ALL the known Loco and Multiple unit nicknames

[59CosG95]

Hi all-just wondering if you know the nickname each different class of loco or multiple unit has received (if it has at all) and why. The ones I know so far are:
Class 321: Dusty Bins (reference to character Dusty Bin on gameshow 3-2-1)

Class 66: Sheds (they look like a garden shed); Yings/Ying-Yings (engine noise)

Class 59: Super/Mega Sheds (like Class 66, only larger); Daddy Yings (exactly like 66s, but more powerful and was the predecessor of the 66s)

Class 52: Westerns (each nameplate began with "Western")

Class 42: Warships (each nameplate referred to a warship)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Was 'Deltic' for a Class 55 just a nickname, or was it ever used in an official sense?

Some I am sure of though is Tractors for 37s and Dogboxes for 153s.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
This might help a lot - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_United_Kingdom_railway_terms

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Was 'Deltic' for a Class 55 just a nickname, or was it ever used in an official sense?

Some I am sure of though is Tractors for 37s and Dogboxes for 153s.

'Deltic' is a reference to the Napier Deltic marine engines fitted to the locos, the prototype also carried the name "Deltic".

Class 90s are known as 'Skodas' but I'm not sure why. Possibly because the shape is vaguely reminiscent of the Skoda Rapid model from the late 1980s...?

142s have lots of nicknames, but I'm not sure if any are widely agreed upon by the enthusiast community, or indeed suitable for a family forum!

 

[Qwerty133]

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18742
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=70707
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=931
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64619
probably also other threads

 

[HSTEd]

AIUI Class 90s were called 'Skodas' because they liked to burn down.

Apart from the Cl55 'Deltic' there is also the Cl23 'Baby Deltic'

 

[ash39]

47 - duff
56 - grid
60 - tug
67 - skip
86 - can
92 - dyson

Don't know the reasons behind all of them!

 

[jopsuk]

AIUI Class 90s were called 'Skodas' because they liked to burn down.

Ah, the days when Skoda cars were a punchline. Not a nickname that makes sense any more, modern Skodas are really rather reliable, as their adverts during the Tour de France have been pointing out. They've been using a tagline of "11 years and not a single breakdown"- whilst Jaguar, who supply Sky with team cars cannot claim the same

 

[Minilad]

Ah, the days when Skoda cars were a punchline. Not a nickname that makes sense any more, modern Skodas are really rather reliable, as their adverts during the Tour de France have been pointing out. They've been using a tagline of "11 years and not a single breakdown"- whilst Jaguar, who supply Sky with team cars cannot claim the same

But which would you rather be driving. And anyone who says the Skoda is clearly a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

 

[jopsuk]

Well quiteJag went as far as to supply an F-Type to Sky this year for use on the Time Trial stage where the car only has to support one rider at a time. No added functionality over the XF Sportbrakes, but, well, the look on Dave Brailsford's face at the press event for it said it all...

Point remains though that, given they're not hyper-reliable, "Skoda" is in modern context a poor nickname for 90s, even though it was very relevant in the early 1990s.

 

[Strathclyder]

These are the locomotive nicknames I've heard of:

• Class 08 - Gronk
• Class 14 - Teddy Bear
• Class 20 - Chopper/Mini-Whistler*
• Class 22 - Baby Warship
• Class 23 - Baby Deltic
• Class 24/25/26/27 - Rat/MacRat
• Class 28 - Co-Bo
• Class 31 - Ped/Gargoyle/Skinheads
• Class 33 - Bagpipes/Slim Jim/Crompton
• Class 35 - Hymek
• Class 37 - Tractor/Syphon/Growler/Slugs
• Class 40 - Whistler/Bucket
• Class 42 - Warship
• Class 43 HSTs - Trams
• Class 44/45/46 - Peak
• Class 47 - Duff/Spoon/Brush
• Class 50 - Hoover
• Class 52 - Western/Wizzo
• Class 55 - Deltic/Boats
• Class 56 - Grid
• Class 57 - Zombie/Bodysnatcher
• Class 58 - Bone/Egg-timer
• Class 59 - Super-shed
• Class 60 - Tug/Super-tug/Politicians/Donuts
• Class 66 - Shed/Ying-yings
• Class 67 - Skip/Cyclops
• Class 70 - Betty/Bone Mk2
• Class 73 - EDs
• Class 76/77 - Tommys
• Class 81-85 - Roarers
• Class 89 - Badger
• Class 90 - Skoda
• Class 91 - Electra
• Class 92 - Dyson

*: One I coined myself.

 

[Emyr]

142s have lots of nicknames, but I'm not sure if any are widely agreed upon by the enthusiast community, or indeed suitable for a family forum!

Keep it simple, call it a bus.

 

[fishquinn]

My nicknames for them.

08+09: Gronk
14: Teddy Bear
17: Clayton
20: Bomb
24+25: Rat
26+27: Tip-Top
31: Ped
33: Crompton
35: Hymek
37: Tractor
40: Whistler
42: Warship
43: Tram
44+45+46: Peak
47: Brush
50: Log
52: Western
55: Deltic
56: Grid
57: Body-snacher
58: Bone
59: (I just call it a 59)
60: Donut
66: FL=Gurkin, EWS/DBS= Red Death, DRS+GBRF= Blue Death and Colas=Yellow Peril
67: Shovel
68: cat
70: Betty
73: ED
86: (Just 86)
87: (Just 87)
90: Skoda
91: Milkfloat
92: Dyson

 

[Beveridges]

142 - basic railbus

 

[swt_passenger]

444s are sometimes referred to as Arkwrights...

 

[sprinterguy]

[*]Class 24/25 - Rat/MacRat[/LIST]

"MacRats" were classes 26 and 27, the Scottish equivalents to the class 25. Never heard the nickname "rat" applied to 24s before, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't.

 

[Johnuk123]

A class 40 was always a Tat when I was younger I have no idea why.

 

[table38]

Sprinters were called "Brucies" in these parts for a while (for those of us old enough to remember the Generation Game)

40s were just "Big Ds" for some reason!

 

[DarloRich]

Never understood the need for spotters to give trains a nick name. Each to thier own, but i dont get it.

 

[zn1]

the 90's were nicknamed skodas by the staff and traincrew because their reliability issues when they came in to service, for a long time they used the emergency RED coupling when banged up to a rake, as there was an issue with the Buckeye (if memory serves)

MK3 DVT - Skoda estates - at Ilford open day all staff were ordered by BRB staff not to use the Term Skoda...

at Ilford I learnt the staff names for the eastern units

302s lts's
307 - southenders
309 clactons

321's dusty bins - as in "321"

422/0 -8 DIG (Dedicated IG (brighton) 2001 2004,(4CIG+4BIG) supposedly capital coast expresses but they did other jobs - not to be broken apart

442 - 5 WES - Wessex express units - plastic pigs - due to their piggy like nose ends...

91's electras - obvious

91 + rake - 225's obvious

hsts - trams, flying bananas...

33 - Crompton - due to the equipment used to build em

73 - ED's obvious

76 - the tommies - their nickname when they became dutch locos, perhaps the tommy name could be resurrected for the 87's overseas ??

37 - tractors - the sound of em, look of em...rugged go anywhere loco

1st gen DMU, in their later lives and final years- flying meccano - because it took ingenuity to keep em going



there are so many nicknames -

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Turning to EMUs, 4Subs were either "Shebas" or "Mary's", EPBs were simply sardine cans but I can't recall if any other EMUs received nicknames

 

[fishquinn]

A few units.

142+143+144: Nodding Donkey
185: Diesel Dez
220+221+222: Unspeakably Horrible Thing
321: Dusty Bin
350: Dez
390: Unspeakable Horror/Flying Pen (don't ask me why)
395: Javelin
444+450: Third Rail Dez

 

[Ash Bridge]

Class 24- Fruit Machines.Class 25- Whirlybirds.Class 30 (later known as Class 31) Toffee Apples.Class 47 (Early series D1500-19)Generators.Class 50 Blue Bleeps. ( Showing my age here)

 

[table38]

If anyone wonders why Class 47s are nicknamed "spoons", try this:

[youtube]rvk6kahVE-o[/youtube]

(although it's a bit quiet, so I'd recommend you turn your speaker volume right up, especially if at work )

 

[class26]

Ah, the days when Skoda cars were a punchline. Not a nickname that makes sense any more, modern Skodas are really rather reliable, as their adverts during the Tour de France have been pointing out. They've been using a tagline of "11 years and not a single breakdown"- whilst Jaguar, who supply Sky with team cars cannot claim the same

But Jaguar comes almost top of customer satisfaction leagues consistently now. Having just bought a new XF in March I can say it is a much better drive and more pleasant experience than the BMW used to have and so far after 4 months not a single problem, just lots of smiles and an average fuel consumption rate of well over 50 to the gallon.

 

[Waldgrun]

BR Class 404 / 4 COR Units , Nelsons Built for services to Portsmouth and blind in one eye!

 

[fgwrich]

Class 20 - Choppers, Bombs, Whistling Wardrobes, Bones to name a few!

 

[AM9]

Class 205 - Thumpers, after the noise the 600HP diesel engine made
Class 206 - Tadpoles, named because they had a normal loading gauge EPB end and two cars from a Tonbridge class 201 (the slim ones)

 

[Strat-tastic]

20 Chopper
31 tug boat
33 Crompton
37 Syphon
40 Tat, whistler
44 Peak
45/46 also peaks, but not 'proper peaks', according to some (not me), also called Crompton Parkinsons
47 brush, duff, oh-not-another-bleedin'-47-when-it-could-have-been-a-hoover ( )
50 hoover
52 Western, whizzo
55 Deltic
76 Spark box (that's a personal one, not widely known )
81-85 Roarer
HST zing

 

[GatwickDepress]

The Class 421s modified by adding a second stage of field weakening to increase performance at speed in order to shave time off the Portsmouth Direct run were nicknamed "Greyhounds".

 

[Jamesb1974]

Joining the railway has been a revelation when it comes to nicknames for engines.

Class 60= '60'
Class 66= '66'
Class 90= '90'
Class 92= '92'



The only engine I've heard referred to by anything other than it's class number is an 08/09, which is never a 'Gronk', but always a 'Pilot', 'Shunt engine' or '350'.