subject: Glossary Of Rail Terminology - Automobile Key Blanks - Replacement Car Key [print this page] The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page.
Rail transport
Operations
Track
Maintenance
High-speed
Gauge
Stations
Trains
Locomotives
Rolling stock
Railways
History
History by country
Terminology
By country
Accidents
Modelling
This box: viewtalkedit
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term railroad and the international term railway (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the US) is the most obvious difference in rail terminology (see usage of the terms railroad and railway for more information). There are also others, due to the parallel development of rail transport systems in different parts of the world.
Various terms are presented here alphabetically; where a term has multiple names, this is indicated. The note "US" indicates a term peculiar to North America, or "CA" may represent Canada while "UK" refers to terms originating in the British Isles and normally also used in former British colonies outside North America (such as Australia "AU", New Zealand "NZ", etc.). The abbreviation "UIC" refers to standard terms adopted by the International Union of Railways in its official publications and Thesaurus.
Exceptions are noted; terms whose currency is limited to one particular country, region, or railway are also included.
For terminology specific to the types of lines used for passenger trains, see passenger rail terminology.
For terminology specific to Australia, see Glossary of Australian railway terminology.
For terminology specific to the United Kingdom, see Glossary of UK railway terminology.
For terminology specific to North America, see Glossary of North American railroad terminology.
For terminology specific to New Zealand, see Glossary of New Zealand railway terminology
Contents
Top 09 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 Whyte notation or UIC classification
Definitions
Points of Interest
10 wheeler or ten wheeler (US): A steam locomotive with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement.
A
Definitions
Points of Interest
All weather adhesion: locomotive adhesion is the ratio of max available Tractive effort to the weight of the locomotive in all weather conditions.
Air brake: Railroad brakes which operate using compressed air.
Alco: American Locomotive Company - the second largest builder of steam locomotives in the U.S.
Alerter: Similar to the Dead man's switch other than it does not require the operator's constant interaction. Instead an alarm is sounded at a preset interval in which the operator must respond by pressing a button to reset the alarm and the timer. If the operator does not respond within a preset time the brakes are applied. May also be called a 'Watchdog'.
American: A steam locomotive with a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement.
Angel Seat or Angel's Perch: (US) A term often used when referring to the second level seats on a Cupola style caboose.
Annett's key (UK), Annett key (AU): A large key which locks levers or other items of signalling apparatus, serving as a portable form of interlocking. With the key removed from the lock, the lever or apparatus is locked in its position. When the key is turned in the lock, it cannot be removed.
Articulated locomotive: A steam locomotive with one or more engine units that can move relative to the main frame.
Aspect: (UK) The indication displayed by a colour-light signal i.e. a yellow aspect
Atlantic: A steam locomotive with a 4-4-2 wheel arrangement.
A unit (US): A diesel locomotive with a driving cab, or crew compartment, for operating on the road. When equipped with MU, it can control other A units, or B units.
Auto brake A type of fail-safe system that uses air pressure to hold the brakes off so that in the event the air pressure is lost in the brake pipe the brakes will automatically apply.
Auto-brake gauge: A gauge recording the application and pressure of an automatic braking system; usually repeated in the guard's van in historic rolling stock.
Autocoach (UK): A passenger coach fitted with a driving cab and controls for use in an Autotrain (UK).
Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) (US): Automatic tracking system using RFID technology.
Automatic Train Control (ATC)
Automatic train operation (ATO)
Automatic train protection (ATP)
Automatic Warning System (UK): Refers to the specific form of limited cab signalling introduced in 1948 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey warning signals.
Autorack (also called auto carrier) (US): A specialized freight car for transporting automobiles. Car transporter wagon / Car transporter van (UK).
Autotrain (UK): A branch line train consisting of a steam locomotive and passenger carriages that can be driven from either end by means of rodding to the regulator and an additional vacuum brake valve. The fireman remains with the locomotive and, when the driver is at the other end, the fireman controls the cut off and vacuum ejectors in addition to his usual duties. Also: Push-pull train, Motor train (UK).
Auto Train (US): A passenger train service first operated by Auto-Train Corporation and then by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida that carries the passengers' automobiles aboard the same train in autoracks.
An American class steam locomotive
A Cupola style Caboose. Note the Angel Seat above.
An Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) Tag attached to a freight car
A string of TTX Autorack cars in service
Contents
Top 09 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
B
Definitions
Points of Interest
B unit (US): A cabless booster locomotive, controlled via MU from a cab-equipped A unit. Sometimes equipped with limited controls for hostling.
Bacon slicer (UK): Slang term for a cutoff controlled by a wheel operating through a worm and nut, rather than the more usual quadrant lever. The device was slow to operate, but very precise, and therefore only fitted to long-distance locomotives where frequent changes of cut-off were not required.
Bad order: A tag or note applied to a defective piece of equipment. Generally, equipment tagged as bad order is not to be used until repairs are performed and the equipment is inspected and approved for use.
Baldwin: American locomotive manufacturer.
Ballast: aggregate stone, gravel or cinders forming the track bed on which sleepers (ties) and track are laid to ensure stability and proper drainage.
Balloon: A looped length of track, usually at the end of a spur or branch, which allows trains to turn around for the return trip without reversing or shunting. Can be used as part of a freight installation to allow the loading or unloading of bulk materials without the need to stop the train (see merry-go-round train (MGR)).
Bank: A particularly steep section of line that requires additional bank (or banking) engines (US: helper engines) to help trains climb.
Base plate (UK), tie plate (US): An iron or steel plate used to spread the weight of rail over a larger area of sleeper (tie) and facilitate a secure, low maintenance, fastening with bolts or clips. It derives from the former Rail chairs.
Bay platform: A type of platform/track arrangement where the train pulls into a siding, or dead-end, when serving the platform.
Beep: A one-of-a-kind switcher locomotive (also referred to as the SWBLW) built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1970.
Blower: On a steam locomotive, a steam pipe leading into the smokebox, causing necessary draft in the chimney (stack) when the engine is not running. However, UK practice is to turn on the blower also when entering tunnels, etc, to avoid dangerous blow-back into the cab. (The UK loading gauge is much smaller than that in the US and the tunnel roof would otherwise spoil the normal draft created from the exhaust.) On a two-stroke diesel engine, the blower is a mechanical device that scavenges the cylinders: not to be confused with a supercharger.
Bobber: (archaic, US): A slang word for a small caboose with just four wheels, all rigidly mounted to the frame. This design was common in the 1800s. Bobber refers to the bouncing action of such a caboose while in motion.
Bo-Bo (Europe): A locomotive with a 4 wheel per truck configuration, each individually powered, as opposed to a 6-wheel "Co-Co" configuration.
Bogie: The undercarriage assembly incorporating the wheels, suspension, brakes and, in powered units, the traction motors.
Boiler: A cylindrical container adjacent to the firebox in which steam is produced to drive a steam locomotive.
Bonds: Short wires used to bridge gaps in electrical circuits, usually at track circuit joints or between rails.
Booking Clerk: A person at a station whose job is specifically selling tickets.
Boom barrier: A barrier at a level (rail) crossings.
Booster: (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.
Boxcar (US): a type of rolling stock with a flat bottom enclosed on all sides and top, which is loaded and unloaded from sliding doors on each side. Same as van (UK).
Brakeman (US): A train crew member who performs railcar and track management; often a single job description along with switchman ("brakeman/switchman"). A brakeman manually activated brakes on railroad cars before the advent of air brakes.
Brakeman's cabin, brakeman's cab or brakeman's caboose (US): small hut at one end of a railway wagon to protect the brakeman from the elements.
Brake Pipe (US): The main air pipe of the trains pneumatic braking system.
Brake van (UK): A heavy vehicle with powerful brakes which was attached to the rear of goods trains in the days when most wagons were not fitted with a continuous braking system. Its function was to supplement the locomotive's braking power in slowing and stopping the train and to keep the couplings uniformly tight by selective light braking to avoid snatching and breakages. It also conveyed the train guard, hence its alternative name of "guards van". Partly analogous to caboose and its synonyms.
Branch line: A secondary railway line that branches off a main line.
Broad gauge: Track where the rails are spaced more widely apart than 1,435 mm(4 ft8+12in) (which is called standard gauge). Many early railroads were broad gauge, for example the Great Western Railway in the UK which adopted 7 ft 1/4 in (2141mm) gauge until it was converted to standard gauge in the 1860s - 1890s. Russia still has over 80,000km of broad gauge (1520mm or 5 ft) railroads. Broad gauge is also normal in Spain, Portugal, and India (1680mm or 5 ft 6 ins), as well as Ireland and used in some parts of Australia (1600mm or 5 ft 3 ins).
BRUTE: British Rail Universal Trolley Equipment - type of platform trolley found on stations all over the UK rail network from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
Bubble Car: A DMU consisting of a single coach (UK), e.g. British Rail Class 121
Buckeye coupler: A form of coupler which will lock automatically when the two parts are pushed together.
Buck (US): A term used for pushing railroad cars with a locomotive then allowing them to roll under their own momentum into a siding. (Assuming a brakeman hangs on for a free ride) Also; Kick.
Buffer A device that cushions the impact of rail vehicles against each other.
Buffer stop: The barrier installed at the end of a dead end track to prevent rail vehicles from proceeding further.
Bull head rail (UK): A steel rail section commonly used in 60ft lengths on almost all railway lines throughout Britain until c1950, which due to its shape must be supported in cast iron chairs that are screwed to the sleepers. It is still found on secondary and preserved lines and in yards. The rail has two heads (shaped somewhat like a vertical dumbbell) so, when one side became worn, the rail could be inverted and reinstalled for further service rather than being replaced.
Bustitution: The practice of replacing train service, whether light rail, tram/streetcar systems, or full-size railway systems, with a bus service, either on a temporary or permanent basis. Somewhat derogatory and mainly used in the UK, Canada, USA, and Australia. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution".
Boom barriers at a railway crossing in France
A Boxcar (US) Goods van (UK): rolling stock, used to transport freight
BNSF Railway GP60B B Unit
An example of a BNSF Railway bad order repair tag
A "Bobber" 4-wheel caboose of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad preserved at the Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado
Bettendorf-type freight car bogie; note the solid bearings around the ends of the axles.
A CSX cab version of a Diesel-electric Slug' often called a Booster Unit; note the missing radiator and the one piece side panels in lieu of door panels.
Contents
Top 09 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
C
Definitions
Points of Interest
Cabin car (PRR): See caboose.
Cabless: A locomotive without a cab. Commonly referred to as a B unit or a Slug. Although not all Slugs are cabless.
Caboose: A railroad car attached usually to the end of a train, in which railroad workers could ride and monitor track and rolling stock conditions. Partly analogous to brake van (UK). Largely obsolete, having been replaced by the electronic End of Train (EOT) device, or Flashing Rear End Device called "FRED".
Cant: Angle. Can be used in the context of the cant of the track (the relative level one rail to another, e.g. on curves) (UK); and the cant of a rail, being the angle of an individual rail relative to vertical.
Carbody unit or cab unit (US): A locomotive which derives its structural strength from a bridge-truss design framework in the sides and roof, which cover the full width of the locomotive. It refers to both A units and B units.
cape (UK): To note the cancellation of a passenger train service to employees. (From British Railways telegraphic codeword)
Catenary or catenary structure: The overhead wire system used to send electricity to an electric locomotive or multiple unit, tram or light rail vehicle.
Carman (US): A mechanic responsible for maintaining and inspecting the rolling stock.
Centralized traffic control (CTC) (US, AU): A system in which signals and switches for a given area of track are controlled from a centralized location. May or may not be computerized.
Cess (UK): The area either side of the railway immediately off the ballast shoulder. This usually provides a safe area for workers to stand when trains approach.
Chair (UK): A cast iron bracket screwed to the sleeper and used to support bull head rail that is held in place by a wooden key (wedge) or spring steel clip. Still found on preserved railways and in yards.
Ches-C (US): Chessie System's kitten logo.
Chimney (UK): Smokestack or stack (US), or funnel.
Co-Co (EU): A heavier duty locomotive with 6 wheels per bogie (all axles being separately driven) configuration as opposed to a 4-wheel "Bo-Bo" configuration. The correct classification is Co'Co', but Co-Co is used more often.
COFC: Abbreviation for "Container On Flat Car".
Colour light signal: A signal in which the colour of the light(s) determine the meaning of the aspect shown.
Colour position signal: A signaling system that uses both colour and light position to determine the meaning of the aspect shown.
Combined Power Handle: A handle or lever which controls both the throttle and the dynamic braking on the locomotive: forward (away from operator) past center is throttle up, backward (toward operator), past center, operates the dynamic brake.
Composite (UK passenger car): A passenger car with more than one class of accommodation provided, e.g. First and Third. In earlier days of three-class travel, First and Second class, and Second and Third class composites were also built. A car with First, Second and Third classes was also known as a tri-composite.
Compound locomotive: A steam locomotive passing steam through two sets of cylinders. One set uses high pressure steam, then passes the low pressure exhausted steam to the second.
Compromise joint: A special joint bar used to join rail ends of two different cross-sections while holding the top running surface and inside gauge surface even.
Conductor (US), guard (UK): The person "in charge" of a train and its crew. On passenger trains, a conductor is also responsible for tasks such as assisting passengers and collecting tickets. In Australia, both terms are used, "conductor" for the person checking tickets, etc. on a tram or train, and "guard" for the person in charge of the train.
Consist (US), formation (UK): A noun to describe the group of rail vehicles making up a train, or more commonly a group of locomotives connected together for Multiple-Unit (MU) operation.
Continuous welded rail (CWR): In this form of track, the rails are welded together by utilising the thermite reaction or flash butt welding to form one continuous rail that may be several kilometres long.
Control car or Cab car: A passenger coach which has a full set of train controls at one end, allowing for the use of push-pull train operation.
Control Point (CP) (US): An interlocking, or the location of a track signal or other marker with which dispatchers can specify when controlling trains.
Cornfield meet (US): A head-on collision between two trains.
Coupler (US), coupling(UK): Railroad cars in a train are connected by couplers located at the ends of the cars.
Coupling rods or connecting rods: Rods between crank pins on the wheels, transferring power from a driving axle to a driven axle of a locomotive.
Cow and calf: A diesel locomotive with a crew cab permanently coupled to and acting as a controller for a similar slave diesel locomotive without a crew cab, primarily used for switching/shunting duties for large groups of rolling stock. Also known as master and slave, as in the British Rail Class 13 shunters at Tinsley Marshalling Yard.
Cowl unit (US): A locomotive whose sides and roof are non-structural, and cover the full width of the locomotive. Structural strength comes from the underframe.
Crank pin: A pin protruding from a wheel into a main or coupling rod.
Crew driver (US): Person(s) operating ground transportation vehicles for transporting railroad crews to and from various locations.
Crosshead: The pivot between the piston rod and the main rod on a steam locomotive.
Cross-tie (U.S): sleeper (UK): See Railroad tie.
Cut off: A variable device on steam locomotives which closes the steam valve to the steam cylinder before the end of the piston stroke, thus conserving steam while allowing the steam in the cylinder to expand under its own energy. Also: Reverser.
Cutting: A channel dug through a hillside to enable rail track to maintai
