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Railway forum acronyms you use

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richieb1971

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Can you please list acronyms you use and what they mean?

I am talking like -

NR - Network Rail
HBOC - High Balast Output Container
DMU - Diesel Multiple Unit
EMU - Electric Multiple Unit
TNT - Top N Tail
HS2 - High Speed 2

etc etc. There are tons more and to be honest I haven't a clue what some of them are.

Thanks
 
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Trainfan344

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Is there not already some sort of Glossary? Would've thought that would be a straight forward idea for the forum already!
 

The Ham

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It has been discussed, and I've started writing one, but the forum moderators haven't made any final decision.

One option could be to have a "sticky" thread which people could add to with any that they use or have come across.

Most of the TOC (Train Operating Companies) have acronyms, such as Crosscountry (XC), South West Trains (SWT), Great Western Railways (GWR), London Midland (LM), TransPennine Express (TPE) and so on.

Likewise a lot of the franchise areas InterCity West Coast (ICWC), InterCity East Coast (ICEC) and so on.
 

SpacePhoenix

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Another option (don't know if it's doable) would be for a plugin for vBulletin (if such a plugin exists) where if it detects an acronym in its database it generates a tooltip with that it's short for in the tooltip
 

AndrewE

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Without wanting to be called a pedant (again) I have to point out that 95% of these are just initials or abbreviations (some are TLA, 3LA or 3-letter Abbreviations.)
Acronyms are abbbreviations that can be spoken as a word, such as ATOC, BREL and BRUTE. Outside the railway world we have or had DEFRA, VAT(-registered) and NATO.
I'm not disputing that they are all definitely part of railway industry jargon, whether as initials, acronyms or just invented or "dialect" words (e.g. bustitution!)
A
 

w0033944

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Another option (don't know if it's doable) would be for a plugin for vBulletin (if such a plugin exists) where if it detects an acronym in its database it generates a tooltip with that it's short for in the tooltip

I'm a member on a meteorology forum and we have something along those lines, though it only covers a limited number of acronyms.
 

IanXC

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Another option (don't know if it's doable) would be for a plugin for vBulletin (if such a plugin exists) where if it detects an acronym in its database it generates a tooltip with that it's short for in the tooltip

It is technically feasible, but:

GTR
Govia Thameslink Railway
Or
Goostrey?

HST
High Street (Glasgow)
Or
High Speed Train?

Need I go on...
 

GrimsbyPacer

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I get confused if an article mentioned that NR are upgrading a station etc.
Is it Northern Rail or Network Rail? I only use these abbreviations on longer names EMT for East Midlands Trains, TPE for TransPennine Express, HS2 is more common that the Hig Speed 2 name so I use that. But otherwise I try to limit the use of these shorthand terms.
 
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