)

(rail transport, informal) The Wimbledon to Edgware Road service on the London Underground's District Line.


bustitution

en-noun

bustitution (countable and uncountable, plural bustitutions)

(rail transport, sometimes derogatory) The (temporary or permanent) substitution of a bus service for a rail (train, tram, etc) or trolleybus service.


FRL

(rail transport) Initialism of fixed red light.


HFC

(rail transport) The station code of Heng Fa Chuen in Hong Kong.


camelback

camelback (countable and uncountable, plural camelbacks)

The camelbacks were designed to help with the visibility problems inherent in putting the driver behind the entire engine.

en:type of locomotive with cab in middle

(countable, rail transport) A railway locomotive that has its cab in the middle as opposed to at the end.


station throat

(rail transport) the often constricted area at the end of a railway station where running lines divide into platform tracks.


fire iron

No. 21C9 was in need of a boiler washout and though she was carefully and assiduously fired and use made of the fire-irons during the run, it was not possible to maintain steam, which often fell as low as 210 lb.

1944 March and April, E. S. Waterhouse, “Two Footplate Rides on "Merchant Navy" Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:

There was no need to use the fire-irons after we pulled out of Calais, for the fire was well burnt through and came to life at once.

1961 February, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 112:

(rail transport) One of a set of tools kept on a steam locomotive for a similar purpose.


railroad spike

(rail transport, US) A type of large nail that fixes a railway line to a sleeper.


draisine

Named after Baron Karl Drais (1785–1851), who invented a predecessor to the bicycle.

named-after

(rail transport) A light auxiliary rail vehicle (train) or tram.


bodyshell

Currently, bodyshells for units 810024/025 are on the weld line. […] In the paint shop are bodyshells for 810022/023, which are undergoing a meticulous process to ensure a high-quality finish.

2024 December 27, Pip Dunn, “Network News: Hitachi pushes on with '810' assembly and testing”, in RAIL, number 1025, page 20:

(rail transport) The metal body of a rail vehicle, minus seats, doors and other fittings.


RAIB

(British, rail transport) Initialism of Rail Accident Investigation Branch.


BGM

Belagavi railway station
w:Belagavi railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Belagavi railway station in India.


outerchange

From outer + change by analogy with interchange.

The five minute walk between Northwick Park and Kenton tube stations is a valid outerchange.

(British, chiefly London, rail transport) A connection between two stations within walking distance of each other but which are not physically connected; used especially where a journey involving such a connection can be done on a single ticket.


sheeted

This load must be well roped and sheeted to be safe.

[...] Brush No. D5504 was first seen in charge of a rake of sheeted mineral wagons at midday on July 6, [...].

1960 September, “Motive Power Miscellany: London Midland Region: Western Lines”, in Trains Illustrated, page 564:

(road haulage, rail transport) Secured by a special tarpaulin.


WAC

(rail transport) The station code of Wan Chai in Hong Kong.


cleaning shoe

After every test (except those at 30 mph) the wheel was cleaned by making two stops with cleaning shoes from a speed of 40 miles per hour.

1913, Pennsylvania Railroad Test Dept., Brake Tests, page 245:

(rail transport, machinery) A brake shoe used to clean a wheel


railcard

(rail transport) A card allowing reduced fares for travelling by train.


outstabled

(rail transport, of a rail vehicle) stabled other than at the (main) depot


outstable

en-verb

outstable (third-person singular simple present outstables, present participle outstabling, simple past and past participle outstabled)

outstables (present singular third-person)
outstabling (participle present)
outstabled (participle past)
outstabled (past)

(rail transport, transitive) To park (a rail vehicle) in a station, siding or other location away from the (main) depot.


wagon-lit

As an extreme example, the charge for dinner in the "Northern Irishman" from Euston to Stranraer Harbour (for the Larne boat) has been increased to as much as 16s 6d, because of the small demand; this is coming close to the level of Wagons-Lits charges abroad.

1962 February, “Talking of Trains: Dearer meals in B.R. trains”, in Modern Railways, page 78:

(rail transport) A sleeping car, often used in international trains in continental Europe; the Wagons-Lits company also ran dining cars.


platforming

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-platforming.wav

Advantage has been taken of the rationalised platforming to produce a new-style departure sheet for the West Side of Liverpool Street.

1961 January, “The North-East London electrification of the Great Eastern Line”, in Trains Illustrated, page 21:

(rail transport) The platforms at a railway station.


unwired

Clarke said that this 'total cost' approach should be used across unwired routes in combination with route profit and loss figures from the Great British Railways Transition Team, to give a more rounded picture of costs and benefits.

2024 May 1, Philip Haigh, “Network News: RIA argues for battery electrics to replace diesel trains”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 10:

(rail transport) Of an unelectrified line or route, without overhead wiring to supply current to electric trains via pantographs.


BND

Bhandup railway station
w:Bhandup railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Bhandup railway station in India.


TSR

UK railway signalling#Speed restrictions

(rail transport) Initialism of temporary speed restriction.


steam train

The early Underground trains were essentially ordinary steam trains that just happened to be running below the streets in the middle of London.

2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 33:

"But if so, why do you see so many young children on steam trains - apart, that is, from being dragged along by their fathers, or grandfathers?
"I think they enjoy them because they are simply so different, so mechanical, so hot, oily and clanky, so dirty, so 'analogue' in a digital world. They are everything modern life tries to extirpate in favour of silence, smoothness and cleanness. Kids love that.

2022 February 23, Benedict le Vay, “Part of rail's past... present... and future”, in RAIL, number 951, page 56:

(rail transport) A train pulled by a steam locomotive.


MPD

en-noun

MPD (countable and uncountable, plural MPDs)

motive power depot
motive power depot#English

(rail transport, countable) Initialism of motive power depot.


trackwork

The train is going to be delayed by ten minutes due to trackwork.

A small number of weekday and weekend possessions will also be required on June 20-21, September 5-6, and between December 19-March 2021, but will coincide with when there will already be a limited (or no) service into London King's Cross in conjunction with the extensive trackwork taking place at the terminus.

2020 April 8, Paul Stephen, “ECML dive-under drives divergence”, in Rail, pages 44–45:

(rail transport) Construction or maintenance of railroad tracks

The advantages of this policy were twofold - the operation of m.u. trains only, with their lighter axle load, would allow the trackwork and underbridges to be simpler and lighter in construction; and speeds up to 150 m.p.h. could more easily be achieved than with conventional locomotive-hauled trains.

1963 October, G. Freeman Allen, R. K. Evans, “The Japanese National Railways and the New Tokaido Line”, in Modern Railways, page 240:

At present the principal exercise in resignalling and new trackwork involves the Pickering area.

1979 August, Michael Harris, “A line for all reasons: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway”, in Railway World, page 412:

(rail transport) The tracks and associated equipment of a railway line.


double-ended

step back

rail transport: having a driver at each end

(rail transport, of a train) Having a locomotive at each end.

British locomotives, like most European ones, are double-ended, general purpose machines, intended to be suitable for a variety of duties, and on occasion to work in multiple with each other.

1961 May, B. A. Haresnape, “Design on the railway: Part Three”, in Trains Illustrated, page 303:

(rail transport, of a multiple unit, or diesel or electric locomotive) Having a driving cab at each end.

(rail transport, of a train or multiple unit) Having a driver at each end.


unbanked

However, it was recently made obvious, both that the B.R./Sulzer Type 4s can comfortably negotiate the bank without help on the normal express train formations of this route, and also that the Western Region wants to eliminate the expense of providing bankers.

1961 December, “Unbanked trains on the Lickey”, in Trains Illustrated, page 711:

(rail transport, rare) Of a train, not having the assistance of a banker (etymology 3) when climbing a steep grade (or bank).


binliner

* (train): Blend of bin + Freightliner. The train sense is a pun on the name of the rail freight company Freightliner.
* (rubbish bag): bin + liner

Freightliner class '66' locomotive No. 66562 approaches the site of Launton station with the 10.55 a.m. Calvert to Bristol Avon binliner empties on 15August 2008.

2013, Stanley C. Jenkins, Martin Loader, Oxford, Bletchley & Bedford Line Through Time, Amberley Publishing Limited, →ISBN:

Freightliner Class 66 No. 66514 eases the 6M07 Roxby–Pendleton empty binliner through Agbrigg, Wakefield.

2014, Paul Manley, British Freight Trains, Amberley Publishing Limited, →ISBN:

Freightliner Green Team No. 66565 is seen passing the now electrified Manchester Victoria while working the 6J44 Brindle Heath–Dean Lane binliner refuse train.

2015, Ross Taylor, General Motors Type 5: Class 66 Locomotives, Amberley Publishing Limited, →ISBN:

(UK, rail transport) A freight train carrying household rubbish.


grice

en-verb

grice (third-person singular simple present grices, present participle gricing, simple past and past participle griced)

grices (present singular third-person)
gricing (participle present)
griced (participle past)
griced (past)

Unknown, possibly from Richard Grice, the first champion trainspotterhttp://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rdU1xtIWJz0C&q=grice+trainspotter&dq=grice+trainspotter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=afhsT5ChFe-R0QWF8K3HBg&redir_esc=y, alternatively perhaps a humorous representation of an upper-class pronunciation of grouser (“grouse-shooter”)https://web.archive.org/web/20120313071637/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gricer. In either case the derivation could be direct or a back-formation from gricer.

Many people joined the railways because the 'carrot' of a staff pass was a considerable attraction, whether for family travel or to grice at extremely low cost.

1999 March 29, Tony Polson, “Re: Do all UK rail staff get free unlimited Eurostar travel?”, in uk.railway (Usenet):

We can also roganise photo charters, large group footplate courses and gricing holidays [...]

2005 August, The Railway Magazine, volume 151, number 1252, IPC Business Press, page 55:

Trainspotters may be mocked by the outside world, but they don't take criticism lying down: the language of gricing is notable for its acidic descriptions of outsiders.

2010, Adam Jacot de Boinod, “Gricer's Daughter”, in I Never Knew There Was a Word For It, →ISBN:

(UK, rail transport, slang) to act as a trainspotter; to partake in the activity or hobby of trainspotting.


District

The District seems complacently salubrious. It is green on the Tube map, an inoffensive colour. It has not one but two bridge crossings of the Thames, which seems greedy when you think that no other [underground] line has even one.

2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 60:

(rail transport) The District Line of the London Underground, originally known as the District Railway.


trackbed

From track + bed (“place, or flat surface or layer, on which something else rests or is laid”).

compound

Given a mandate to build a new railway from the trackbed up, the Japanese have seized an unprecedented opportunity, not only to apply to its equipment their immense technological resources, but to incorporate in its operational scheme the Utopian concepts which those modernising an existing line can at best realise partially.

1963 October, G[eoffrey] Freeman Allen, R. K. Evans, “The Japanese National Railways and the New Tokaido Line”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 238:

The Bicester–Bletchley section is being rebuilt on the alignment of the line that closed to passengers in 1968. Since 2019, the track bed and bridges have been rebuilt, and this work is mostly complete.

2022 September 7, “East–West track laying heads westwards”, in Rail, number 965, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 36:

The layer of gravel or other foundation on which a railway track is laid.

sola

Holonym: right of way

The trackbed of the majority of the ten miles from Padstow to Boscarne Junction is still intact and used as a cycle way, although the section where the railway once went through Wadebridge has been lost to development.

2017 March, “What if These Lost Lines Hadn’t Closed at All?”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-05-16:

Just before Bloworth Crossing, you'll walk a short distance along the trackbed of the old mineral railway that connected the ironstone mines at Rosedale with the blast furnaces of Middlesbrough.

2019, Alan Staniforth, “Clay Bank to Kildale”, in Cleveland Way (Official National Trail Guide), revised edition, London: Aurum Press, in association with Walk Unlimited, →ISBN, part 2, page 64:

Darcy Lever: Bolton Council has rejected a plan to build 112 homes across the trackbed of the former Bury line. It is concerned that it would prevent any future extension of Manchester Metrolink, and chip away at green space land.

2023 July 26, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: North West”, in RAIL, number 988, page 28:

(loosely) The land on which a railway (especially one that has been closed or dismantled) was built; the roadbed for a railroad.


TPO

en-noun

TPO (countable and uncountable, plural TPOs)

travelling post office
travelling post office#English

(rail transport, countable) Initialism of travelling post office.


BAM

Baikal–Amur Mainline
w:Baikal–Amur Mainline

(rail transport) Initialism of Baikal–Amur Mainline.


SYP

(rail transport) The station code of Sai Ying Pun in Hong Kong.


dieselize

en-verb

dieselize (third-person singular simple present dieselizes, present participle dieselizing, simple past and past participle dieselized)

dieselizes (present singular third-person)
dieselizing (participle present)
dieselized (participle past)
dieselized (past)

(US, transitive, rail transport) To replace steam or electric train service on a particular route or network with diesel-engined trains.


derailer

From derail + -er. Doublet of derailleur.

(rail transport) Synonym of derail: A device placed on railway tracks in order to cause a train to derail.


singletrack

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-singletrack.wav

(rail transport) Alternative form of single-track (“having only one track”)


LMS

London, Midland and Scottish Railway
w:London, Midland and Scottish Railway

(UK, rail transport) Initialism of London, Midland and Scottish Railway.


MRU

Matunga Road railway station
w:Matunga Road railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Matunga Road railway station in India.


MMR

Manmad Junction railway station
w:Manmad Junction railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Manmad Junction railway station in India.


shinkansen

en-noun

shinkansen (plural shinkansen or shinkansens)

shinkansen (plural)
shinkansens (plural)

From Japanese 新(しん)幹(かん)線(せん) (shinkansen, literally “new trunk line”).

ja-r

(rail transport) A Japanese high-speed railway line.

East Japan Railway Co., known as JR East, this week unveiled its newest luxury shinkansen cars featuring ashiyu, in which passengers can soak their tired feet while speeding through the beautiful, mountainous, hot-spring-rich region.

2014 July 2, Yoko Sudo, “Luxury Shinkansen Train to Feature Foot Baths”, in The Wall Street Journal:

(rail transport) A high-speed passenger train which runs on such a line; a bullet train.


OLE

The problem started with damage to overhead line equipment (OLE - the railway's electrification system), which halted a Great Western Railway service.

2024 August 21, Philip Haigh, “Stranded trains: problems for passengers and operators”, in RAIL, number 1016, page 52:

(rail transport, UK) Overhead line equipment.


gauntleted

The opportunity was also taken to remove one of the few examples of gauntleted tracks in this country, interlacing the down fast and slow lines over the bridge.

1960 November, “Talking of Trains: Selby swing bridge”, in Trains Illustrated, page 647:

The narrow gauge is gauntleted with the up main line through a tunnel beneath the town and then turns away to its separate station.

1961 November, H. G. Ellison, P. G. Barlow, “Journey through France: Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 668:

(rail transport) Having a gauntlet (overlapping parallel rail tracks).


wye switch

When the wye switch is opened the home signal is automatically set at danger and the distant signal at caution.

1909, Interstate Commerce Commission, Accident Adjustment Report, page 30:

(rail transport, US) A railroad switch, having a Y shape, in which one line splits into two lines that diverge at equal angles.


nonoperator

(rail transport) A rail worker not directly involved in the mechanical operation of trains.


wheeltapper

(UK, rail transport, historical) A railway employee tasked with tapping the train's wheels with a hammer to detect cracks.


SPAD

Coordinate term: SPAR

(rail transport, UK) Initialism of signal passed at danger.


SPAD

(rail transport, UK) An instance of a signal passed at danger.


SPAD

en-verb

SPAD (third-person singular simple present SPADs, present participle SPADing, simple past and past participle SPADed)

SPADs (present singular third-person)
SPADing (participle present)
SPADed (participle past)
SPADed (past)

(rail transport, UK) To pass a signal at danger.


headstock

The two-axle bogies, of Metro-Vick swing-link type, are of one-piece cast-steel construction with box-section side frames and headstocks.

1960 December, “The first hundred 25 kV a.c. electric locomotives for B.R.”, in Train Illustrated, page 728:

(rail transport) A transverse structural member at the extreme end of a rail vehicle's underframe, also used on some bogies.


KWT

(rail transport) The station code of Kwun Tong in Hong Kong.


JOR

(rail transport) The station code of Jordan in Hong Kong.


ETH

(rail transport, UK) Initialism of electric train heat/heating.


interlocking tower

en-noun

interlocking tower (plural interlocking towers)

(rail transport, US) A building or room that houses controls for switches.


TAP

(rail transport) The station code of Tai Po Market in Hong Kong.


Pway

(rail transport) Abbreviation of permanent way.


express train

1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, Chapter 4: The engine-burglar,
All sorts of dreadful thoughts came to her all together in one horrible flash. There were such things as express trains that went on, she supposed, for hundreds of miles without stopping. Suppose this should be one of them? How would she get home again? She had no money to pay for the return journey.

King's Messenger, 1918-1940: Memoirs of a Silver Greyhound. By George P. Antrobus, O.B.E., King's Foreign Service Messenger 1918-1940. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd. Price 10s. 6d. net. [...] "The great European express trains have an air of mystery and romance about them. Truth to tell, this is but ill-deserved. Except over the French portion of their journey they have no right to the title of express"—he was writing of conditions before the great speed-up of the last decade— [...].

1941 October, “Railway Literature”, in Railway Magazine, page 480:

For all the attention on express trains, it's often local trains that tip the railway into congestion.

2021 June 30, Philip Haigh, “Regional trains squeezed as ECML congestion heads north”, in RAIL, number 934, page 53:

(rail transport) A train (either the service or the train itself) making limited stops.

express

referring to a named express train, for example: Riviera express, Orient express, ...


BSL

Bhusaval Junction railway station
w:Bhusaval Junction railway station

(rail transport) The station code of Bhusaval Junction railway station in India.


diesel-electric

Brush supplied shunters to industrial clients, but the first significant main line order came from the Ceylon Government Railway in 1950 for 25 diesel-electrics.

2021 June 30, David Clough, “Brush: a UK rail icon”, in RAIL, number 934, page 55:

(rail transport) A diesel-electric locomotive.


AHB

(UK, rail transport) Initialism of Automatic Half Barrier, a type of level crossing


shoegear

/ˈʃuːˌɡɪə(ɹ)/

Features such as trackless doors, mercury-type door interlocks, roof-mounted door fault indicator lights, rubber window glazing, improved retractable shoegear and a modified electro-pneumatic brake system designed to facilitate maintenance and improve reliability, which have proved their worth on the prototype trains, are continued in the new stock.

1960 February, “The first of London's new Piccadilly Line trains is delivered”, in Trains Illustrated, page 94:

In the third case, the need to provide retractable shoegear on the power bogies to pick up current from the third rail, and the equipment to use low-voltage supply, has complicated the design of the Eurostar trains.

1995, Colin J. Kirkland, “Locomotives”, in Engineering the Channel Tunnel, →ISBN, page 190:

Here shoegear and stepboards are refitted prior to a commissioning run conducted by the manufacturer which includes high speed and emergency brake tests.

2003, P. Hinde, J. Thompson, “Commissioning”, in International Conference on New Trains: 4-5 June 2003 at Le Meridien, York, UK, volume 2003 IMechE conference transactions, published 2004, →ISBN, The train operator's view of new train introduction, page 51:

The trains run on two additional rails and pick up current by means of shoegear making sliding contact with the conductor rails.

2006, Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee, quoting DJ Hartland, Reducing carbon emissions from transport: Oral and written evidence, →ISBN, London Underground Power Supplies. Electric Current Flow in Conductor Rails. Savings in Energy with Low Loss Rail, page 286:

(rail transport) train equipment, usually mounted on bogies, used to transfer electric current from the third rail.


locoman

The evidence which I propose to give will deal with safety and health questions concerning all grades of enginemen, boilermen, and locomen […]

1937, H. M. Stationery off., Minutes of evidence taken before the Royal commission on safety in coal mines ..., Great Britain. Royal Commission on Safety in Coal Mines, page 753

The Lancashire Tradesmen's Association organises craftsmen, semi-skilled and unskilled workmen on the surface other than the manipulators of coal, enginemen, boilermen and locomen; it also organises skilled craftsmen underground, although some craftsmen are organised by the Lancashire Area, which seeks to organise all underground workers including craftsmen.

1948, Report of the National Executive Committee [to The] Annual Conference, National Union of Mineworkers:

As an ex-locoman of the steam days between 1954 and 1968, I would like to set right a misconception that is prevalent in some areas of the steam locomotive preservation movement.

2006, The Railway Magazine, volume 152, page 24:

The Crescent Road sheds had a favourite locomotive - Stanier 4MT tank engine 42626 (known by Bolton locomen as 'two half-dollars') - and the shed authorities quietly arranged for it to be put to one side for a few days, while the ardent schoolboys set to work cleaning it.

2023 March 8, Paul Salveson, “Fond farewells to two final trains...”, in RAIL, number 978, page 55:

(rail transport, dated) Someone who works on a locomotive.


DTO

(rail transport) Initialism of director of train operations.


throughline

From through (“passing from one side of something to the other”, adjective) + line. Compare Middle English thurghline (“a brail or buntline”).

cog

(rail transport) A railway route that passengers can take without needing to change trains.


fourgon

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-fourgon.wav

The usual composition of the L.C.D.R. train was three saloon cars of Wagons-Lits stock, with a Wagons-Lits fourgon or van at one end, while the S.E.R. train, as shown, had two saloons and the fourgon, with a 6-wheel S.E.R. brake at the other end.

1942 February, “Notes and News: The London-Paris Club Trains”, in Railway Magazine, page 53:

(rail transport) A French baggage wagon.


water column

At Carlisle, as is customary, there was a very slow stop for the engine to draw to the water column.

1943 January and February, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in The Railway Magazine, page 16:

There could be no easy reversion to the pre-electrification timetable, as that provided for working over the Hyndland branch, which no longer existed, and new stations had come into use at Hyndland and Garscadden; moreover, water columns all along the routes concerned had been removed.

1961 March, “Talking of trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 130:

Recent acquisitions include LMS open No 7991, formerly on the Severn Valley Railway, several wagons and a swan-necked water column.

1979 August, “Preservation Scene: Midland Railway Trust”, in Railway World, page 429:

(rail transport) A column alongside a railway track used to replenish a steam engine's water supply.


step back

en-verb

step back (third-person singular simple present steps back, present participle stepping back, simple past and past participle stepped back)

steps back (present singular third-person)
stepping back (participle present)
stepped back (participle past)
stepped back (past)

(rail transport, of a driver at a terminal station) to depart driving the train following the train they arrived into the station driving, so as to decrease service turnaround time.


double-end

double-end (third-person singular simple present double-ends, present participle double-ending, simple past and past participle double-ended)

double-ends (present singular third-person)
double-ending (participle present)
double-ended (participle past)
double-ended (past)

(rail transport, transitive) To operate a train with a locomotive at each end.

(rail transport, transitive) To operate a train, especially a multiple unit, with a driver at each end of the train for fast turnaround times.


double-ending

(rail transport) a system of operating trains with a driver at each end of the train for a fast turnaround time.


stepping back

(rail transport) a system to decrease turnaround time at terminal stations where a second driver enters the rear cab of an arriving train and departs driving the train from that end while the first driver is walking the length of the platform ready to take over the subsequent departure.


single-track

[…]a single-track main line between Richmond, Ind., and Norwood Heights, Ohio

1942 February 1, “Pennsylvania Installs Centralized Traffic Control On 60.7 Miles of Single Track”, in Railway Signalling, Chicago, page 78:

It was once the busiest singletrack section of railway line in the country but, almost three decades after its closure, the short route which once linked Tunbridge Wells’s two stations is a ghostly presence

2013 March 1, “Fears for future of vital link between two train stations”, in The Kent and Sussex Courier, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, page 14:

On the now defunct Guildford-to-Horsham line, there was a foolproof way of avoiding collisions on singletrack lines

2016 February 18, Peter Le Feuvre, “Letter to the editor”, in The Daily Telegraph, page 17:

(rail transport) Having only a single track so that trains may only run in one direction at a time.


double-track

Determined to learn from Bouch's mistakes, they conducted a through [sic] survey of the riverbed. Having learned what they needed to know, they submitted plans for a new double-track bridge by the end of 1880.

2020 September 23, Paul Bigland, “The tragic tale of the Tay Bridge disaster”, in RAIL, page 82:

(rail transport) Having a pair of tracks in order to allow trains to pass in opposite directions.

dobbeltsporet

railways: having a pair of tracks in order to allow trains to pass in opposite directions


double-track

double-track (third-person singular simple present double-tracks, present participle double-tracking, simple past and past participle double-tracked)

double-tracks (present singular third-person)
double-tracking (participle present)
double-tracked (participle past)
double-tracked (past)

Other engineering upgrades include the reinstatement of Platform 4 at Birmingham Snow Hill, partially double-tracking the line between Ledbury and Shelwick, and freight loops between Nuneaton and Leicester.

2023 March 8, “Network News: Midlands presses for rail hub scheme”, in RAIL, number 978, page 14:

(rail transport) To provide double track.


solebar

The underframe, which has been designed to take buffing loads of 200 tons both on the centre coupler and on the retractable side buffers, consists of two centre girders from which cantilevers project to support the solebars, which in turn carry the bodyside structure.

1951 May, “British Railways Standard Coaches”, in Railway Magazine, page 327:

The shuttle locomotive body is a conventional stress-skin monocoque structure, with longitudinal members at solebar and cantrail levels.

1995, Roger Ford, “Locomotives”, in Colin J. Kirkland, editor, Engineering the Channel Tunnel, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, Rolling stock, page 178:

The bolster to solebar weld on one side, and the weld between the solebar and the front headstock on the other side had broken completely.

2001, A.P.Brights, N. Kirk, S. Manteghi and P.J. Murrell, edited by Brain S. Neale, Forensic engineering: the investigation of failures, Thomas Telford, →ISBN, Ladbroke Grove crashworthiness accident investigation, page 16:

[...] the original Chalice built coaches have a deep solebar, while the Keef coaches were much shallower.

2001, Peter Scott, A History of the Butlin's Railways: The Story of Billy Butlin's Amusement Park and Holiday Camp Miniature Railways, Including Other Associated Railways and Transport Systems, →ISBN, page 72:

Sometimes the door also cuts off main structural components such as the solebar or cantrail.

2005, Jan Prockat, Developing large structural parts for railway application using a fibre reinforced polymer design, Univerlagtuberlin, →ISBN, Lightweight Design, page 44:

(rail transport, UK, Australia) One of the longitudinal beams running along either side of a railway vehicle, onto which the bodywork is mounted, in passenger-carrying vehicles usually forming the side or the base of the floor.


check rail

I think it of great importance that the whole of this portion of the Brecon and Mertyr Railway, which originally was an old mineral line (the old Rumney), should be carefully examined by the Company's engineer, to ascertain if there are any other curves of 10 or 12 chains radius or less on the running lines, and that such curves should be rendered more safe, by the addition of check rails round such curves.

1869, Colonel W. Yolland, “Brecon and Merythr Railway”, in Accounts and Papers volume 21 Railways; Turnpikes; Highways; Harbours, &c., Session 10 December 1868 — 11 August 1869, Volume LIV., House of Commons, Railways, page 42:

The uniformity of the wheel diameters of diesel and electric locomotives and m.u. trains impairs the spreading of grease from one point fed by the lubricator and the growing traffic of m.u. trains and railcars has increased the need for lubrication and for check rails in certain places. [...] if necessary, they [lubricators] can be adapted to apply grease to the backs of wheels in order to lubricate the face of continuous check rails.

1962 December, “Talking of Trains: Rail and flange lubrication”, in Modern Railways, page 372:

The pressure of the flange of the leading wheel against the outer rail leads not only to excessive wear but also to risk of tyre climbing up over the rail. To minimise this risk, a check rail is fixed inside the inner rail and made parallel to it.

2000, J. S. Mundrey, “Railway Curves”, in Railway Track Engineering, 3rd edition, Tata McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, Movement of Vehicles on Curves, page 199:

The extra rail, which is called a check rail, relieves the sideways pressure of the wheels against the out rail, and prevents the wheels from mounting the outer rail

2008, John Wolfe Wolfe Barry, “Permanent Way”, in Railway Appliances, BiblioBazaar, →ISBN, Superelevation, page 58/60:

"Given the nature of the bridge and the potential consequences of a derailment, it's hardly surprising that there are orthodox check-rails all the way across the bridge.

2020 August 26, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, page 70, about a bridge across the Irrawaddy in Burma:

(rail transport) A rail laid parallel to a running rail to guide wheels through points, rail crossings, and round curves, to reduce wear and the risk of derailments such as those due to flange climb.


sheeter

The Army provided a yard foreman, sheeters, loaders, and checkers to augment the railway staff of two men porters, one lad porter, and a female clerk.

1947 January and February, “Wartime Traffic at Tanfield, L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 47:

(rail transport) A person who put sheets (tarpaulins) on open railway wagons to keep the loads secure and dry in transit.


light engine

After a week's manœuvrability tests at Winwick, the locomotive was to undergo three weeks' trials, light engine and loaded, between Whitchurch and Tattenhall Junction.

1960 December, “Motive Power Miscellany: London Midland Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 767:

(rail transport) A locomotive running on its own, or with other powered locomotives, with no wagons or carriages attached.


lengthman

From length + -man (suffix denoting a man or person who is an expert in an area or who takes part in an activity).

suffix

Plans have already been prepared for signalboxes, lengthmen's huts, and first aid rooms. […] Lengthmen's huts are to be built in brick.

1952 February, “British Railways Standard Buildings”, in Railway Magazine, page 74:

A derailment which occurred on April 18 last between Laindon and Pitsea on the London Tilbury & Southend Line was caused by a lengthman who in a moment of aberration clipped a set of spring catch points in the derailing position, concludes Col. J. R. H. Robertson in his report […]

1961 December, “Talking of Trains: Derailment near Laindon”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 717:

I started working on the canal when I was only 14. I was a lengths man on the Shrewsbury, the canal. It was my job to cut hedges and to keep the toe path^([sic – meaning towpath]) clear.

2006 October, Mal Edwards, “Money for Old Rope”, in BBC Wales, archived from the original on 2021-04-21:

It became common practice for day-to-day maintenance to be undertaken by a number of roadmen, each appointed to maintain a length of road. This gave rise to the term, ‘the lengthsman’. Over time, greater mechanisation and centralisation replaced lengthsmen with area-based work teams, controlled from County offices and depots. […] In 2000 Herefordshire Council launched a local initiative, the ‘Lengthsman Scheme,’ to devolve some minor highway works to Parish Councils. […] Parishes are permitted to use the delegated budget to employ a local contractor to undertake the works – the lengthsman. […] Works carried out by lengthsmen can range from clearing minor storm debris discharged onto the highway, cutting back overgrown hedges encroaching on footways and verge cutting as required by the parish.

2021, “Lengthsman Scheme”, in Herefordshire Association of Local Councils, archived from the original on 2021-02-08:

(nautical, rail transport, road transport, chiefly historical) A man responsible for the care and maintenance of a length of canal, railway, or road.

ratavartija

man responsible for the care and maintenance of a length of railway or road


flangeway

(rail transport, historical) An early type of railway that used flanged rails rather than flanged wheels.

The factors in determining the width of flangeways between check rails and the main rail are the thickness of the wheel flange and the clearance allowed […]

1895, Tables and Diagrams of Switches and Crossings: A Handy Platelayer's Guide, 3rd edition, Bemrose and Sons, Flangeway clearance, page 22:

The use of a high-temperature gas torch for melting the ice out of the check-rail flangeways, was found to be effective, although somewhat tedious; neglect of this precaution may cause derailment, [...].

1941 April, “Notes and News: Railwaymen and Snow”, in Railway Magazine, page 178:

Insure that ample flangeway is available between the open point of switch and the stock rail; this is controlled by flange width of crane wheels using the track system

1980, United States Department of the Army, Maintenance of Trackage, United States Department of Defense, Chapter 3 Track Structure Elements, Section 3–31. Turnouts and Crossovers, Paragraph 3.31.7.4, pages 3–35:

Available at most hobby shops, this tool allows you to check track gauge, flangeway spacing and width, and many other dimensions.

2004, Jeff Wilson, “Track basics”, in Basic Trackwork for Model Railroaders: The Complete Photo Guide, Kalmbach Publishing, →ISBN, NMRA Standards Gauge, page 14:

(rail transport) The gap in road surfaces, running rails at rails at junctions, etc, that allows the wheel flange of a rail vehicle to pass.


railbus

en-noun

railbus (plural railbuses or railbusses)

They were ruled out as over-engineered and too expensive for mass production, and lost out to Class 141 and '142' railbuses, and then Class 150s.

2023 April 5, “£35,000 needed to save a Class 317 and create rebuilt '210' DMU”, in RAIL, number 980, page 8:

(rail transport) A lightweight passenger railway vehicle, similar in appearance to a bus


platelayer

Instead, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) investigation concluded that the gang were reliant upon hearing the approach of trains - "a common practice among platelayers", Assistant Inspecting Officer JPS Main concluded.

2021 September 22, Dr Mike Esbester, “Trackside safety: a permanent problem”, in RAIL, number 940, page 79:

(rail transport) A railway employee who inspects and maintains the permanent way of a railway installation.


trackman

Drones and helicopters have been in common use by Network Rail for some time, and are a far cry from the days when all inspections were carried out by trackmen reaching remote sites on foot.

2021 November 17, “Network News: Drone success could slash NR track inspection costs”, in RAIL, number 944, page 24:

(US, rail transport) A railway employee who inspects and maintains the permanent way of a railway installation.


DLR

Docklands Light Railway
w:Docklands Light Railway

(rail transport, UK) Initialism of Docklands Light Railway.


TMD

TMD (countable and uncountable, plural TMDs)

traction maintenance depot
w:traction maintenance depot

(rail transport, UK) Initialism of traction maintenance depot.


(UK, rail transport) Initialism of High Speed 1, a high-speed railway between London and the Channel Tunnel.


CHW

(rail transport) The station code of Chai Wan in Hong Kong.


LAK

(rail transport) The station code of Lai King in Hong Kong.


coaching stock

(rail transport, collectively) passenger-carrying railway coaches or (less commonly) multiple units. Contrasted with locomotives, freight wagons and engineering vehicles.


ECS

empty coaching stock
empty coaching stock#English

(rail transport) Initialism of empty coaching stock.


empty coaching stock

(rail transport, attributive) A passenger train movement carried out without passengers on board; usually between a station and a siding or depot. Abbreviated as ECS.


empty coaching stock

(rail transport) A train consisting of empty passenger carriages or one or more empty multiple units. Abbreviated as ECS.


dining car

(rail transport) A carriage on a train that functions as a restaurant.


pointwork

Before long, this box will be installed nearer Grosmont (NYM) level crossing to permit control of the crossing gates (presently hand-worked) and to replace the eight-lever ground frame which currently operates the pointwork.

1979 August, Michael Harris, “A line for all reasons: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway”, in Railway World, page 412:

And for maintenance of pointwork, a six-platform service can be operated whichever throat is under possession.

2020 March 25, William Barter, “HS2: Euston or Old Oak Common?”, in Rail, page 58:

(rail transport) The engineering of sets of points on a railway, tramway, etc.


railway sleeper

railway sleeper (plural railway sleepers)

West's friends were so appalled by the nature of his death that they arranged for a wooden memorial in the churchyard of St Laurence's, constructed aptly from a railway sleeper.

2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Reading (1840)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 56:

(rail transport, chiefly UK) A railroad tie.


Euston

It was replaced by a New Euston, "bold in design and layout and in keeping with a new railway era". Betjeman was unmoved, describing it tersely as "no masterpiece" and noting that its lack of platform seating made it an "inhuman structure" which seemed to ignore passengers.

2023 February 8, Greg Morse, “Crossing the border... by Sleeper”, in RAIL, number 976, page 45:

(rail transport) A large railway station in central London (OS grid ref TQ2982).


under one's own steam

A reference to the operation of a steam engine: see sense 1.

Now the tug no longer moved under her own steam, nor had it been since coming alongside the wall of the central pier. For all vessels must be towed through the lock basins, and towed not by other craft, but by electric locomotives that run alongside, on top of the concrete walls.

1915, Victor Appleton [pseudonym], “Almost an Accident”, in The Moving Picture Boys at Panama: Or Stirring Adventures along the Grand Canal, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 106:

By Tuesday evening the track had been cleared to the three snowbound engines, and the following day, under their own steam, they were moved away; the business of relighting their fires and raising steam in such conditions is better imagined than described.

1941 April, “Notes and News: Railwaymen and Snow”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 178:

(nautical, rail transport) Of the movement of a locomotive or a watercraft: by means of the power of its own engines (originally steam engines), rather than pulled or pushed by another vehicle.


traincrew

This has included, for example, getting French railway driving licences for traincrew, as cross acceptance will cease in a no deal scenario.

2019 October, Rail Freight Group, “Consequences of a no deal Brexit”, in Modern Railways, page 20:

All that is happily a thing of the past, following construction of a new combined engineering and traincrew depot to which some 450 frontline and managerial staff have been transferred.

2021 September 22, “National Rail Awards 2021: Exeter Train Care Depot”, in RAIL, number 940, page 51:

Traincrew management has always been a bit of a black art, rather than a science. The present traincrew difficulties that beset the UK rail industry are neither new nor were they unforeseeable.

2022 November 16, Graham Eccles, “The Rest Day Working saga...”, in RAIL, number 970, page 32:

(rail transport) The crew of employees that operate a railway train.


Northeast Corridor

Northeast Corridor
Northeast megalopolis

(rail transport) Amtrak's rail routes from Washington DC to Boston MA.


Acela

A shortening of Acela Express, from a marketing coinage based on acceleration and excellence.

(US, rail transport) The service mark of Amtrak's high-speed rail service in the Northeast Corridor of the United States.


Amtrak

Coined circa 1971; blend of American + track.

Trains are fuller under Amtrak, but it is thought to be largely because there are fewer trains.

1969, School Mathematics Study Group, Studies in mathematics, volumes 19-20, page 8:

Its pitifully small appropriation of $40 million already gone, Amtrak has asked Congress for another $170 million to keep the trains running through mid-1973.

1971, “Give the trains a chance”, in Life, page 42:

The Amtrak brand revitalization approach represents one of the most ambitious, comprehensive, and systematic experiential marketing approaches I have ever seen.

1999, Bernd Schmitt, Experiential marketing, page 39:

(US, rail transport) A US passenger railway (incorporated as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation).


horsecar

Nothing could well resemble less a typical English street than […] the extraordinary number of omnibuses, horsecars, and other democratic vehicles, […]

1878, Henry James, An International Episode:

(rail transport) A streetcar or tram drawn by a horse.

(rail transport) A freight car designed for transporting horses.


flag stop

All trains stop at all stations, with the exception of a few "local" stations near Mombasa and an odd flag stop or two usually missed by the mails.

1950 April, Timothy H. Cobb, “The Kenya-Uganda Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 263:

(rail transport, US) A train station at which trains stop only on request.


baseplate

Baseplates are inserted between rail and sleeper to measure the dynamic loads which are being imposed; […].

1964 July, “Prince Philip opens the new BR Research Laboratories at Derby”, in Modern Railways, page 24:


pointsman

At their point of origin, constructing these boxes presented railway companies with an attractive proposition: to remove the need for pointsmen and flagmen operating at several ground-level locations around a railway site by housing one or two men in a signal structure.

2021 October 20, Dr Joseph Brennan, “A key part of our diverse railway heritage”, in RAIL, number 942, page 57:

(rail transport) A man in charge of railroad points or switches.

стрелочник

a man in charge of railroad points or switches


doublestack

(rail transport) Involving intermodal containers stacked two units high.


buffet car

A small ornamental panel displayed the Great Central's slogan, "Each Express is Vestibuled and has a Buffet Car attached." The buffet car is now being successfully exploited again by the L.N.E.R., but it is only last May that this facility returned to its parent line after a long absence.

1934 February, B. K. Cooper, “Some Great Central Reflections”, in Railway Magazine, page 83:

(rail transport) A railway carriage in which food and drink can be bought at a counter, and either taken to another carriage or consumed at the seating provided.


restaurant car

One result of this latest increase is the odd situation that a restaurant car dinner costs 6d. more than a Pullman dinner (boat trains excluded).

1959 March, “Talking of Trains: Fewer meals on wheels?”, in Trains Illustrated, page 121:

TfW's [Transport for Wales] Mk 4s [Mk 4 coaches] are due to operate three pairs of workings between Holyhead and Cardiff, with First Class passengers offered complimentary breakfast, lunch or dinner cooked in the restaurant car.

2019 October, Rhodri Clark, “TfW seeks PRM derogation for Class 37 sets”, in Modern Railways, page 87:

Yes, Great Western Railway has a handful of restaurant cars on Mon-Fri, but on most services you'll be lucky to get a sandwich.

2022 November 30, Barry Doe, “Eurostar award demonstrates value of catering”, in RAIL, number 971, page 71: