Nicknames for Loco's - bit of fun?

[Keith Jarrett]

47s - Spoons... I heard an explanation for this one at Gloucester Central back in 1976 whilst waiting for D1054... if a 47 turned up when you were hoping for something ratable (ie: a Thousand) it was like being given the 'wooden spoon' boobie prize. (Also heard it said that it relates to the sound of the horn sometimes but that sounds a bit dubious to me). One or two northern lads I used to knock around with called them 'Strums'.

Strums or strummers for 47s also rings a bell with me (big blue strumming devices). And I am certainly not from northern climes!

Others that I forgot to mention earlier

153s - Tin Rockets
142s - Whilst Skipper was the official branding for the original batch that worked in the West of England, Slippers was far more appropriate due to their antics on some orf the steeply graded branch lines.
304s - Tic Tic units
444s - Arkrights
450s - Dessies
Ay 1st generation DMU - Bog cart
150 - Buckets (something to do with the shape of the seats)
Voyagers - Vomit Comet
390s - Portaloos or Pendowobbles
60 - Do'nut

 

[12CSVT]

03 - Flowerpots
08 & 09 Gronks
14 Teddybears
20 Choppers, Wardrobes, Bombs, Wheelchairs
24 Jukeboxes
25 Rats
26 & 27 Tiptops
31 Peds, Pedalcarts, Goyles (subclass 31/0 Toffee-apples, 31/4 EWOKs - confirmation required regarding the latter)
33 Shredders (subclass 33/1 Bagpipes)
37 Syphons, Tractors, Growlers (subclass 37/9 - Slugs)
40 Buckets, Tats - confirmation required regarding the latter
44, 45 & 46 Wagons
47 Spoons, Duffs (47401 - 420 Generators)
50 Logs
56 Grids, Christmas Trees
57 Ronnies
58 Bones, Egg Timers
59 Leaders, Sheds (I first heard this one long before the 66s arrived)
60 Tugs, Doughnuts
66 Sheds, Freds, Dreds, YingYings
67 Skips
70 Fuglys, Ducks
73 EDs
76 Tommys
81 & 85 Roarers
86 Cans
90 Skodas
98 Kettles

Units
141 to 144 Nodding Donkeys, Bouncy Buses
153 Tin Rockets
165 & 166 Shires Links - name given to them in the 1990s but seems to have become obsolete
201 to 207 Thumpers
220 to 222 Vomits
321 Dusty Bins
390 - have been given various names which are unprintable here
442 Plastic Pigs
444 and 450 Doodlebugs
465 and 466 Notworkers

 

[KA4C]

201 to 207 Thumpers

A common error that one, strictly speaking, a Hastings unit is not a Thumper, only the two / three car units are Thumpers. the nickname derives from the exhaust sound of the units when heard from a distance. The exhaust note of the two and three car units being different due to their 600 hp rated engines (higher charge air pressure) as opposed to the 500 hp units in the Hastings sets

The name was originally coined by Reading WR drivers

Class 205's were Hampshire's or Berkshires (Berkshires having the larger brake van for Reading to Basingstoke services), The refurbished 1111 being known as "super H", 206's were Tadpoles (Hastings unit motor coach, Hastings Unit trailer and an EPB DT), the 207's were known as "Oxteds" in later days after the Oxteds were reduced to two cars and put on the Ashford to Hastings services, then were augmented with an ex CEP trailer, they were known as "Marsh Maggots"

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

33 Shredders (subclass 33/1 Bagpipes)

That is the spotter term (as well as "Beancan"), the railwayman term has always been Crompton (unless you are a Midland man when they are "small Cromptons")

33/1's were more often known by drivers using their proper Southern name of a KB


As I said earlier, the 33/2 was known to the local men who worked them as "Slimline"

 

[sprinterguy]

Anyone know what nickname 87s have?

They were nicknamed "lasers", although the nickname has lost it's relevance now as it referred to the small, round centrally mounted headlight that the locos were originally fitted with, which has now been replaced by the far chunkier standard high intensity headlight. If you saw an 87 at night it was easy to understand why the original style of headlight gave them this name.

 

[D365]

Although the thread is intended for loco class nicknames, I've heard various nicknames for the 365 "Networker Express"; Notworker, Happy Train (due to the modified cabs) and the train with the "funny sound" - last one being my own back when they were very new!

 

[12CSVT]

That is the spotter term (as well as "Beancan"), the railwayman term has always been Crompton (unless you are a Midland man when they are "small Cromptons")

Haulage bashers' term. This whole thread is about nicknames given to various types of motive power by enthusiasts.

 

[KA4C]

Haulage bashers' term.

Same difference

This whole thread is about nicknames given to various types of motive power by enthusiasts.

Where does it say that on the OP then? I seemed to have missed that and thought that the thread was for all to contribute to including (hush) railwaymen

 

[plannerman]

60 - Do'nut

We used to call 60's 'Ghosts' for presumably the same reason - ie you can see straight through them

 

[Matt37042]

Have heard 220/221s called Voyaturds- due to the smell. Also poo-tubes for the same reason.

 

[Boothby97]

323s- Daleks (the sound they make)

Thanks,Sam

 

[NLC1072]

390s - Portaloos or Pendowobbles

Come to think of it I've heard them refered to as "Bendy-dildos" ...

 

[sprinterguy]

Class 50 Hoover
Class 142 Pacer & Skipper
Class 37 Tractor
Class 185 ThrashBox
Class 170/171/172 Turbostar
Class 390 "Electric Dream?"
Class 158 Sprinter
Class 55 Deltic
One more Class 56 The Grid

Half of those aren't really nicknames though, but "brand" names; with regards to the Pacers, Turbostars and perhaps to a lesser extent the Deltics. And 158s aren't specifically "Sprinters" - It was initially only the class 150s that were termed solely as "Sprinters" under BRs' Sprinter programme, later joined by the 153s; Then the 155s and 156s were "Super Sprinters" and the 158s were the "Sprinter Express", although this title was hurriedly dropped it seems as the nineties arrived.

Anybody who has termed the 185s "thrashboxes" needs their heads examining

 

[Keith Jarrett]

33/1's were more often known by drivers using their proper Southern name of a KB


As I said earlier, the 33/2 was known to the local men who worked them as "Slimline"

I have also heard the 33/0s simply referred to as Standards and 33/1s as Pushers even though they spent most of their time pulling.

And "Shove-duff" for the Scottish 47/7s.

31/0s - Toffee Apples

25/0s - Fruit machines

Any 31 without a headcode box - Skinhead

 

[sprinterguy]

20s- Whistler (the noise they make, infact 20168 dosen't have the whistle sound because it was removed when HNRC overhauled it becaues it is used at the Hope Cement Works, which sits next to a housing estate)

Hope cement works itself doesn't sit directly adjacent to any form of residential area; although the village of Bradwell is round the far side of the hill it is largely insulated from the sound of the cement works and it's bigger problem is when something goes awry at the plant and it gets lost under a cloud of cement dust for a little while, if the wind happens to be blowing in that direction. The branch down to Earles sidings does pass by the West end of Hope village though.

Strange, I'd never noticed that 20168 sounded any different to other 20s when I worked at Hope, although I was never paying particularly close attention. I've also never heard anything other than class 40s referred to as "whistlers", although it is well known that 20s are nicknamed "whistling wardrobes".

 

[Whistler40145]

Why are 25/0s called Fruit Machines?

 

[Cruithne3753]

Predator for class 70 from the facial resemblance...

 

[Smudger105e]

Class 205's were Hampshire's or Berkshires (Berkshires having the larger brake van for Reading to Basingstoke services), The refurbished 1111 being known as "super H", 206's were Tadpoles (Hastings unit motor coach, Hastings Unit trailer and an EPB DT), the 207's were known as "Oxteds" in later days after the Oxteds were reduced to two cars and put on the Ashford to Hastings services, then were augmented with an ex CEP trailer, they were known as "Marsh Maggots"

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


That is the spotter term (as well as "Beancan"), the railwayman term has always been Crompton (unless you are a Midland man when they are "small Cromptons")

33/1's were more often known by drivers using their proper Southern name of a KB


As I said earlier, the 33/2 was known to the local men who worked them as "Slimline"

The Oxteds were 3Ds and the Hampshires were 3Hs.

The 33/1's were KBs, and as I am sure KA4C knows on here, the design cose for the 33/2's (slimline) was KB-4C.

I am surprised no-one has said that the 47's were called Brush 4s by the railwaymen...

 

[Keith Jarrett]

Why are 25/0s called Fruit Machines?

Something to do with the driver's power control handle operating in the vertical plane and being akin to the old levers that used to prevail on the sides of fruit machines in years gone by (none of this electronic whizzy stuff that you find in arcades and pubs these days)

Likewise, the Toffee Apple nickname for 31/0s came from the fact that their power control handle was shaped like a toffee apple - i.e. a long rod with a large knob on the end. Rumour has it that the term was coined when a Stratford driver managed to detach the power control handle from the desk and exclaimed to his secondman "Look, a toffee apple!"

Another nickname I have not seen reference to is Baby Warship for the Class 22s (D63xx).

Speaking of Warships, a fellow enthusiast once proclaimed that every Class of loco should have the Class name incorporated into the nameplate in the same way that we had for the Warships. This was in response to his first sighting of a newly named Class 86 (Andre Chapelon I believe) and the humourous gentlemen suggested that the wording "Old Fool Class" should be added to the 86's nameplate.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Some people i know of refer to 170s as "turdos" and 390s as "bendydildos"

 

[KA4C]

the design cose for the 33/2's (slimline) was KB-4C.

Get away! I wondered where I got that from

 

[Tracked]

Predator for class 70 from the facial resemblance...

what about corrupting their TOC's name slightly to Firelighter? :?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Class 24s were not called rats as far as I am aware. Because they had the headcode box removed as compared to the 25 rats, they were called Skinheads.

 

[Whistler40145]

Class 31s without Headcode Boxes were also nicknamed Skinheads.

 

[12CSVT]

Class 24s were not called rats as far as I am aware. Because they had the headcode box removed as compared to the 25 rats, they were called Skinheads.

Most 24s had disc headcodes, they didn't have headcode boxes removed.

 

[SteamontheMet]

60 - Tugs
66 - Sheds
59 - Super Sheds
67 - Skips
47- Spoons
86 - Cans
56 - Grids
50 - Hoovers
33 - Cromptons
20 - Choppers
37 - Tractors

57 - Jet Engine (having stood next to several thrashing away from standing start)

Pendolino - Pendodildo
West Coast Charter Relief Train - Pretendolino
Voyager - Vomiter

Eurostar - Nuclear Reactor

Network Rail NMT HST - Flying Banana.

Original Streamlined West Country/Battle of Britain - Spam Cans

 

[Mvann]

Thought class 57s were called heinz.

 

[ainsworth74]

I had them down as Body Snatchers.

 

[Cheshire Rover]

We always called any 1st generation DMU a Bog Unit. Same name could still be applicable to Northern 142's and 150's. Noisy, dirty and often stinky!

Always thought a Class 40 was a Whistler?

 

[DarloRich]

Class 221/220 - sh*teagers "super" Shi*eagers or mobile sh*t houses

 

[507 001]

Class 91- stealth bomber (due to the shape and the noise they make)
Class 508- NBG (no bloody good- although I have to disagree with that one)
Class 73- technically a 73/0 is a JA and a 73/1 or /2 a JB