Railway Slang

[alxndr]

A couple I remember from my time as a contractor (3rd rail land). "popped mushroom" = broken insulator.

Alternatively, a plain, unpopped "mushroom" can be a yellow axle counter electronic junction box.

 

[dk1]

745 has 'failed' so 'cars to Norwich"
Distant Signal: Back Board (becoming rarer by the day!)
Feathers, also know as lunar lights
Ground Signal: Dummy

Talking to a Driver at a Signal: "You've got the road Driver"

No doubt many local ones too!
Platform 1 Ipswich: Arcade
Fuel Point: Table Road or Foundout
Norwich has the Royal Dock.

You are speaking in my first language dear boy

 

[Mat17]

'Demic' and of course 'swingers'.

 

[LAX54]

You are speaking in my first language dear boy

where's the 'like 'button ? lol

 

[Galvanize]

When I worked on the Platforms, we used the TRTS-Train Ready to Start buttons to inform the Signaller the train was fully crewed and otherwise ready to leave.

Informally it would be “Plunge the train out” referring to the fact the TRTS used to be more like a Plunger than a Push Button.
Other parts of the Network might have said
“Buzz the train out”
“Bell the train out”
“Key the train out”

 

[Jim Jehosofat]

DOLE - There is no work for the woodcutter today

 

[Western 52]

Anyone mentioned the blower yet? Do signallers still use this term for the phone?

 

[Efini92]

There’s the dogs dick on 319’s

 

[ComUtoR]

There’s the dogs dick on 319’s

And the 'pigtails'

 

[Efini92]

And the 'pigtails'

I’m not familiar with that one, is that the flags on the couplers?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Anyone mentioned the blower yet? Do signallers still use this term for the phone?

Surely that's got older naval origins? The 'blower' was the speaking tube from the ship's bridge down to the engine room.

 

[43066]

There’s the dogs dick on 319’s

Similar to that, “Donkeys’ dicks” for TRTS buttons in sidings at my last TOC which were mounted on long stalks, so that they could be operated from cab height.

IIRC I mentioned that before on here and was told the term originated on LU.

Surely that's got older naval origins?

Indeed. Like so many English language expressions!

 

[Western 52]

I've heard the communication cord resets on the ends of older carriages referred to as butterflies, presumably due to their shape.

 

[Efini92]

I've heard the communication cord resets on the ends of older carriages referred to as butterflies, presumably due to their shape.

That’s also used for access/egress handles on second generation dmu’s/emu’s

 

[ComUtoR]

I’m not familiar with that one, is that the flags on the couplers?

It's the springs for the chocolate box...

 

[Tony73E]

Not slang, but pronunciation. Up in Scotland, for old hands "cran" = "crane". "Rout" = "route".

I have always worked on the Southern but did my Breakdown Supervisor's course at Eastfield. The Instructor, Alex Berry from Haymarket, always used the term 'cran'.

 

[Horizon22]

A few others:

One-under: The informal term sadly for a fatality

Bell/buzz it out: Informal term for pressing TRTS (Train Ready to Start) button.

A Passcom: The activation of the passenger alarm button on a train.

Juice rail: 3rd rail

Pass (crew related, hard a): Driver or guard travelling passenger on service.

Boxed in: Where a cab in a multiple unit has an issue and has been put in the middle so it is not in passenger service.

I’m sure there’s others but I can only think of these presently.

 

[snowball]

Anyone mentioned the blower yet? Do signallers still use this term for the phone?

Not specific to the railway. Lots of people use that, in all walks of life.

Or at least, they did a few decades ago.

 

[43066]

Juice rail: 3rd rail

“I’d rather lick the juice rail than work this pile of **** diagram” (and variations) is a phrase often heard in third rail depots.

 

[cadder toad]

'Pegged' would mean the board is off for the road - ie signal at green (or yellow). I've heard both dolly and dummy used for shunting signal. 'Cran' was mentioned for 'crane' in Scotland. Its not slang as such but what's a truch ('u' as in much, 'ch' as in loch)? Its a trough in polite English. Particular routes had names too, again not exactly slang.

 

[Trackman]

Over 10 years ago now Network Rail briefed us not to use slang or acronyms (acronyms to a certain extent) for our region. I think it lasted 2 days, if that ; as no-one had a clue what we were on about.
---
This may seem an obvious one - signal on or off.
Stuck at a signal once and could I see the signal through the window and my mate was moaning, I said 'the signal is off now' and sighed and complained even more, thinking it was broke.

 

[6Gman]

CAPE was the old railway telegraphic term for ‘The following train is cancelled...’ Even long after the telephone took over, it was still used for telephone messages as it was quick and clear. Another was BOXER ‘The following message is to be passed from signal box to signal box.’ I have numerous times had the ‘phone ring, picked it up, been told ‘BOXER. CAPE 1B45‘ and then got on the ‘phone to the next box and repeated the message. I don’t think that it stood for anything: it was just a short and clear word.

By the 1980s most of the others had fallen out of use as far as signalmen were concerned, although there was still an old book containing hundreds of words, many totally obsolete, in many boxes. The only two I can remember using were HANOVER ‘The following train will run in two portions...’ and URE ‘Special attention is to be paid to the working of the following train...’ (The latter was seen as ‘Member of the board on his way home.’) All from memory.

ARNO - acknowledge receipt of (special) notice.

 

[niggill617@gma]

Drop a lead plug. Unforgiveable error for a steam driver. Refers to the fusible soft alloy plug. If water level low, plug melts and helps put the fire out.

 

[Rescars]

Until at least 1980, teleprinter messages sent to my office frequently ended with the words "WALNUT REDE". A long serving traffic inspector who knew his code book translated this as "take all necessary action and advise everyone else concerned". If you didn't know, you simply couldn't guess that one! I assume relics of this sort from the "ting-tang" era have disappeared from common usage in the digital age.

 

[Friary Yard]

Until at least 1980, teleprinter messages sent to my office frequently ended with the words "WALNUT REDE". A long serving traffic inspector who knew his code book translated this as "take all necessary action and advise everyone else concerned". If you didn't know, you simply couldn't guess that one! I assume relics of this sort from the "ting-tang" era have disappeared from common usage in the digital age.

Another regular message ending was ARROW SAP RANGLE Reply by wire Keep me well advised Party waiting for information.
All this talk of Telegraph Code prompted me to dig out my old code book Some codes have a link with the message like BOXER mentioned before but others like ARROW SAP and RANGLE are random

 

[Rescars]

Another regular message ending was ARROW SAP RANGLE Reply by wire Keep me well advised Party waiting for information.
All this talk of Telegraph Code prompted me to dig out my old code book Some codes have a link with the message like BOXER mentioned before but others like ARROW SAP and RANGLE are random

Some make a lot of sense, like PARSPEC for unadvertised party special, or PLUNGE (equip with soap, towels, etc), but some are more obscure and sometimes rather inappropriate. It must be a while since anyone telegraphed FUNCO - vehicle with funeral party and corpse!

 

[Friary Yard]

Some make a lot of sense, like PARSPEC for unadvertised party special, or PLUNGE (equip with soap, towels, etc), but some are more obscure and sometimes rather inappropriate. It must be a while since anyone telegraphed FUNCO - vehicle with funeral party and corpse!

The other code was VANCO unaccompanied coffin. These would sometimes travel from Paddington to Fishguard Harbour for Ireland. There was a special wheeled vehicle in which the coffin was conveyed so that only those "in the know" would realise what it was.

 

[Boilinthebag]

Until at least 1980, teleprinter messages sent to my office frequently ended with the words "WALNUT REDE". A long serving traffic inspector who knew his code book translated this as "take all necessary action and advise everyone else concerned". If you didn't know, you simply couldn't guess that one! I assume relics of this sort from the "ting-tang" era have disappeared from common usage in the digital age.

This bought back some memories. At least until 1998 this was on the bottom of the engineering notice that came out of the fax machine each day. For ages I thought the person sending it out had an interesting name. Took me a while....

Brake test related:
Drop the cock - carry out a continuity test.
Trap the air - set the loco up for a test
Peg it out - set the loco up for a test with the Westinghouse

And don't forget the vast amount of slang used for making tea, eating lunch and using the facilities that aren't unique to the railway but we're new to me.

 

[Dunnideer]

I assume relics of this sort from the "ting-tang" era have disappeared from common usage in the digital age.

The ancient telegraph code words for out of gauge loads live on in digital Conditions Of Travel notices and RT3973EXL forms - GOBI, EXLO, JOAN, LEFPAS, RIGPAS CAWCROSS etc..

 

[FormerBritInMe]

Pull the pin - put a point machine back on power after its been manually operated

Here in the States "pull the pin" used to be the term for uncoupling wagons, going back to the days of link and pin couplers in the late 19th Century. I don't know if it is still used. Link and pin was very dangerous - they used to say you could tell how long a brakeman had been in service by the number of missing fingers on his hand. The adoption of the automatic coupler changed all that. They use the term "make a hitch" for coupling cars.