This article contains a list of terms, jargon, and slang used to varying degrees by railfans and railroad employees in the United States and Canada. Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. Inclusion of a term in this list does not necessarily imply its universal adoption by all railfans and railroad employees, and there may be significant regional variation in usage.
0–9 3-step protection (US) The protection given by a locomotive engineer to an employee working near, between, or under cars to which the locomotive is coupled, via a three-step process: Fully apply independent brake. Set reverser to neutral. Turn off generator field (or notify the ground employee, depending on company-specific rules and locomotive type, that protection is provided). 10 wheeler (US) A steam locomotive with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement 241 (US) Procession of a train past a stop signal with verbal permission from the dispatcher. Derives from Rule 241, which is used to grant such permission under certain rule sets. 14L, 14(l), or 19b Refers to the "Long Long Short Long" or "- - o -" Horn pattern used by US and Canadian railroads at grade crossings. The term "14L" is derived from Rule 14(l) in the Canadian Rail Operating Rules and Consolidated Code of Operating Rules. "19b" is derived from Rule 19(b) in the Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee, mainly used by railroads located in the Northeast United States.
A A unit (US) A diesel locomotive (or more rarely an electric locomotive) equipped with a driving cab and a control system to control other locomotives in a multiple unit, and therefore able to be the lead unit in a consist of several locomotives controlled from a single position ACe A nickname for EMD's SD70ACe locomotive Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) A positive train control cab signaling system developed by Alstom Advanced Train Control System (ATCS) A system of railroad equipment designed to ensure safety by monitoring locomotive and train locations, providing analysis and reporting, and automating track warrants and similar orders. Alligator ALCO RSD-15 locomotive, named for its long, low nose Amcan An Amfleet passenger car, named because the car shape is a rounded stainless steel tube Angel seat (US) The second level seats on a cupola-style caboose Angle bar A metal plate that joins the ends of rails in jointed track
A small shelter that serves as a train station for Amtrak trains in a small town. Normally, there are no staffed services offered at these small stations. More generally, any station built under Amtrak's Standard Stations Program in the 1970s and 1980s. Association of American Railroads (AAR) An industry trade group representing primarily the major freight railroads of North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States) Automatic equipment identification (AEI) (US) An automatic tracking system using RFID technology 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 Autorack or auto carrier (US) A specialized freight car for transporting automobiles
B B-Boat A GE B23-7, B30-7, or B36-7 locomotive. By analogy with U-boat, since with the Dash 7 line, the "B" or "C" moved to the beginning of the designation. Baby Boat A GE U18B locomotive Baby Tunnel Motor An EMD GP15-1 or GP15T locomotive, so-called because its low air intakes resemble those of the much larger SD40T-2 and SD45T-2 Bad order A rail car that has a mechanical defect, and is sometimes set out on a spur to be repaired. The statement, "I am going to set out a bad order" is railroader slang for a bathroom break (usually a "number two" type break). Bandit A nickname for Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) locomotives after the railroad was sold to the Soo Line Railroad. Soo Line covered up the Milwaukee Road name and logo on the orange locomotives with black paint, causing them to resemble bandits. Also often applied to similarly patched, second-hand locomotives, especially if the patches are crudely applied. Baretables Empty flat, spine, or well cars Beans or Going to Beans Taking a break from work to eat Big Blue A nickname for Conrail due to the medium blue livery that their locomotives were painted Big G A nickname for Guilford Rail System, in reference to the large "G" emblem on their locomotives and boxcars The Great Northern Railway Big Hole The "Big Hole" is the Emergency position of the engineer's air brake valve. When the engineer makes an emergency brake application, he moves his brake valve to the emergency, "Big Hole", position. The result of putting the air brake valve into the Big Hole position will cause the instantaneous total loss of all brake air pressure in the train line which causes the brakes on all train cars and engines to automatically apply creating an emergency stop of the train. This action is called, "Big Holing It". If a train line is "broken" either to an unexpected uncoupling or a train line hose rupture caused by a derailment or other accident, a "Big Hole" condition occurs which causes the total loss of all brake air pressure in the train line which automatically causes an emergency stop of the train. Big hook A railroad crane Big Mac A nickname given to EMD's SD70MAC, SD80MAC, and SD90MAC locomotive models Big Orange A nickname given to BNSF, named after their orange livery Billboard Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway locomotive in the pre-1972 blue and yellow scheme Black Widow A Southern Pacific locomotive (all black with some silver) Bloody Nose A Southern Pacific locomotive (post-1959 gray and red paint scheme where the nose of the diesel locomotive was painted in scarlet red), or the Amtrak Phase I paint scheme: A reddish-orange nose and then the Amtrak Chevron logo on the side of the locomotive. Bluebonnet One of two Santa Fe paint schemes. The standard freight scheme from 1972 until the BNSF Railway merger was dark blue with yellow on the front, with the same color division as the warbonnet scheme. It is also known as Yellowbonnet. Bluebonnet can also mean a warbonnet unit with only the red painted over, resulting in a silver and blue locomotive; this was used on passenger engines transferred to freight service after the formation of Amtrak. Bluebirds There are two different uses of this term. 1. A nickname given to GE U34CH locomotives because they were delivered in dark blue and silver NJDOT paint 2. A nickname given to Alco PA locomotives of the Nickel Plate Road due to their distinctive royal blue and white paint scheme. Blueliners A nickname given to the Reading Railroad's heavyweight MU cars, in reference to the bright blue and white paint scheme they wore in later years before being sold to SEPTA Bolster A transverse floating beam member of truck suspension system supporting the weight of vehicle body Blue Devil A Canadian National locomotive painted in a blue-and-white livery Booster A cabless B unit or slug. Although a slug and a B unit differ in terms of an engine, both serve the purpose of adding more tractive effort. Boxcar 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 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 caboose (US) A small hut at one end of a railway wagon to protect the brakeman from the elements Buda Car A type of inspection car or speeder, typically streamlined, manufactured by Buda Engine Co. They were sometimes built out of an ordinary automobile body, with flanged wheels added. They were driven by small engines from 30 to 200 horsepower. Buffer car or spacer car A railroad car, typically empty, placed between a train's locomotives and cars containing hazardous materials, particularly unit trains carrying oil. Buggy A caboose on the Boston and Maine Railroad Bull A railroad police officer B unit A cabless booster locomotive, controlled via multiple unit from a cab-equipped A unit, sometimes equipped with limited controls for hostling Butthead or Butt Head GM Electro-Motive Division model 'MP' or 'SW' endcab switching locomotives
C C Light (US) A single lamp attached to wayside signals with a "C" plate bolted to it. The aspect is Rule 280a - Clear to Next Interlocking. This aspect is only seen in the Eastern United States on rail lines operating Cab Signal Systems. Cab signal lines only have wayside signals at interlockings and diamonds. When a locomotive does not have working cab signals, the dispatcher will activate the C light (indication is a flashing white lamp) to notify the crew that they may proceed to the next interlocking at the speed permitted by the wayside signal's aspect. A locomotive without cab signals that does not receive a C light at an interlocking may proceed past the signal not exceeding Restricted Speed, or with a Form D or other Track Warrant authorization. Cab car (US) A passenger coach which has a full set of train controls at one end, allowing for the use of push–pull train operation 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 Cabbage Former EMD F40PH locomotives with the diesel engine removed, and a roll-up baggage door installed in the center of the carbody; used as cab/baggage cars in Amtrak push-pull service. Portmanteau of 'cab' and 'baggage'. Cabin Car A caboose on the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) Calf A cabless switcher Can Opener Conrail's herald Car knocker Railroad car repair-person or car inspector. The term is derived from a worker who taps or "knocks" on railroad equipment to check its soundness. Centennials Union Pacific's EMD DDA40X locomotives. World's most powerful diesel locomotives, delivered in 1969, the year of Union Pacific's centennial. Centipede A nickname given to a 12-axled Baldwin diesel locomotive. Also a tender (as on a steam engine) with seven axles (two axles in a truck, followed by five fixed axles). Centralized traffic control (CTC) (US) A system in which signals and switches for a given area of track are controlled from a centralized location Ches-C Chessie System's kitten logo; the profile of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's sleeping kitten mascot Chessie appears inside the corporate C logo Cinder dick Railroad police detective. The term is derived from the fact that railroad police have to walk on ballast, which is sometimes known as "cinders" (before dieselization, many railroads used spent steam locomotive cinders for ballast) Circus loading Loading trailers on flatcars sequentially from the end; the standard method of loading in early piggyback service Coal drag A train loaded with coal Coal jimmy A small, low-capacity hopper car for carrying coal Codebreak/Codebreaking Changing the front destination signs on buses or trains, sometimes including rollsign changes. Coffin car A nickname for a passenger car with an engineer's cab. Also known as a cab car or control car. So named due to the alleged additional danger posed to passengers in such cars (which are pushed by the heavier trailing locomotive) in frontal collisions. Color position light (CPL) A type of signal used most prominently by the Baltimore & Ohio and the Norfolk & Western railroads Conductor (US)