Railway Acronyms

[Dai.]

Hello!

I was just wondering if there is a place somewhere on the internet where you can find railway acronyms or is it possible that someone can explain them when they post?

I notice a lot of you use them on your posts and I have no idea what a majority of them mean so most of the threads I can't understand.

I know a lot of you are railway workers or major railway enthusiasts, sadly not everyone knows as much as you guys. I'll probably never understand the acronyms so an explanation would really help me a long!

Sorry for being such a trouble.

 

[MCR247]

You have a PM

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Can someone give me them too, I understand the majority, but a few I don't get. Thanks

 

[Wyvern]

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/acronyms.html

http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/ca14/ALYCIDON%20RAIL/TRAC%20home.htm

Just a couple, plus I think there are some in Wikipedia. There's ceratinly a page of Railfan jargon.

 

[MCR247]

Can someone give me them too, I understand the majority, but a few I don't get. Thanks

You also have a PM

 

[dan_atki]

Alternatively, ask in the thread! It is how you learn these things and I'm sure no-one's going to criticise you for asking!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Alternatively, ask in the thread! It is how you learn these things and I'm sure no-one's going to criticise you for asking!

Ok... I always never understood 'pax' I assume it means passengers, just never asked!

 

[scotsman]

Ok... I always never understood 'pax' I assume it means passengers, just never asked!

It does, one I learnt from CalMac crews

 

[Dai.]

Alternatively, ask in the thread! It is how you learn these things and I'm sure no-one's going to criticise you for asking!

I don't feel I should ask if I can't contribute to the thread it makes me feel like I'm just making it cluttered, (hence why I thought I'd ask here instead!).

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I don't feel I should ask if I can't contribute to the thread it makes me feel like I'm just making it cluttered

It's Ok go for it.

 

[dan_atki]

I don't feel I should ask if I can't contribute to the thread it makes me feel like I'm just making it cluttered

You can't say that if someone mentions say 'HST' in a post and you didn't know what it was that asking 'What does HST mean?' is off-topic! I'm sure the other moderators would agree with me on that.

 

[Dai.]

You can't say that if someone mentions say 'HST' in a post and you didn't know what it was that asking 'What does HST mean?' is off-topic! I'm sure the other moderators would agree with me on that.

Yeah I understand not being off-topic but it is kind of cluttering if you can't really contribute. I'd rather not fill the threads up with threads asking for explanations when they are readily available.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

The ask them on here Dai.

 

[rail-britain]

I agree, if there is an abbreviation or acronym that you are unfamiliar with, just ask
Personally, I try to avoid them and only use them in documents where an appendix or listing is used

 

[Geezertronic]

Just don't think that bashing means kicking the crap out of trains though

 

[Dai.]

Just don't think that bashing means kicking the crap out of trains though

I did wonder about the words such as "bashing" and "flailing" (is that one right?) and some of the train "nicknames".

I mean I was confused by SPAD for a while.

 

[4SRKT]

Just don't think that bashing means kicking the crap out of trains though

Those of us who rode on the Aberystwyth class 37 hauled holiday trains in the 1980s may differ on this......

I did wonder about the words such as "bashing" and "flailing" (is that one right?) and some of the train "nicknames".

Flailing is a now banned activity that was once almost universal behind rateable traction. Indeed Spitfire Railtours have a rather amusing notice that they stick up in their trains explicitly banning 'flailing and bellowing'. They should also ban the use of the words 'lords' and 'my' in the same sentence if they want to totally remove any trace of how bashing was in its heyday

Train nicknames are a lot of fun IYAM, and some of them are pretty creative. Some people don't seem to like 'em, but maybe they take things a little too seriously.

 

[mrcheek]

Its disappointing that in a thread on railway acronyms, nobody has mentioned this anecdote:

In 1968, British Rail introduced TOPS (Total Operations Processing System) for managing its stock of locos and carriages.
Whenever the system broke down, many railway workers called the replacement system BOTTOMS (Back Off To The Old Manual System)

well I always found it funny anyway.

 

[4SRKT]

Nothing to do with railways, but when I was working for a company beginning with P, and they were developing a new computer system, they wanted suggestions for names. They felt that 'the system rewrite' wasn't snappy enough. I jokingly suggested 'P' Electronic Network Information System to a colleague, who at the next meeting reported with a smile that I had a good suggestion. Possibly rashly I then revealed it to the board, who luckily thought it was amusing. It wasn't adopted however.

 

[rail-britain]

'P' Electronic Network Information System

If you hadn't pointed out the acronym then it might have been accepted, albeit briefly until someone published the manual!
The ringbinder on the shelf might have caught someones eye

On a recent visit to large retailer I noticed they put the two letter department code before the management code
Most unusual was Soft Homeware IT
It was the only one not using four letters!

 

[scotsman]

New type of carriage

First Utility Composite (K)Compartment

K has been used to represent to compartment coaches

 

[4SRKT]

If you speeded up the Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramway a bit you could rename it the Fylde Area Rapid Transit.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

How about calling the computer that runs the information screens the Passenger Information System Server...?!

 

[scotsman]

New name for the till on the trolleys:
Stock Hospitality Information Technology Equipment

New ways of examing High Speed Trains:
Amalgamated Speed Sensor Rolling stock Acceleration Point Examination

 

[4SRKT]

LOL at Amalgamated Speed Sensor Rolling stock Acceleration Point Examination!

How about this proposed new vehicle to be marshalled in trains for inspecting the catenary in Strathclyde?

Glasgow Overground Overhead Line Inspection Engineers Saloon.

Or the team advising on improvements to the road bridge outside the station at Keighley:

Keighley North Over Bridge Heavy Engineering Advisory Department

 

[Dai.]

This thread has taken a rapid turn for the worse. Oh dear. >.<

Why was flailing banned? (If I remember it was that salute that looked awfully familiar).

 

[Aictos]

Try http://www.railway-technical.com as that came highly recommended to me,

 

[yorkie]

Why was flailing banned? .

Was it ever 'allowed'? :-?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I did wonder about the words such as "bashing" and "flailing" (is that one right?) and some of the train "nicknames".

Ah, you need this then,

Bashers' jargon buster

http://www.dreadful.org.uk/jargon.htm

 

[Dai.]

Was it ever 'allowed'? :-?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Ah, you need this then,

Bashers' jargon buster

http://www.dreadful.org.uk/jargon.htm

I appear to be getting a malware warning from that website :/

 

[ainsworth74]

No warning from my Security about that site.