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Rail enthusiast lingo

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ABB125

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I told the story on this forum before. 1980s. Electric failure or other on a Glasgow or Edinburgh to Euston. Class 31 attached at Carlisle and dragged the train via the Settle and Carlisle line to Preston. I was on the train and alighted at Preston. Normals start bitching like crazy. NEDs on the platform in a very loud voice:

"The ungrateful bar- stewards- they have just had a ride down the S&C behind a NB Goyle and they are beeatching. There is no pleasing some people"
Just goes to show how disruption can be really fun for enthusiasts, with all sorts of things possible: exciting locomotives (sadly no longer), unusual routes etc.
 
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Richard Scott

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I see the Wikipedia entry has been updated to remove references to ‘Empress’ or ‘Tat’:
Definitely heard the 'Tat' nickname, apparently came from Two and Three hundreds in respect of their D numbers. Mate of mine always called them Tats.
 

GLC

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Can anyone fill me in on what is meant by an “ORCATS raid”? I understand that ORCATS is a system used to split the revenue of tickets amongst train operators, but how does an operator running a given service constitute a raid as such?
 

Peter Mugridge

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Can anyone fill me in on what is meant by an “ORCATS raid”? I understand that ORCATS is a system used to split the revenue of tickets amongst train operators, but how does an operator running a given service constitute a raid as such?
Running a service that is of no real practical value, usually duplicating existing services, in the territory of another TOC. Just having the service there entitles them to a share of the total revenue for the sector regardless of how many people actually travel on their trains. This means if they plan it right, they can make a lot of money from marginal use of rolling stock and train crew.

A well known example was when SWT introduced a West Croydon semi fast service from Guildford; it ran virtually empty but gained them a lot of money because the sector between Epsom and West Croydon, particularly between Epsom and Sutton, is extremely busy at all times.
 

Pinza-C55

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A SAGA train was known as an "Agex" and would be full of "Crusties".

It was popular in the 80's to reserve seats in the name of Mr Winston Kodogo from the legendary Not The Nine O' Clock News sketch and to have the guard or station announcer to put out a call for Mr Kodogo to join his friends.

A "Festoon" was someone festooned with a number of large cameras.

A "leap" involved bailing at a station to catch a required train.

A "Negative Leap" involved bailing at a station where, if the trains were on time, you normally miss the required train by one or minutes.
 
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xotGD

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A "Negative Leap" involved bailing at a station where, if the trains were on time, you normally miss the required train by one or minutes.
I remember seeing some cranks make an actual negative leap at Newcastle. The train they were catching was already moving before the one they were arriving on had come to a stop. A very quick dash across from the old platform 10 to platform 9!
 

Pinza-C55

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I remember seeing some cranks make an actual negative leap at Newcastle. The train they were catching was already moving before the one they were arriving on had come to a stop. A very quick dash across from the old platform 10 to platform 9!

Lol I guess they had to dodge the BRUTEs too !

BRUTE = British Rail Universal Trolley Equipment.
 

NorthWestRover

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I remember seeing some cranks make an actual negative leap at Newcastle. The train they were catching was already moving before the one they were arriving on had come to a stop. A very quick dash across from the old platform 10 to platform 9!
I think I've probably done that. Not at Newcastle.
 

SargeNpton

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-ex is a common suffix that enthusiasts use. "Wedgex" would be a busy train, "Vegex" would be a railtour full of enthusiasts, "Footex" a train full of football fans
"ex" was applied as a suffix by BR to excursion trains as shorthand when the internal telegraph network was the main means of urgent communications. Here's an extract of the 1958 version of the code book. Footex was a later official addition to the list.
 

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D6130

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In addition to those listed above, CHARTEX indicated a privately-chartered excursion (e.g. a railtour) and MILSPEC (short for military special) indicated a troop train. Following the IRA mainland bombing campaign in the early 1970s, it was felt that troop trains should be subject to greater security, so the telegraphic code - also used in special traffic notices - was changed to CHARTER.
 

AY1975

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Rule 12 includes the caveat 'without good cause'. Many would maintain that enjoying the thrash from some monster up front is a very good cause!
That's another one that I don't think has been mentioned yet (apart from in passing): "thrash" (engine noise).
 

SteveM70

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Would anyone like to define “flailing”?

Would anyone like to justify “flailing”? :lol:
 

Pinza-C55

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Would anyone like to define “flailing”?

Would anyone like to justify “flailing”? :lol:

Probably not the football fan who, in 1984 , was on a Footex into Kings Cross and decided to flail looking backwards on the train which was travelling on the slow lines through the single track tunnels near Potters Bar. It knocked his head clean off.
 

SargeNpton

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In addition to those listed above, CHARTEX indicated a privately-chartered excursion (e.g. a railtour) and MILSPEC (short for military special) indicated a troop train. Following the IRA mainland bombing campaign in the early 1970s, it was felt that troop trains should be subject to greater security, so the telegraphic code - also used in special traffic notices - was changed to CHARTER.
In my time in the group travel section at Euston House in the early 1980s we used PARSPEC to indicate any type of charter train. CHARTEX was not in our dictionary.
 

delt1c

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There is plenty of regional and group lingo , however as to enthusiast lingo that is different. On the WR in 60’s and 70’s 1000’s these were Westerns where as on Scr this was used for 20’s. Yes there are plenty of examples of enthusiasts lingo but these mainly apply to to regional or local not a National language
 

Inversnecky

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"ex" was applied as a suffix by BR to excursion trains as shorthand when the internal telegraph network was the main means of urgent communications. Here's an extract of the 1958 version of the code book. Footex was a later official addition to the list.
What's a Fedex then? :)
 

D1537

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"Negative Leap" involved bailing at a station where, if the trains were on time, you normally miss the required train by one or minutes.

We always referred to this as a "minus". A normal connection would be a "plus".

"I did the Brighton to New Street for the plus 5 onto the Scotch, but missed the minus 3 at Crewe for the Holyhead".

I remember a regular move on a Sunday in the 80s, taking a cross-country train from Brum to Derby for another one back. According to the public timetable it was a "minus 10", but not only was the train given a stupid amount of recovery time to account for possible engineering work, but the buffet trolley was booked to do that move anyway!
 

xotGD

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The term 'nose bleed' was used disparagingly towards people who didn't travel very far. As in:

"Will you get a nose bleed if you travel south of Durham?"

I remember one lad actually having a nose bleed on the train, resulting in general uproar and hilarity.
 

Pinza-C55

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We always referred to this as a "minus". A normal connection would be a "plus".

"I did the Brighton to New Street for the plus 5 onto the Scotch, but missed the minus 3 at Crewe for the Holyhead".

I remember a regular move on a Sunday in the 80s, taking a cross-country train from Brum to Derby for another one back. According to the public timetable it was a "minus 10", but not only was the train given a stupid amount of recovery time to account for possible engineering work, but the buffet trolley was booked to do that move anyway!

In the dying days of the Deltics there used to be a Leap at Chathill where a Deltic worked a Newcastle - Edinburgh stopping service at about 18.00 which called at most of the Mickey Mouse stations and you had had 7 minutes at Chathill to possibly get a Deltic there and back. If the northbound train lost time you had to go forward to Berwick and pop off to Mays Chip Shop before getting a later train back to Newcastle.
 

Welshman

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"ex" was applied as a suffix by BR to excursion trains as shorthand when the internal telegraph network was the main means of urgent communications. Here's an extract of the 1958 version of the code book. Footex was a later official addition to the list.
The train from Wylfa to Sellafield conveying spent fuel rods was known locally as the Glowex.
 
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