Railroad Terms 2

K

KE: (Kinematic Envelope) The outline of the space beside and above the track that must be kept clear of obstructions for the train to pass. This can be larger than the static clearance around an unmoving engine or car.

L

Lantern (US): A portable (often handheld) light source that is used to signal train crews. Lamp (UK).
Leaner (US): (slang) A car in which the load has shifted, or it has been improperly loaded, or a mechanical failure has occurred that causes the car to lean to one side. This could potentially cause a collision or derailment.
Level crossing The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing) is a crossing on one level ("at-grade intersection") — without recourse to a bridge or tunnel — generally of a railway line by a road or path, but sometimes used for a crossing by (not a junction with) another railroad.
Light engine: A locomotive travelling without cars attached except perhaps a caboose (brake van).
Light rail: A city-based rail system that typically shares its operational space with other vehicles (e.g. automobiles) and often runs on, across or down the center of city streets. Light rail vehicles (LRV) generally have a top speed of around 60 mph (100 km/h) though mostly operating at much lower speeds, more akin to road vehicles. Light rail vehicles usually run on trackage that weighs less per foot (due to a smaller track profile) than the tracks used for main-line freight trains; thus they are "light rail" due to the smaller rails usually used.

Mainline or Main line: The principal artery of a railway system.
Main rod (US): The drive rod connecting the crosshead to a driving-wheel or axle in a steam locomotive. Connecting rod (UK).
Maintenance of way (US): The maintenance of railroad rights of way, including track. Often abbreviated to MOW (as in MOW car).
Mallet (pronounced "mallay"): type of articulated locomotive designed by Anatole Mallet. See "Compound Engine" above.
MLW: Montreal Locomotive Works, bought by Bombardier and closed.
Mogul: A steam locomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel arrangement.

N
*narrow gauge: Railroad track where the rails are spaced less than 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) apart.[42] There are many common gauges narrower than standard, amongst them 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm) widely in Africa and Asia; 3 ft (914 mm), which was the most common narrow gauge in the U.S.; and 2 ft (600 mm), which saw widespread use in the UK. Meter gauge (1000 mm) is also been used. Narrow-gauge lines are often found in mountainous terrain where the cost savings of building a smaller railroad can be considerable.

P

Pacific: A steam locomotive with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement.
Pannier tank: A tank locomotive with the water tanks mounted on the boiler like panniers.
Pantograph: An arm to pick up current from overhead lines.
Per diem: A fee paid by a rail company to the owner of a car (US) (wagon (UK)) for the time it spends on the company's property; also an authorized living expense payment for some workers forced away from their home terminal. Pronounced by some U.S. railroaders per die-um, not per dee-um.
PICOP (UK): Person In Charge Of Possession – the railway or contractor's official responsible for safe working during engineer's possession.
Piston: The moving component in the cylinder of a steam engine or internal combustion engine that translates into motion the force exerted by pressurised steam or exploding fuel.
Porter: A Porter had various roles: A Baggage Porter assisted with luggage; an Operating Porter assisted with Safeworking duties; a Station Porter assisted with general station duties and a Lad Porter was a junior Station Porter.
Position light signal: A signal in which the position of the lights determine the meaning of the aspect shown.
Pound (rail): Term describing the weight (and thus the cross section) of a length of rail. A heavier rail can carry heavier loads with less distortion and less damage to the rails themselves and the roadbed.
Power: A slang term referring to a locomotive or group of connected (MU'd) locomotives serving as the motive power for a train (as in "the hostler brought the power to the service pit.")
Prairie: A steam locomotive with a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement.
Push-pull: A mode of operation whereby a locomotive-hauled train may be driven with the locomotive at the front, middle or back of the train. Also: Auto train (UK), above. See Top and tail for train with locomotives at both front and back.

Railbus: A DMU the size of a bus, sometimes made using bus components.
Railcar: A powered passenger car.
Railfan: A hobbyist or enthusiast of trains (q.v. "Foamer").
Rail grinder: a machine used to remove irregularities in the surface of the rails. May be self powered or part of a consist.
Reefer: A refrigerated railcar, used to transport perishable goods.
Rent-a-Wreck (slang, U.S.): A (usually old) locomotive owned by a leasing company.
Reporting mark: A two- to four-letter code, assigned by the Association of American Railroads, that is applied to equipment operating on North American railroads to identify the owner.
Reverser or Reverser handle: See Cut off, above. The handle that controls the directional control on a locomotive.
Ribbon Rail: Continuously welded rail.
Right-side failure: A failure in a signalling system which leaves the system in a safe condition.
Rolling stock: (UK) A railroad vehicle that is not a locomotive; 'railroad car'. (US) Any railroad car and/or locomotive.
Rookie: See Trainee.

Side tank: A tank locomotive with water tanks mounted each side of the boiler.
Siding: A section of track off the main line. Sidings are often used for storing rolling stock or freight. A sidiing is also used as a form of rail access for warehouses and other businesses, where the siding will often meet up with loading docks at rail car height in the building. In the U.S. the term is also used to cover the British term: loop. Also, a passing track in the U.S.
Signal: A device that indicates to the driver of a train information about the line ahead.
Signal aspect: The information conveyed to a railroad vehicle operator by a block signal. Signals may use colored lights, position-significant lights or mechanical semaphores to generate various aspects.
Signal box: A building or room which houses signal levers (usually in a frame), a control panel or a VDU-based control system.
Signal Passed At Danger or SPAD (UK): where a train disobeys a stop signal.
Signalman: A person in charge of the signalling at a station or junction, often in a Signal-box.
Six-foot: The narrow corridor between a pair of closely-spaced tracks, nominally six feet wide. See also four-foot and ten-foot.
Smokebox: An enclosed (normally cylindrical) space attached to the end of the boiler opposite the firebox on a steam locomotive (normally the front). Supports the stack/chimney; steam pipes to and from the cylinders pass through here; contains the blastpipe/exhaust nozzle where the exhaust steam is used to provide draft for the fire. In superheated locomotives, also contains the superheater header and (optionally) a front-end throttle. A smokebox door allows access for cleaning.
Smokestack (abbr. stack) (US): chimney (UK).
Speeder (US): A small vehicle used to let track inspectors and work crews move quickly to and from work sites. (Obsolete) Speeders have mostly been replaced by trucks and SUVs with retractable flanged wheels.
Spike: A bolt, pin or nail used to hold rails, or plates connected to the rails (known as tie plates), to sleepers (ties).
Spur (US): A stretch of rail that branches off the main line. Different from a siding or stub, spurs can be miles in length, and usually have only one destination at the end.
SPURT (India): An acronym for Self Propelled Ultrasonic Rail Testing, a self-propelled rail defect detector car.[53]
Staff and ticket: A method of safeworking involving a token.
Standard gauge: Railroad track where the rails are spaced 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) apart. This is by far the most common gauge of railway worldwide.
Superheater: A device in a steam locomotive that raises the temperature of saturated steam substantially beyond the boiling point of water, increasing power and efficiency.
Switch (US): points (UK). Also "turnout".
Switcher (US), shunter (UK): A small locomotive used for assembling trains and moving railroad cars around.

Switchman: A railroad worker responsible for assembling trains and switching railroad cars in a yard; now often used together with brakeman as a single job description ("brakeman/switchman").

Tank engine (UK): A locomotive that carries its own fuel and water instead of hauling a tender. The fuel is usually in a bunker behind the cab and the water in tanks on either side of, above, or below the boiler (respectively: side tank, saddle tank, well tank).
Team track: A spur or siding for loading freight, often used by firms not having their own direct rail access.
Ten-foot: An area, usually at least ten feet wide, between a pair of widely-spaced tracks, wide enough to form a place of safety in which railway workers can stand while a train goes past. See also four-foot and six-foot.
Tie (US): sleeper (UK): A rectangular object used as a base for railroad tracks.
Tie plate: A plate which is bolted to sleepers, holding the rails in place.
water storage tanks were required).
Trackage rights (US): The legal right of one railroad company to use the tracks of another, as agreed to by the companies concerned or their predecessors; may also be ordered by government regulators, for example, as a condition of a merger. Running powers (UK).
Track circuit: An electrical device for proving that a section of track is clear of vehicles, and used in the signalling logic.

Vacuum brake A continuous train brake which is fail-safe in operation: the brake is powered by a vacuum from the locomotive but the application is actually by atmospheric pressure when the vacuum is released. Now largely superseded by the air brake.
(goods) Van (UK), boxcar (US): An enclosed railroad car, or piece of rolling stock, used to transport freight.
Van (CA): slang word for caboose.

Water glass/gauge: A device showing the level of water in the boiler.
Way car: A term used by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Chicago and North Western Railway and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway instead of caboose.
Wheel: The rolling component typically pressed onto an axle and mounted on a rail car or locomotive truck or bogie. Wheels are cast or forged (wrought) and are heat treated to have a specific hardness. New wheels are trued to a specific profile before being pressed onto an axle. All wheel profiles need to be periodically monitored to insure proper wheel to rail interface. Improperly trued wheels increase rolling resistance, reduce energy efficiency and may create unsafe operation. A railroad wheel typically consists of two main parts: the wheel itself, and the tire around the outside. A rail tire is itself steel, and is typically heated and pressed onto the wheel, where it remains firmly as it shrinks and cools.
Wheel Climb: The process of a wheel climbing up and often off the inside or gauge side of the rail. It is a major source of derailments. Wheel climb is more likely to occur in curves with wheels whose flanges are worn or have improper angles. See Rail adhesion.
Wheel Flange: The inner section of a wheel that rides between the two rails. The angle between the wheel tread and flange is often specific to the rail to prevent wheel climb and possible derailments.See Rail adhesion. The wheel flange is part of the wheel tire.
Wheel slip: The loss of traction due to a slippery rail or wheel. Wheel slip was common with steam engines as they started to move due to the excessive torque often generated at low speed. Steam engines carried sand dispensing gear to increase traction at the start of motion.
Wigwag: A Level or Grade Crossing Warning Signal consisting of a swinging disc facing road traffic with a red light in the centre. The disc normally hangs straight down, but an approaching train will set it swinging from side to side, the red light will illuminate or flash and a bell will ring.
Wrong-side failure: A failure in a signalling system that leaves the system in a dangerous condition.
Wye (US), triangle (UK): Three railroad tracks in a triangular form with switches at all three corners. With sufficient lengths of track leading away in all three directions, a wye can turn a train of any length

Train Fans Web