Rail terminology

Rail transport

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Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the mainly American term "railroad" and the mainly British term "railway" is the most obvious trans-Atlantic difference in rail terminology. (see usage of the terms railroad and railway for more information). There are also several others, caused by the parallel development of rail transport systems on both sides of the Atlantic. Various terms here are presented alphabetically, where a term has multiple names this is indicated. The note "US" indicates a term originating on the American continent, while "UK" refers to terms originating in the British Isles/Europe.

Table of contents: 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

0-9

Note: for 4-4-0, 2-6-4T, 0-4-4-0, etc. see wheel arrangement

10 wheeler (US): locomotive with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement

A

American: locomotive with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement
Atlantic: locomotive with a 4-4-2 wheel arrangement

B

B unit (US): a cabless booster locomotive, controlled via MU from a cab-equipped lead unit.

ballast (UK): aggregate stone, gravel or cinders forming the track-bed on which sleepers (ties) and track is laid, for proper drainage
bay platform: a type of platform/track arrangement where the train pulls into a siding, or dead-end, when serving the platform.
bogie (UK): truck (US)
boiler
booster (US): (steam locomotive) An extra set of cylinders that can be engaged to drive a trailing truck or tender truck to give additional tractive effort at starting and low speeds; (diesel locomotive) a cabless B unit
boxcar (US): van (UK)
brake van (UK): caboose (US), cabin car (PRR only)

C

caboose (US): brake van (UK)
cant: angle. Can be used in the context of the cant of the rail track (the relative level one rail with another); and the cant of a rail, being the angle of that single rail relative to the perpendicular.
cess (UK): a narrow strip of land (usually with cables and often with a walkway) between the edge of the outermost track and the start of non-railway land. Shortened from access.
chimney (UK): smokestack or stack (US)
compound engine: An articulated steam locomotive passing the output steam through two engines. One engine used high-pressure steam and passed the "low-pressure" steam on to the second. Attributed to Anatole Mallet.
conductor (US): guard (UK)
cylinder

D

diesel multiple unit or DMU: a set of diesel-powered self-propelling passenger rail vehicles usually able to operate in multiple with other such sets. Such units, especially those consisting of a single vehicle, are sometimes termed railcars.
driver (UK): Engineer (US)
driving van trailer or DVT: a special end carriage from which the train can be driven in reverse for push-pull operation.

E

electric multiple unit or EMU: a set of electrically powered self-propelling passenger rail vehicles usually able to operate in multiple with other such sets
engineer (US): driver, engine driver, train driver (UK)

F

Fairlie: type of articulated locomotive
fettle, fettling: making repairs to rail track, especially concerned with maintaining the drainage of the ballast, and the proper cant of the rail track and rails.
firebox
four foot the part of the line between a pair of running rails. An abbreviation of four foot, eight-and-a-half-inches. See also six foot and ten foot.
Free-mo: type of modular layout in model railroading
funnel (this is a Thomas the Tank Engine misnomer, for a chimney (UK), smokestack (US).

G

Garratt: type of articulated locomotive
gauge: the width of gap between the rails on either side of the road.
guard (UK): conductor (US)

H

head-end power or HEP: A scheme whereby the locomotive engine (rather than a separate generator) provides power to carriages.
hotel power (slang, US): That power used to provide for the comfort of passengers aboard a train en-route. See "HEP" above.

I

injector

island platform: a type of platform/track arrangement whereby a platform or platforms are entirely isolated from the main station by track running on either side of the platform area.

J

K

L

loop (rail) (UK), siding (US): used on single-track railway lines, a loop is a second parallel set of tracks (running for a short distance), allowing two trains to pass by one another.

M

Mallet: type of articulated locomotive designed by Anatole Mallet ("Mallee"). See "Compound Engine" above.

Mogul: locomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel arrangement
Multiple unit (UK): A self-propelled rail vehicle which can be joined with multiple compatible others and controlled from a single driving station. The sub-classes of this type of vehicle; Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) and Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) are more common terms. These may also be termed railcars.
Multiple unit (US): Generally seen as the abbreviation MU, this normally refers to the ability of most North American diesel and electric locomotives to be joined together and controlled from one driving station. Such a set of joined locomotives are called a consist or (colloquially) "lash-up" and are said to be "MUed together".

N

O

P

Pacific: locomotive with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement''
points (UK): switch (US)
pony truck:
Prairie: locomotive with a 2-6-2 or 2-6-2T wheel arrangement
push-pull: a mode of operation whereby a train may be driven in either direction without necessitating the locomotive to be at the forward end of the train.

Q

R

railcar: another term for Diesel Multiple Unit - DMU
railroad (US): railway (UK)
railway station (UK): train station (US)

S

saddle tank: type of tank locomotive water tank.
shunter (UK): switcher (USA) or shifter (PRR only)
side tank: type of water tank.
siding: a section of track off the main line used for storing rolling stock or freight. In the US the term is also used to cover the British term: loop.
six foot the part of the line between a pair of closely-spaced tracks, and the most dangerous place to stand. So called because it measures about six feet. The boundary between the six foot (dangerous) and the ten foot (safe) is blurred, and can only be definitely determined by standing there: if you get struck by a train, it was a six foot: if you don't then it's a ten foot. See also four foot and ten foot.
smokestack (USA): chimney (UK)
switch (US): points (UK)
switcher (USA), shunter (UK)

T

ten foot: the part of the line between a pair of widely-spaced tracks, wide enough to form a place of safety in which railwaymen can stand while a train goes past. So called because it is usually wider than this distance. See also four foot and six foot.

ten-wheeler (US): locomotive with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement
through platform: the standard platform and track arrangement at a station. The train pulls alongside the platform, arriving from one end of the station, and may pass out the other side of the station by continuing along the same track.
truck (US): bogie (UK)

U

union station or union terminal

V

van (UK): boxcar (US)

W

well tank: type of tank locomotive water tank
Whyte System: system of describing steam locomotive wheel arrangements, ie. "4-6-4", 2-10-2, etc. The first number indicates the "pilot" wheels that help lead the engine into turns. The second in the number of powered wheels ("drivers"). Third are the trailing idler wheels, usually to provide support to larger fireboxes.
Wheel tapper: historical railway occupation; people employed to tap train wheels with hammers, with a view to listening to the sound made so as to determine the integrity of the wheel; cracked wheels, like cracked bells, do not sound the same as their integral counterparts. The job was associated with the steam age, and is an early form of acoustic investigation. Contemporary planned maintenance procedures have obviated need for the wheel-tapper.