Railroading

Start here: ten words every newcomer needs

Overheard on the job

Real-sounding lines from the floor, translated into plain English.

• Hogger put it in the big hole at the crossing and we broke a knuckle forty deep.

  TranslationThe engineer made an emergency brake application at a grade crossing, and the slack forces broke a coupler on the 40th car, so the train is split and needs repair before it can move.

• We're in the hole at Elm for a hotshot and a stack train, and we die on the law at 1400.

  TranslationThe train is waiting in the siding at Elm for two high-priority intermodal trains to pass, and the crew runs out of legal working hours at 2 p.m.

• Lace 'em up, give me a set and release, and I'll walk the rear forty for the air test.

  TranslationConnect the air hoses between the cars, apply and then release the brakes, and the conductor will walk the last 40 cars to confirm their brakes apply and release.

• Cut behind the tenth, kick five into 6 and shove the rest into 8, that'll do at the clearance point.

  TranslationUncouple after the tenth car, send five cars rolling free into track 6, push the remaining cars into track 8, and stop when they reach the point where they clear the adjacent track.

• Detector called a hot box on axle 212, so we're setting out the bad order at the next siding.

  TranslationThe wayside bearing scanner reported an overheated bearing, and the crew will leave the defective car in the next siding for repair.

• Section gang's got a slow order on the plug at MP 212 till they weld it.

  TranslationThe track crew has imposed a temporary speed restriction at milepost 212 over a newly installed piece of rail until it is welded in.

• Old head bumped me off the goat, so I'm back on the extra board waiting on a call.

  TranslationA senior employee used his seniority to take the yard engine job, so the speaker is back on the spare roster waiting to be called for whatever work comes up.

How engineers stop, start and control long, heavy trains: the air, the slack and the throttle.

• Alerter
  A cab safety device that applies the brakes if the engineer stops moving the controls or pressing its reset.
• Bail offalso actuate, bail them off
  To release the locomotive's own brakes during an automatic application so that only the cars do the braking. Shop talk
• Big holealso emergency application, dump the air
  The emergency position of the automatic brake valve, which vents the brake pipe and stops the train as fast as possible. Shop talk
• Brake pipealso train line, trainline
  The air line running the full length of a train that charges and controls every car's brakes.
• Dynamic brakingalso dynamics, dynamic brake
  Retarding force made by turning a locomotive's traction motors into generators and burning the energy off as heat.
• Glad handsalso hose couplings, air hose couplings
  The coupling heads on the ends of air brake hoses, which lock together when two cars are joined. Shop talk
• Kickeralso dynamiter, UDE car
  A car whose brake valve throws the whole train into emergency when only a normal service application was made. Shop talk
• Run eightalso notch eight, run 8
  Running a diesel locomotive in its highest throttle notch, wide open. Shop talk
• Set and releasealso set and release test, a set of air
  Applying the train's air brakes and then releasing them, the basic sequence of every air brake test. Shop talk
• Slackalso slack action
  The free play in couplers and draft gear that lets cars move a little toward or away from each other.
• Tie downalso tie on, tie 'em down
  To secure standing cars or a locomotive by applying enough hand brakes to keep them from rolling. Shop talk

Sorting cars, building trains and the radio talk of switch crews in yards and at industries.

• Blockalso car block
  A group of cars bound for the same destination, kept together so they can be handled as one unit.
• Blue flagalso blue signal, blue flag protection
  A blue signal marking equipment that workers are on, under or between, which no one may couple to or move.
• Bowlalso class tracks, classification bowl
  The set of classification tracks at the bottom of a hump yard where sorted cars collect. Shop talk
• Cutalso cut of cars
  A group of cars coupled together and handled as one piece; as a verb, to uncouple them. Shop talk
• Derailalso derailer
  A device on a rail that lifts a rolling car's wheels off the track before it can reach another track.
• Goatalso yard goat, switcher
  A yard switch engine, the locomotive that spends its life sorting cars around a terminal. Shop talk
• Hump yardalso hump, gravity yard
  A classification yard where cars are pushed over a small hill and roll by gravity into sorting tracks.
• Interchangealso interchange track, connection
  The handoff of cars from one railroad to another at an agreed junction track or yard.
• Kickalso kicking cars, make a kick
  To shove a cut of cars, uncouple it on the move and let it roll free onto a track. Shop talk
• Lace up the airalso lace 'em up, hook up the air
  To connect the air hoses between cars and open the angle cocks so the brake pipe runs through. Shop talk
• Linealso line a switch, line up
  To throw a switch so it routes a train or car onto the intended track. Shop talk
• Pull the pinalso cut 'em
  To uncouple cars by lifting the coupler's pin with the cut lever; also, to retire from the railroad. Shop talk
• Set outalso setout, set off
  To leave a car or group of cars on a track short of the train's final destination. Shop talk
• Shovealso shoving move, back up
  To push cars with the locomotive behind them, as opposed to pulling them. Shop talk
• Spotalso placement, spot and pull
  To place a car at an exact location, such as an industry's loading door, pit or rack. Shop talk
• Switch listalso work list, the list
  The list telling a yard or local crew which cars to move and where each one goes.
• That'll doalso that'll be good, that's good
  Radio call telling the engineer to stop the move right there, the last words of a switching count. Shop talk

Authorities, signals and meets: how trains get permission to move on the main line.

• CTCalso centralized traffic control
  Centralized traffic control: signals and switches controlled remotely by a dispatcher who routes every train.
• DSalso dispatcher, train dispatcher
  Dispatcher, as said on the radio: the person who controls train movements over a territory. Shop talk
• DTCalso direct traffic control
  Direct traffic control: authority granted by named blocks of track on unsignaled lines.
• Highballalso highballing, highball it
  A signal or radio call meaning proceed at full speed, and the verb for leaving or running fast. Shop talk
• Hold the mainalso on the main, hold the main line
  To stay on the main track during a meet while the opposing train takes the siding. Shop talk
• In the holealso take the hole, head in
  In the siding, waiting for another train to pass on the main line. Shop talk
• OSalso on sheet, OSing
  On sheet: a report of the time a train passed a station, or the act of reporting it. Shop talk
• PTCalso positive train control
  Positive train control: an onboard and wayside system that stops a train before it breaks a speed limit or authority.
• Restricted speedalso restricting, restricted
  A speed slow enough to stop within half the distance you can see, used whenever the track ahead may be occupied.
• Saw-byalso sawing by, saw-by meet
  A meet at a siding too short for the train that has to take it, so the two trains work past each other in stages. Shop talk
• Sidingalso passing siding, passing track
  A track alongside the main line, connected at both ends, where trains meet or let others pass.
• Slow orderalso speed restriction, TSR
  A temporary speed restriction on a stretch of track because of its condition, heat or work in progress. Shop talk
• Track warrantalso warrant, TW
  A written authority from the dispatcher, copied by radio, that lets a train occupy a set stretch of main track.
• TWCalso track warrant control, warrant territory
  Track warrant control: running trains outside CTC on dispatcher-issued warrants with fixed limits.
• Yellow boardalso approach, yellow
  An approach signal showing yellow, warning the engineer to be ready to stop at the next signal. Shop talk

Rail, ties, ballast and switches, plus the crews who maintain them and the defects they chase.

• Ballastalso rock, stone
  The bed of crushed rock under and around the ties that holds the track in line and drains water away.
• Frogalso frog casting
  The crossing piece in a turnout or diamond where one rail passes through another and wheels cross the gap.
• Gandy danceralso section hand, track laborer
  A railroad track worker, especially one on a section or tie gang doing hands-on track work. Shop talk
• Gaugealso track gauge
  The distance between the inside faces of the two rails, 4 feet 8.5 inches on standard-gauge track.
• Hi-railalso hy-rail, hi-rail truck
  A truck fitted with retractable flanged wheels so it can drive on the track as well as on the road. Shop talk
• High ironalso main line, the main
  The main line, as opposed to sidings, yard tracks and branch lines. Shop talk
• Main linealso main track, the main
  The principal track or tracks of a railroad between terminals, where trains need authority to run.
• MOWalso maintenance of way, M of W
  Maintenance of way: the department and crews that build and maintain track, bridges and roadbed.
• MPalso milepost, mile post
  Milepost: the numbered marker that fixes every location on a railroad by distance along the line.
• Plugalso plug rail, rail plug
  A short piece of rail cut into the track to replace a section with a defect or a break. Shop talk
• Pull-apartalso pull apart
  A break in the rail, usually at a joint or weld, caused by the rail shrinking in extreme cold. Shop talk
• Ribbon railalso CWR, continuous welded rail
  Long strings of rail welded together end to end and laid without bolted joints. Shop talk
• Shooflyalso shoo-fly
  A temporary track built around an obstruction, bridge job or wreck so trains can keep moving. Shop talk
• Spuralso industry track, spur track
  A short dead-end track branching off to serve an industry or to store cars. Shop talk
• Sun kinkalso heat kink, track buckle
  A sideways buckle in welded rail caused by heat, which can throw the track out of line under a train. Shop talk
• Superelevationalso elevation, cant
  The amount the outer rail of a curve is raised above the inner rail, measured in inches.
• Switch pointsalso points, switch rails
  The pair of movable, tapered rails in a turnout that steer wheels onto one route or the other.
• Tiealso crosstie, sleeper
  One of the crosswise beams that hold the rails to gauge and spread their load into the ballast.

Power, rolling stock, mechanical defects and the people who keep the equipment running.

• Bad orderalso BO, bad-ordered
  A car or locomotive with a defect that keeps it from running until it is repaired. Shop talk
• Car knockeralso carman, car toad
  A carman, the mechanical worker who inspects and repairs railcars and tests their brakes. Shop talk
• Crummyalso caboose, hack
  A caboose, the crew car at the rear of a freight train, with a cupola or bay window for watching the cars ahead. Shop talk
• Cushionalso cushion car, cushioned car
  A car fitted with hydraulic cushioning units at its couplers, built to protect fragile lading. Shop talk
• DPUalso DP, distributed power
  Distributed power unit: a locomotive placed mid-train or on the rear and controlled by radio from the lead unit.
• EOTalso EOTD, FRED
  End-of-train device: a unit hung on the last car's coupler that reports rear brake pipe pressure and motion to the head end.
• Flat spotalso flat wheel, slid flat
  A flat area worn into a wheel tread when the wheel slides along the rail without turning. Shop talk
• Hostleralso hostling
  A terminal worker who moves, fuels, sands and services locomotives inside the engine facility. Shop talk
• Hot boxalso hot journal, hot bearing
  An overheated wheel bearing on a railcar, a defect that can burn the end off an axle if missed. Shop talk
• Hot box detectoralso HBD, defect detector
  A trackside scanner that measures bearing temperatures on a passing train and radios a warning if one runs hot.
• Knucklealso coupler knuckle
  The hinged, hook-shaped part of a railcar coupler that closes and locks to join two cars.
• Light enginealso lite engine, lite power
  A locomotive or set of locomotives running without any cars attached. Shop talk
• Long hood forwardalso LHF, long end forward
  Running a road locomotive with its long engine hood leading and the short hood trailing. Shop talk
• Poweralso units, motive power
  The locomotives assigned to a train, or locomotives in general. Shop talk
• Rip trackalso RIP track, repair track
  A yard track where carmen make light repairs to cars without sending them to a heavy shop. Shop talk

The kinds of trains that run on the railroad and what each one carries.

• Consistalso train consist, train list
  The makeup of a train, listing its locomotives and cars in order with weights, loads and hazmat.
• Dragalso drag freight, tonnage train
  A slow, heavy, low-priority freight train, often of bulk loads or empties. Shop talk
• Hotshotalso hot train, priority train
  A high-priority train on a tight schedule that dispatchers move ahead of almost everything else. Shop talk
• Localalso way freight, peddler
  A freight train that works the industries along a line, setting out and picking up cars at each customer. Shop talk
• Manifestalso merchandise train, carload train
  A freight train carrying a mix of car types and commodities for many different customers.
• Pig trainalso piggyback, TOFC
  An intermodal train hauling highway trailers on flatcars. Shop talk
• Rattleralso freight
  Hobo and old-head slang for a freight train, especially one banging along with its slack running in and out. Shop talk
• Stack trainalso double stack, stacks
  An intermodal train carrying shipping containers stacked two high in well cars. Shop talk
• Unit trainalso unit
  A train carrying a single commodity in identical cars from one origin to one destination.
• Varnishalso passenger train, the varnish
  Freight crew slang for a passenger train, after the glossy varnished finish of wooden coaches. Shop talk

Seniority, time on duty, the law and the nicknames railroaders use for each other.

• Beaneryalso lunch counter
  A cheap restaurant or lunch counter near a terminal or depot where railroaders eat. Shop talk
• Big hookalso hook, wreck crane
  The wrecking crane sent to clear a derailment and lift cars back onto the track. Shop talk
• Boomeralso boomer brakeman, drifter
  A railroader who drifts from railroad to railroad, hiring on wherever the work is good. Shop talk
• Brakiealso brakeman, shack
  A brakeman, the crew member who handles switches, couplings and hand brakes under the conductor. Shop talk
• Brass hatalso officials, white hat
  A railroad official or manager, especially one who comes out from the office to check on crews. Shop talk
• Bullalso railroad bull, yard bull
  A railroad police officer, the special agent who patrols yards and trains for trespassers and thieves. Shop talk
• Bumpalso bumping, displacement
  To use seniority to take a job held by someone junior, who is then displaced. Shop talk
• Callalso crew call, called
  The notice telling a crew member when and where to report for duty. Shop talk
• Cornfield meetalso head-on, cornfield
  A head-on collision between two trains on the same track. Shop talk
• Dead on the lawalso outlawed, on the law
  Out of legal working hours under the hours of service rule, and required to stop work wherever the train sits. Shop talk
• Deadheadalso DH, deadheading
  To travel as a passenger to or from an assignment, paid but not working the train. Shop talk
• Dog catchalso dog catcher, dog catching
  To relieve a crew that has run out of legal hours; the relief crew are the dog catchers. Shop talk
• Extra boardalso the board, extra list
  A roster of crew members with no regular job, called in rotation to fill vacancies and extra trains. Shop talk
• Foameralso railfan, rail buff
  A railfan, especially an excited one, as seen by the railroaders who work the trains. Shop talk
• FRAalso the Feds
  Federal Railroad Administration: the federal agency that sets and enforces railroad safety rules.
• Hoggeralso hoghead, hog head
  A locomotive engineer, the person who runs the train. Shop talk
• Hours of servicealso HOS, the law
  The federal limit on how long train and engine crews may stay on duty before mandatory rest.
• Old headalso old-timer, senior man
  A veteran railroader with long seniority, respected for knowledge and sometimes resented for it. Shop talk
• On the groundalso derailed, on the dirt
  Derailed: off the rails with at least one wheel down on the ties or ballast. Shop talk
• Poolalso pool freight, pool turn
  A group of road crews who rotate between two terminals in first-in, first-out order. Shop talk
• Rule Galso Rule G violation
  The operating rule banning alcohol and drugs on duty, and shorthand for breaking it. Shop talk
• Tie upalso tie-up, go off duty
  To go off duty at the end of a trip or shift and record the final time. Shop talk

Frequently asked questions

More from Sea & Rail