S.P. Railroad Terminology

1. 12 hour trick- work day
   

2. 
   

    "a good shove"          - what head end engineers call a certain expertise for helper service

1. 
   

2. a.m. trick          - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
   

3. 
   

4. articulated- a steam locomotive with two sets of driving wheels under a single boiler; articulated locomotives have wheel
   

5.                                     arrangements such as 2-8-8-4 or 4-6-6-4; articulated rolling stock like some old pax cars or modem double-
   

6.                                     stack cars share trucks between adjacent carbodies
   

7. 
   

8. back up Mallies- cab-forwards called by engineers
   

9. 
   

10. bad order         - a command placed on a card tacked to a defective car when examined by the car inspector
    

11. 
    

12. block- a section of track defined for the purpose of controlling trains
    

13. 
    

14. bridge traffic- freight received from one railroad to be moved by a second for delivery to a third; also “overhead traffic”
    

15. 
    

16. button job- CTC / dispatcher job
    

17. 
    

18. call boy- responsible to call the train crews for work
    

19. 
    

20. caboose rocket- when a caboose train slack catches, employees fly inside
    

21. 
    

    cannon-ball               - an extra hours pay for working air)

1. 
   

2. 
   

3. Class 1 railroad- a railroad with average annual gross revenue greater  than $255.9 million 
   

4. Class 2                        - $20.5 - 255.9 million
   

5. Class 3                        - under $20.5 million; 1997 figures
   

6. 
   

7. cockpit check - inspection of engine cab and controls
   

8. 
   

9. consist- a group of locos; or, the make-up of a train, often expressed as a list of cars in a train
   

10. 
    

11. covered wagons- F-units
    

12. 
    

13. crossover         - two tracks switches laid back-to-back to allow trains to move  from one track to another parallel track
    

14. 
    

15. crotch switch-
    

16. 
    

17. cut         - several cars attached to an engine, or coupled together by themselves; a group of cars destined to stay
    

18.                                     together for a  time; also a right of way that has been excavated across a high area rather than run over or 
    

19.                                     tunneled through it
    

20. 
    

21. deadhead         - to move in a train not to support its operation but to be properly positioned for later work; can apply to
    

22.                                     railroad employees as well as equipment
    

23. 
    

24. deck- 3600/3700 series 2-10-2
    

25. 
    

26. depart single- only the head end power
    

27. 
    

28. derail- to leave the rails; also a device placed on the track, usually on a siding to prevent cars from rolling on to the
    

29.                                     mainline and causing a major collision
    

30. 
    

31. died on law- could no longer work because of the 12 hour Hog Law
    

32. 
    

33. died on hrs of service - freight crew working 16 hours
    

34. 
    

35. dog house-
    

36. 
    

37. door- box car position at a warehouse door
    

38. 
    

39. double heading- the use of two locomotives with two separate crews to pull
    

40. 
    

41. doubling         - cutting a train in two to make a grade because of inadequate power
    

42. 
    

43. dynamic braking        - an auxiliary system that uses locomotive traction motors as generators producing a powerful braking effect
    

44. 
    

45. fan trip-
    

46. 
    

47. fire lighter-
    

48. 
    

49. five thousand- 5000 series, three cylinder 4-10-2
    

50. 
    

51. garden- where perishable packing sheds were located
    

52. 
    

53. going for beans- going to dinner
    

54. 
    

55. hanging a car-
    

56. 
    

57. head end cars- mail, baggage and express cars, so called because they were usually positioned just behind the locos the
    

58.                                     passenger trains they moved in
    

59. 
    

60. hearing the bark - engine noise
    

61. 
    

62. helper- a locomotive added to a train for a portion of its run to provide extra power to climb a grade; called a
    

63.                                     “pusher” if added to the rear of the train
    

64. 
    

65. herder-
    

66. 
    

67. highball- a signal from a crew member to an engineer by hand motion, lantern, or radio to proceed; from old-time
    

68.                                     ball signals that were hoisted high to show “clear”
    

69. 
    

70. hog law- under Federal Hours of Service Act a crew could only work 12 hours before a required rest period
    

71. 
    

72. hogheads         - engineers
    

73. 
    

74. hoopin' ‘em up- order hoop
    

75. 
    

76. hotbox- an overheated wheel bearing which, if left undetected, can burn off and cause a derailment
    

77. 
    

78. in the hole- on a siding, usually to allow another train to pass
    

79. 
    

80. interchange- junction of two railroads where cars are transferred between them
    

81. 
    

82. interlocking- an arrangement of track switches and signals that are mechanically or electronically linked so that
    

83.                                     conflicting routes are impossible to set up
    

84. 
    

85. joint - connection of two cars
    

86. 
    

87. knocking down- what you do to retainers
    

88. 
    

89. meet- when two trains approach from opposite directions and pass, one using a siding
    

90. 
    

91. mixed train- a train carrying both freight and passengers, the latter either in passenger cars or in the caboose
    

92. 
    

93. mudhen- old 4020 series steam locomotives
    

94. 
    

95. oil cans- oil cars
    

96. 
    

97. old kettle         - old steam engine
    

98. 
    

99. on sheet         - a train passing a reporting station is recorded on train sheet
    

100. 
     

101. on the advertised       - at the same time as that shown in the public timetable-on time
     

102. 
     

103. on the ground- derailed
     

104. 
     

105. one empty- a 25-ton caboose
     

106. 
     

107. OT         - on time
     

108. 
     

109. patching a crew- relieved by a new crew
     

110. 
     

111. per diem         - the daily rental paid by one railroad for the use of the cars of another
     

112. 
     

113. piggyback- the transportation of highway truck trailers or containers on flat cars
     

114. 
     

115. “pops” set up- air brake retaining valves set
     

116. 
     

117. pool “single end”        - A single-ended pool is like a turn, with crews operating out and back from their terminal.
     

118. 
     

119. pool ‘double end”      - A double-ended means crews from both ends work back and forth.
     

120. 
     

121. pretty short - not enough power to climb a grade, need helper service
     

122. 
     

123. “protect” yard job-
     

124. 
     

125. pulling the pin- uncoupling a car
     

126. 
     

127. roll-by- visual inspection of a moving train for any unsafe conditions
     

128. 
     

129. rolling stock- cars and or locomotives
     

130. 
     

131. run around- a maneuver in which the locomotive is uncoupled from its train, run past the train on another track, and
     

132.                                     uncoupled to the other end of the  train
     

133. 
     

134. sailor train - Navy troop train
     

135. 
     

136. set offs-
     

137. 
     

138. sit on lead-
     

139. 
     

140. soak                           - Relatively low-temperature steam was exhausted and quickly condensed in cool weather. Most SP locos that    
     

141.                                     could be called "soaks" had slide valves--or piston valves with no dry pipe. Using saturated steam, (i.e. not
     

142.                                     superheated). Saturated steam is "wet," superheated steam "dry," thus the term "soak."
     

143. 
     

144. soft puffing - exhaust coming out slow
     

145. 
     

146. solid train of “roots”- sugar beet train
     

147. 
     

148. "subs”                        - short for suburban car
     

149. 
     

150. sure spots         - locations along industry track where specific cars are spotted
     

151. 
     

152. stealing initial- Initial Terminal Delay; extra pay a crew could claim if their train failed  to depart the terminal within 1 hr
     

153.                                     and 15 min.
     

154. 
     

155. “swing” helper- helper cut in mid-train
     

156. 
     

157. switch is wrong- a switch is wrong when it is lined against you
     

158. 
     

159. taking beans- crews would take on coal
     

160. 
     

161. tramp                        - A Roustabout Job where he does anything needed in a freight yard.
     

162. 
     

163. traveling light- a locomotive running by itself without other cars
     

164. 
     

165. tying up-
     

166. 
     

167. unit train         - a train carrying a single bulk commodity, usually coal or grain, from one shipper to one one consignee        
     

168.                                  without any switching or classification en route
     

169. 
     

170. varnish- a slang term for a passenger car or a passenger train, derived from the coats of varnish applied to wood    
     

171.                                     passenger cars
     

  

    "weed weasel"            - slang for a trainmaster conducting efficiency tests of train crews

1. 
   

2. wye         - an arrangement of tracks forming the letter Y used for turning cars and engines
   

Dictionary of RR terms

1. There's a book called RAIL TALK, A Lexicon of Railroad Language, collected and edited by James H. Beck, 1978. ISBN 0-931408-00-8