Railroad Terms and Equipment
Contents
- 1 ALCO
- 2 BALDWIN 2-6-0
- 3 BOXCAR
- 4 BRAKEMAN
- 5 CABOOSE
- 6 CONDUCTOR
- 7 CONSIST
- 8 CORNFIELD MEET
- 9 COUPLING
- 10 CUT or CUTS
- 11 DIAMOND
- 12 DISPATCHER
- 13 EMD
- 14 ENGINE SERVICE
- 15 EOT or ETD
- 16 F7-COVERED WAGONS
- 17 FISHPLATE
- 18 FLATCAR, FLAT
- 19 FLYING SWITCH
- 20 F.R.E.D. or FRED
- 21 GEEP
- 22 GONDOLA, GON
- 23 HI-RAILER
- 24 HOGLAWED, HOGLAW, OUTLAWED, OUTLAW
- 25 HOPPER
- 26 ICC, INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION
- 27 MU, MUED
- 28 ORDERS / TRAIN ORDERS
- 29 PASSING TRACK
- 30 PIGGYBACK
- 31 RADIO
- 32 RAILROAD JOB TITLES
- 33 RUNAROUND
- 34 SECTION GANG
- 35 SIGNALS
- 36 SMOKE ORDERS
- 37 SW, NW
- 38 SWITCHMAN
- 39 SWITCHES
- 40 TANK CAR
- 41 TRACTION MOTOR
- 42 TRAIN AIR, AIR BRAKES
- 43 TURN
- 44 VHF
- 45 WYE
ALCO
ALCO -- Slang for engines, both diesel and steam but primarily the former, built by the now-defunct American Locomotive Company. The Wikipedia entry for The American Locomotive Company may be read here: ALCO. ALCO does retain the cachet of being the builder of the largest locomotive used in main line service. It was the "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 articulated steam locomotive that was purpose-built for the Union Pacific railroad and weighed over 600 tons each - plus the seven-axle tender that held 24,000 gallons of water (100 tons by itself) and 28 tons of coal. Only 25 Big Boys were made, and they were used to pull long freights up mountain grades with over 6200 horsepower.
There is a video of the Big Boy here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h36h0uV8g8. It starts with a slide show, and roughly 1:45 into it switches to several videos of it in operation. Unfortunately the video does not show the articulated engine feature - the locomotive had two separate 8-wheel drive wheel units on a single double-length boiler, and the boiler and cab was attached to the rear power unit. Both the front truck and the front drive wheel unit were connected to the frame by gigantic traveling kingpins. On a turn the front truck and the front drive wheel unit could follow the curve, with the boiler swinging outwards above the front truck and the front power unit.
The wikipedia page is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_Big_Boy, complete with several photos.
BALDWIN 2-6-0
BALDWIN 2-6-0 -- Also known as a Mogul.
The 9608 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Company. It has 2 unpowered wheels (1 axle) in front to help with guiding the locomotive on the tracks, 6 driving wheels (3 axles) under the main part of the engine, and no trailing wheels under the cab. Small for a steam engine, in its day mostly used for local freights.
Here is a link to a video of a 2-6-0 in action: Baldwin 2-6-0.
There is also a good page about a restored and working 2-6-0 at this link: MCRR.
It is essential that we include Wikipedia's page about the engine class.
BOXCAR
The bread and butter foundation of any railroad is the box car. Box cars were some of the first freight cars built. Over the years they have been adapted to haul most anything, grain bagged or loose (add a grain door), fruit (Reefer Box Cars), appliances, Model T Fords, Fordson Tractors paint, coal, animals (Stock Cars). If there were no Box Cars there would be no Railroads.
References to many types of railcars may be found at these links. Freight Cars & Railroad Car
BRAKEMAN
BRAKEMAN -- The crewman who manages the cars and switching while the train is under way. On some roads he may be called a "brakeman / switchman". In the days before modern compressed air charged braking systems the brakeman ran along the top of the cars spinning the round brake wheels that set or released the mechanical brakes. the Wikipedia article may be read here: Brakeman.
CABOOSE
CABOOSE -- Also crummy, crumbbox, way car, and others. Obsolescent at the time of this story, and obsolete today. In its day the caboose provided a conductor's office, a mobile kitchen, bunkhouse and crew quarters on a train, and provided a place to mount a red warning light at the back of a train.
Through the years there were many types of cabooses on many different railroads. The Wikipedia article on the caboose gives a good history with pictures and can be read here: Caboose.
References to many types of railcars may be found at these links. Freight Cars & Railroad Car
CONDUCTOR
CONDUCTOR -- The railroad employee with primary responsibility for a train when underway. He tells the engineer how fast to run, where to pause to let other traffic pass and is responsible for the correct switching of any rolling stock during his shift. On the C&SL the engineer performs this function in addition to physically running the engines. On larger roads like the D&O he would be a separate crewman. On modern day rail lines the conductor essentially "owns" the train, and is fully responsible for it. The Wikipedia entries for conductor may be found here Conductor and Freight Conductor.
CONSIST
CONSIST -- A manufactured noun used only in the railroad world. It is the group of cars that the train consists of. In common usage it refers to a "road ready" set of equipment (engine & cars). In the pre-computer era the term could also be used as the name of the paperwork describing the group of cars making up a particular train. It was generally a set of pages in the Train Orders (see that entry). In some situations it was also used to specify the set of power (engines) assigned to a train.
CORNFIELD MEET
CORNFIELD MEET -- Head on collision between two locomotives with or without trains attached. Cornfield Meet
COUPLING
COUPLING -- The mechanism that joins two train cars together, or the act of joining. There is a good article with illustrations here Coupling.
CUT or CUTS
CUT or CUTS -- Refers to either an excavation or a group of rail cars being switched.
The first usage is a place where a railroad or road is routed through an elevated area by way of "cutting" the roadbed through the area. This kind of cut through looks somewhat like a flat bottomed V. A cut can also appear to be a trench cut through a hill.
The second usage is when a group of rail cars being switched. Moving them in "three cuts" means breaking apart a single group (cut) of cars into three separate groups, then moving each "cut" to a new location and then re-assembling them into a single group (cut).
DIAMOND
The location where two separate sets of tracks cross each other without merging. The name comes from the fact that the center of the crossing resembles a diamond.
DISPATCHER
DISPATCHER -- The Dispatcher controls all train movement of any kind on the section of trackage or division for which he is responsible. On the C&SL there is no one specifically assigned as dispatcher. That function is largely part of Bud's job or in later books Josh assumes that responsibility. A good article can be found here Dispatcher.
EMD
EMD --Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (formerly the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors) is one of the largest builders of diesel-electric locomotives. The reliability and economy of their locomotives essentially brought about the end of the steam era. There are many places to research EMD but a good place to start is this Wikipedia link, EMD.
ENGINE SERVICE
ENGINE SERVICE -- On the C&SL the term "engine service" refers to being promoted to the post of engineer and being placed on the roster of qualified engineers. On the C&SL as on some other short line railroads the engineer acts as conductor as well as engineer.
EOT or ETD
EOT -- End of Train, "F.R.E.D." or "FRED" (Flashing Rear End Device), the high tech replacement for the caboose. Can also be known as an EOT (End Of Train) or an ETD (End of Train Device). As well as giving warning (via a big bright red flashing light) to following equipment that there is a train under orders in front of them it also sends information via an internal radio transmitter about train conditions to the front locomotive, primarily brake line air pressure. More recently the FRED has a radio receiver as well, and in a panic stop situation a specially coded radio signal (from the engineer) can dump the air brake pressure from the rear end (dumping air from both ends of the train allows faster brake application). See the Wikipedia article on the FRED.
F7-COVERED WAGONS
F7-Covered Wagons --An early EMD diesel electric locomotive set. It was the series largely responsible for the demise of steam. Links to Wikipedia entries about these engines are here, F7 and F unit.
FISHPLATE
FISHPLATE -- Flat metal plate that joins two rails, usually bolted.
Today, most rails on more heavily trafficked track are welded together without fish plates.
FLATCAR, FLAT
FLATCAR, FLAT -- An open car without sides used for hauling vehicles, containers, trailers, large items.
References to many types of railcars may be found at these links.
In The Birdwatcher Hill Fire" Joe tries to load some fire equipment onto bulkhead flats.
This picture of a loaded bulkhead flat will illustrate the problems that were encountered.
FLYING SWITCH
FLYING SWITCH -- A "flying switch" is a method of switching rail cars at speed. While traveling down the track at sufficient speed for the cars to roll free onto the siding the brakeman "breaks" the coupling (the engineer usually has to bump the throttle to help the coupling break) and then signals the engineer that the coupling is open. The engineer then accelerates so that the consist can pass the switch leaving the brakeman time to jump off of the last car and then throw the switch so that the free wheeling cars pass onto the siding. While the cars being switched are clearing the main track the engineer brings the consist to a halt and reverses so that the brakeman can climb back aboard. The engineer must time things so that the consist is not back at the switch before the cars being switched have cleared the switch and the brakeman has had time to reline the switch for the main track. The engineer and brakeman must coordinate things so that the switch is always lined the proper way for each part of the maneuver otherwise there could be a derailment. This maneuver is very dangerous and it is quite easy for a crewman to be seriously injured or killed. Over the years some switching maneuvers that are not as complicated or that use some parts of the above description have also been called a "flying switch".
F.R.E.D. or FRED
See EOT above.
GEEP
GEEP -- Slang for "GP", the General Motors Electromotive "General Purpose" series of locomotives. All have 4 axles; newer ones, such as the GP-60, have considerably more power. For more information on the EMD locomotives go to this link: EMD.
GONDOLA, GON
GONDOLA, GON -- Open, low sided car used for hauling a variety of materials. A gondola car may or may not have a tarp cover, depending on the load (loose sand would have a tarp, chunk coal probably wouldn't). References to many types of railcars may be found at these links. Freight Cars & Railroad Car
HI-RAILER
Hi-Railer -- A slang term used by railroaders to refer to any motorized vehicle that has been converted to run on rails as well as roads. There are Hi-Railer pickup trucks, automobiles, crane trucks, and more. Here is a link to a good article about Hi-Railers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road-rail_vehicle
HOGLAWED, HOGLAW, OUTLAWED, OUTLAW
HOGLAWED -- Slang term that means that a train crew has reached the federally mandated "hours of service" limit (from 1907 until 1971 it was 16 hours, then 14 hours until 1973, now it's 12 hours). Other terms were used in other parts of the country and on different railroads. One is "outlaw" or "outlawed" as the crew is out of service due to the law. Two others are "dead", as in the crew is dead, and "dead on the law".
The slang term comes from the 1907 "hog law" (which was also known as the Pure Food Law) that mandated that a train that carried any livestock (not just hogs) had to stop, remove the stock to an on-the-ground holding pen, where they'd be fed, watered, and allowed to rest before the train proceeded. At that time railroad workers didn't have such limits . . . After the livestock law was passed the railroad workers started lobbying for their own "Hog Law".
One of the complaints that accelerated the formation of unions in the nations railroads was that the livestock (the hogs) were treated better than the rail crew members.
Simply stated the 1907 Hours of Service Act (HSA) prohibited working more than 16 consecutive hours in a 24 hr period. After working the 16 hours the employees must have at least 8 or 10 hours rest time depending on circumstances (see the 975 F.2d 1421 citation below).
From the point of view of the railroad crew the HSA states that when a crew is overtaken on the road by the hours-of-service limit they are required to stop the train they are operating and lock the brakes. Railroad schedules are set up so that crew changes are normally done at railroad facilities, but sometimes there are delays. In these cases it is not unusual for the replacement crew to be driven to, Hi-Railed to, or even flown in a helicopter out to the "dead" (parked) train and the "dead" crew brought back. Once the replacement (fresh) crew takes over the train they can unlock the brakes and put the train back in service.
A brief summary of the current USA "hours of service" limits is here: http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/Hours%20of%20Service%20FINAL%20092208doc.pdf and
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_05/49cfr228_05.html.
In 1992 the law was modified again - it now states that any time spent travelling to and from the train does not count as part of the rest time. See this 975 F.2d 1421 court case.
HOPPER
HOPPER -- Enclosed car used for hauling bulk material, such as grain, fertilizer, or any other material that needs protection from the elements. Gondola cars are sometimes refered to as open hopper cars. Again, there may or may not be a tarp cover. References to many types of railcars may be found at these links. Freight Cars & Railroad Car
ICC, INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION
ICC, INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION and the subsidiary Federal Railroad Administration -- the Federal agency that oversees railroad operating rules.
MU, MUED
Multiple-unit train control Method used to control multiple power units/engines using one set of controls. Most locomotive engines in North America come set up to the "AAR" (American Association of Railroads) standards. Some early diesel electric equipment was built before the standards were adapted necessitating an engineer in each engine as described in "Snow Plow Extra".
ORDERS / TRAIN ORDERS
ORDERS / TRAIN ORDERS -- The name of the system by which North American railroads control train operation. A train was not allowed out of the marshaling yard or station unless it was "under orders". The paper used was thin, and the orders were sometimes called "flimsies".
The once common paper system has been largely replaced by electronic, computer and radio controlled systems. The Wikipedia article may be found here, Train Orders. Another article, with links to photos, can be found here: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/entry.php?2407-Flimsies!-(Train-Orders).
There was a railfan publication called "Flimsies", now defunct. Details on it and others are here: http://utahrails.net/western-railfan-pubs.php.
PASSING TRACK
PASSING TRACK -- A passing track is a section of track the is parallel to the main line with switches at both ends to tie it into the main line. To use it the train being passed pulls onto the passing track. The switches are relined for the main line. The train then waits until the train with "right of way" has passed. The leading switch is then thrown and the train pulls back onto the main line. The switch is then relined for the main line and the train continues. Many times an incorrectly set switch or a train not completely clear of the main line will cause an accident. Wikipedia has a good article on this topic vis this link Passing Track.
PIGGYBACK
PIGGYBACK -- Loading trailers or shipboard containers on flat cars for delivery. The method of piggybacking vehicles used in the book Snowplow Extra is primitive; virtually all loading and unloading today is done by crane. Most railroad histories credit The Chicago Great Western Railroad as being the first to offer full piggy-back service starting in 1936.
While that is true the first common use of the technique was pioneered by the great circuses of the United States. History books state that P. T. Barnum pioneered this usage over fifty years earlier in 1872. It has been reported that that the German High Command studied the American circus system prior to World War I to learn how to quickly move their troops and vehicles. Circuses needed to load and unload a lot of equipment and performers (including animals) in a short time and that requirement led to them being the first great user of the piggy-back system. Circuses would drive on one end and head first off the other making loading and unloading as simple as possible. Most of the circus transportation departments owned their own rail flats which were designed and built to fit specific needs. They carried their own ramps and could load or unload anywhere and onto rail platforms or directly onto the ground. In the days of the great circus parade the flats were loaded and unloaded using horses and elephants. The Ringling organization continued to use this system until it's demise over a hundred years later although at the end unloading power was supplied by diesel tractors.
A good Wikipedia article on this topic may be found here: Intermodal.
RADIO
Police, fire, ambulance, business, etc. radios operate in multiple frequency ranges. Railroad radios operate in a segment of the frequency range commonly called VHF (short for Very High Frequency), which is generally considered to run from roughly 100 MHz to 175 MHz. VHF radio is line-of-sight only, and Wes used this fact to add to the story complexity. Snowplow Extra is set long before cell phones!
Most land mobile (which includes railroad) and marine mobile radios operate in Push-to-Talk ("PTT") mode, where the user presses a button (usually on the microphone or handset) and holds it for as long as he is transmitting (speaking). When he is done he releases the button. The radio changes modes from receiving to transmitting and back based on the PTT button. In other words, unlike a cellphone or a wired phone you can't be interrupted - you can't hear while you are talking.
Since the early 1950s there have been 92 frequencies set aside for the exclusive use by the railroads in the USA (96 in Canada). The railroad channels are in the range of 161 to 162 MHz and coordinated and assigned by a radio group within the Association of American Railroads. A list of "the AAR Channels" is here: http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=7747. Any police radio scanner made in the last 20 years can hear them, and they can be interesting to listen to. The railroads also use a few frequencies in the 453 MHz and 458 MHz UHF (ultra high frequency) range as well (including for FREDs). Update as of 1-1-2013: The radio frequencies have been "split" with a new frequency assigned in between each original frequency. This is visible on the frequency list, for example channel 107 was added in between 007 and 008. The new frequencies just starting to come into use. Altamont Press company (see http://www.altamontpress.com publishes a series of timetable books for railfans and the books include frequency assignments for each area covered.
RAILROAD JOB TITLES
RAILROAD JOB TITLES -- Since there are so many different types of jobs on a railroad this Wikipedia link should help Job Titles.
RUNAROUND
A 'RUNAROUND is a switching move, usually using a passing track, that moves the locomotive from one end of the train to the other.
SECTION GANG
SECTION GANG -- The crew that maintains the railroad rails and roadbed.
SIGNALS
SIGNALS -- The highly specialized system of lights, semaphore arms or electronic transmissions used to control train movement between dispatch centers. These include the "block signals" that tell an engineer if the section of track he's approaching is occupied or not. There is a good article here, Signals.
SMOKE ORDERS
SMOKE ORDERS -- When there are no written orders from dispatch or any form of signals trains are said to be running on "Smoke Orders". It comes from the days of steam when the crew always looked for the smoke from other approaching trains. This was a dangerous practice which led to many accidents.
SW, NW
SW, NW -- Designation of various older models of Electromotive switch engines. NWs are basically pre-WWII; SWs date from the late 40s and 1950s. For more information on the EMD locomotives go to this link: EMD.
SWITCHMAN
SWITCHMAN -- Also known as yardman. Is responsible for the correct operation of the switches to place the train and rolling stock where they are supposed to be for storage, delivery or for use. On the C&SL this duty is performed by and is the responsibility of the brakeman.
SWITCHES
SWITCHES -- The mechanism that allows trains to change tracks. Called "turnouts" by modelers. In Britain they are usually called "Points". There is a good article here with illustrations. Railroad Switch
TANK CAR
TANK CAR -- A rail car designed to carry any type of liquid or pressurized gas. The earliest tank cars were literally a flat car with open top tanks. Most modern tank cars are owned by the industries that use them or by specialized leasing companies. References to many types of railcars may be found at these links. Freight Cars & Railroad Car. The Wikipedia page on tank cars may be found here Tank Car.
TRACTION MOTOR
TRACTION MOTOR -- Railroad engines use diesel power to run an electrical generator, and the electric power runs electric traction motors, which are mounted down at or near the axles, exactly where depends on the type. The "throttle" is essentially an electrical power control first, and a diesel engine speed control second. Though indirect, this system allows train engines to pull very hard from a dead stop due to the characteristic that an electric motor has just as much torque at a dead stop as it does at full speed. Here you will find 2 articles on Diesel Electric and Gas Turbine Electric locomotives.
TRAIN AIR, AIR BRAKES
TRAIN AIR, AIR BRAKES -- Train brakes work by positive air pressure. They are defaulted to the "brakes on" position by incredibly strong springs located at each braking axle. Compressed air is used to operate the brake release mechanism. Air pressure needs to be pumped up by dedicated compressors in the locomotive and fed through hoses connecting to the first car, which connects to the second car, which connects to... It can take a while for the locomotive air compressors to "pump up" the train air pressure and release all of the brakes, allowing the train to move. The more cars and brakes there are the longer it takes. Any air leak in the string of cars just adds to the problems. This link leads to a good article on Train Air Brakes: Railroad Air Brakes
TURN
TURN -- A train that starts a run out of a location and returns to the starting location during the same work shift.
VHF
VHF -- Very High Frequency radio, similar to police, fire and ambulance radios but the railroad radios operate in a slightly different and reserved frequency range. See "Radio" above for more details.
WYE
WYE -- A Wye in railroad terms is an arrangement of three sections of track and three switches that allows a train to reverse the direction in which it is headed. A good article on this is available with pictures and diagrams on Wikipedia via this link WYE.
