Trussrod
Well-Known Member
How about listing the various RR Slang terms, their meanings & how they came to be used 
Many of the terms we use today originated from the railroads and I thought it might be interesting to list as many as we could think of, what do you say?
If we each post we can keep adding to our own original listing, it should be interesting!
Many new additions have been added so look the list over.
Terms:
*A's*
Angle Cock - An appliance used for the purpose of opening or closing brake pipe on ends of cars, rear ends of tenders, and front ends of switch engines so equipped. Provision is made for supporting hose at proper angle.
'Armstrong'
Old-style equipment operated by muscular effort
'Asleep at the switch' probably used to indicate someone who failed to change the switch as needed or in advance.
*B's*
Bakehead
Fireman (because his head was near the door of firebox when shoveling coal)
'Beanery'
A railroad eating house.
'Beanery Queen' [ Flo ]
Railroad eating house waitress
'Blanket Stiff'
A hobo who totes a blanket and uses it wherever night finds him.
'Bindle Stiff' - Also known as a Bindle Stiff. is a corruption of "bundle")
'Blind baggage'
Hobo riding head end of baggage car next to tender, where no door is placed; commonly called riding the blinds
"Blood'
Old-time engine built by Manchester Locomotive Works. Mr. Aretas Blood being the builder's name
'Blow smoke'
Brag
'Bleeder'
The valve by which air is bled from the auxiliary air tank reservoir on a car.
'Blue Goose'
A hy-rail car used by management to get out of the office and look important.
'Bo chaser'
freight brakeman or railroad policeman
'Bradley Bar'
A device shaped like a hockey stick used to straighten hand holds on freight cars.
'Brass Pounder'
Telegraph Operator
'Brownie'
A demerit for violation of rules, traced back to George R. Brown, general superintendent of the Fall Brook Railway (now part of the New York Central) in 1885. He thought the then current practice of suspending men for breaking rules was unfair to their families and substituted a system of demerit marks. Too many demerits in a given period resulted in dismissal. The Brown system, with many variations, has since been widely adopted by the railroad industry. A superintendent's private car is called brownie box or brownie wagon
I guess that's where the term Brownie Points comes from and I always thoght that was something good in a way? Now I know!
'Buzzards roost'
Yard office
*C's*
Caboose Hop
Early term for a train composed only of an engine and caboose
'Calliope'
Steam locomotive
'Camel back'
Slang: an older rerailing device, also called a rerailing "frog". Used in pairs, one on each side to lift the wheel flanges of a derailed car and allow them to slide back onto the rail.
'Chinamans Chance' comes from the building of the railroad over the Sierra's and how they used to lower down a "volunteer" to set the dynamite to blast the side of the mountain, and hopefully bring him back up in time.
'Car knocker, wheel knocker, car toad, car tonk' - Car inspector
The 'Car knockers have set the Flags,' The consist is right with the check off sheet. I not real sure about this?
'Coffepot'
Old steam locomotive, small
'Consist'
(as a noun, pronounced CON-sist) The make-up of a freight train by types of cars and their contents.
'Coon It'
To walk across the tops of freight cars.
'Croaker'
Company doctor
'Crummy, Hack or Shak' - The Caboose in past years.
'The Old Man's in the Crummy Up on His Thrown,' The conductor is in the caboose and sitting up in the Couploa.
Cut Lever
The hand operated lever applied to all cars and locomotives, which was used to lift the coupler pin and release the knuckle in order to couple or uncouple cars and locomotives.
*D's*
Date Nail
A small nail used by railroads from late 1800's to present used to mark the year a tie was placed in roadbed. Nails are distinctive in that each has the last two digits of placement year stamped in head. Usually found within six inches of tie end, but some are located mid tie to allow easier inspection. Rarer nails value in 100's of dollar range to collectors, I have a couple of them. Trussrod
'Deadbeat'
Defined by Webster as "one who persistently fails to pay his debts or way." The word was coined in the late 1800's when railroad workers noticed that loaded freight cars made a different beat over the track-joints than cars that weren't carrying a load. The empty cars made a "dead beat" which meant they weren't paying their way. By the beginning of the 20th century "deadbeat" came to encompassed people who failed to carry their share of the load also.
'Dead Man'
A buried timber, log or beam designed as an anchorage to which a guy wire or cable is fastened to support a structure, as a wood or steel column, derrick or mast.
Dead Man's Throttle
Throttle that requires pressure of operator's hand or foot to prevent power shut-off and application of brakes. An engine so equipped would stop instantly if the operator fell dead. Also called dead man's button
'Deckorate'
In the days before air brakes, the duties of the brakemen included stopping the train. The brakeman would have to go to the top deck of the car - thus decorate - and wind the stem winder.
'Dogcock'
A device used in unison with a clawbar to pull spikes from the wing rails of a frog and also from the guard rail.
'Dollyflopper'
A brakeman or switch-tender - someone who throws switches.
'Doodlebug'
Rail motorcar used by section men, linemen, etc. Also called ding dong
Drunkard
Late Saturday-night passenger train
Ducats
Passenger conductor's hat checks
Dude
Passenger conductor
'Dutch drop, drop' - To pull a car up to speed, then pin off, pull power ahead into clear, then line switch allowing the car to roll into the clear on its own momentum. (MSTS: I have successfully completed this move, but it takes a lot of practice!) [Not my statement Trussrod]
*E's*
Eagle Eye
Locomotive engineer
Easy Sign
A hand signal indicating the train is to move slowly
*F's*
Figurehead
Timekeeper
Fire Boy
Locomotive Fireman
Fire Box
The "stove" where the wood, coal, oil, etc., was burned to make steam to propel the engine.
Firkin
Measurement. A quarter of a barrel.
Fishplate
Length of iron, applied to either side of rail web, used to connect sections of rail together.
*G'*
Gay Cat
A hobo willing to work
'Give me a brake!" This probably came from the days of the engineer signaling to brakemen riding on car roofs to apply hand brakes.
Whistle signal (-) One short.
Gravy Train
A gravy train was railroad slang for an easy run that paid very good. Circa 1920
Grease Monkey
An employee who is responsible for greasing frogs, switches and interlocking track equipment. Also a car oiler.
*H's*
Hot Box
A hot box is an overheated wheel journal. The journal is located in a box which protrudes slightly from the wheel assembly. The box, which normally has a cover over it, is filled with "waste", which is oil-soaked to keep the journal cool. An overheated journal is a serious situation, because a hot axle can fail, and break. Hotboxes often caught fire, and smoked or sparked.
Hot Box Dick
*J's*
Jerkwater Town
A small town with few facilities, identified on the railroad by the existence of a water plug only.
Johnson Bar
Valve gear adjustment lever.
Join the Birdies, To jump from a locomotive cab before a collision.
*K's*
Keester
A suitcase or trunk
Kettle
(Steam) engine (amer. slang).
Key
Telegraph instrument
Telegraph instrument
*L's*
Lamb's Tongue
A fifty cent tip
'Light at the end of the tunnel' Could be used to indicate an end to a bad thing or the approach of an oncoming train.
*M's*
'Milk run' From long ago when farmers would leave cans of milk for the train track to be picked up for delivery.
*P's*
'You can hear a Pin Drop' comes from the old link and pin coupler days, when all was quiet at the rail yard.
*R's*
'Rail worker' - Gandy dancer or snipe
'Railroaded' as in getting unfair treatment. From a time when courts were in the pocket of the railroads.
'Red Ball'
A fast freight train.
'Red Eye'
A red signal or horizontal semaphore arm requiring the train to stop and proceed with caution.
'Red light district.' RR construction crews would hang their red lantern outside a tent whilst conducting business with women of easy virtue.
'Ridin' th' Rods'
An old-time hobo practice, now virtually obsolete. The hobo would place a board or boards across truss rods under a car and ride on it. This was very dangerous even in pleasant weather, and the possibility was ever present that you might doze, get careless, become too cramped, or lose your nerve-and roll under the wheels.
I imagine this practice took place when no Box cars were available?
*W's*
We got 'Wind Pumping Back to the Shack' The Air Brake Lines are pressurized all the way to the Caboose.
Many of the terms we use today originated from the railroads and I thought it might be interesting to list as many as we could think of, what do you say?
If we each post we can keep adding to our own original listing, it should be interesting!
Many new additions have been added so look the list over.
Terms:
*A's*
Angle Cock - An appliance used for the purpose of opening or closing brake pipe on ends of cars, rear ends of tenders, and front ends of switch engines so equipped. Provision is made for supporting hose at proper angle.
'Armstrong'
Old-style equipment operated by muscular effort
'Asleep at the switch' probably used to indicate someone who failed to change the switch as needed or in advance.
*B's*
Bakehead
Fireman (because his head was near the door of firebox when shoveling coal)
'Beanery'
A railroad eating house.
'Beanery Queen' [ Flo ]
Railroad eating house waitress
'Blanket Stiff'
A hobo who totes a blanket and uses it wherever night finds him.
'Bindle Stiff' - Also known as a Bindle Stiff. is a corruption of "bundle")
'Blind baggage'
Hobo riding head end of baggage car next to tender, where no door is placed; commonly called riding the blinds
"Blood'
Old-time engine built by Manchester Locomotive Works. Mr. Aretas Blood being the builder's name
'Blow smoke'
Brag
'Bleeder'
The valve by which air is bled from the auxiliary air tank reservoir on a car.
'Blue Goose'
A hy-rail car used by management to get out of the office and look important.
'Bo chaser'
freight brakeman or railroad policeman
'Bradley Bar'
A device shaped like a hockey stick used to straighten hand holds on freight cars.
'Brass Pounder'
Telegraph Operator
'Brownie'
A demerit for violation of rules, traced back to George R. Brown, general superintendent of the Fall Brook Railway (now part of the New York Central) in 1885. He thought the then current practice of suspending men for breaking rules was unfair to their families and substituted a system of demerit marks. Too many demerits in a given period resulted in dismissal. The Brown system, with many variations, has since been widely adopted by the railroad industry. A superintendent's private car is called brownie box or brownie wagon
I guess that's where the term Brownie Points comes from and I always thoght that was something good in a way? Now I know!
'Buzzards roost'
Yard office
*C's*
Caboose Hop
Early term for a train composed only of an engine and caboose
'Calliope'
Steam locomotive
'Camel back'
Slang: an older rerailing device, also called a rerailing "frog". Used in pairs, one on each side to lift the wheel flanges of a derailed car and allow them to slide back onto the rail.
'Chinamans Chance' comes from the building of the railroad over the Sierra's and how they used to lower down a "volunteer" to set the dynamite to blast the side of the mountain, and hopefully bring him back up in time.
'Car knocker, wheel knocker, car toad, car tonk' - Car inspector
The 'Car knockers have set the Flags,' The consist is right with the check off sheet. I not real sure about this?
'Coffepot'
Old steam locomotive, small
'Consist'
(as a noun, pronounced CON-sist) The make-up of a freight train by types of cars and their contents.
'Coon It'
To walk across the tops of freight cars.
'Croaker'
Company doctor
'Crummy, Hack or Shak' - The Caboose in past years.
'The Old Man's in the Crummy Up on His Thrown,' The conductor is in the caboose and sitting up in the Couploa.
Cut Lever
The hand operated lever applied to all cars and locomotives, which was used to lift the coupler pin and release the knuckle in order to couple or uncouple cars and locomotives.
*D's*
Date Nail
A small nail used by railroads from late 1800's to present used to mark the year a tie was placed in roadbed. Nails are distinctive in that each has the last two digits of placement year stamped in head. Usually found within six inches of tie end, but some are located mid tie to allow easier inspection. Rarer nails value in 100's of dollar range to collectors, I have a couple of them. Trussrod
'Deadbeat'
Defined by Webster as "one who persistently fails to pay his debts or way." The word was coined in the late 1800's when railroad workers noticed that loaded freight cars made a different beat over the track-joints than cars that weren't carrying a load. The empty cars made a "dead beat" which meant they weren't paying their way. By the beginning of the 20th century "deadbeat" came to encompassed people who failed to carry their share of the load also.
'Dead Man'
A buried timber, log or beam designed as an anchorage to which a guy wire or cable is fastened to support a structure, as a wood or steel column, derrick or mast.
Dead Man's Throttle
Throttle that requires pressure of operator's hand or foot to prevent power shut-off and application of brakes. An engine so equipped would stop instantly if the operator fell dead. Also called dead man's button
'Deckorate'
In the days before air brakes, the duties of the brakemen included stopping the train. The brakeman would have to go to the top deck of the car - thus decorate - and wind the stem winder.
'Dogcock'
A device used in unison with a clawbar to pull spikes from the wing rails of a frog and also from the guard rail.
'Dollyflopper'
A brakeman or switch-tender - someone who throws switches.
'Doodlebug'
Rail motorcar used by section men, linemen, etc. Also called ding dong
Drunkard
Late Saturday-night passenger train
Ducats
Passenger conductor's hat checks
Dude
Passenger conductor
'Dutch drop, drop' - To pull a car up to speed, then pin off, pull power ahead into clear, then line switch allowing the car to roll into the clear on its own momentum. (MSTS: I have successfully completed this move, but it takes a lot of practice!) [Not my statement Trussrod]
*E's*
Eagle Eye
Locomotive engineer
Easy Sign
A hand signal indicating the train is to move slowly
*F's*
Figurehead
Timekeeper
Fire Boy
Locomotive Fireman
Fire Box
The "stove" where the wood, coal, oil, etc., was burned to make steam to propel the engine.
Firkin
Measurement. A quarter of a barrel.
Fishplate
Length of iron, applied to either side of rail web, used to connect sections of rail together.
*G'*
Gay Cat
A hobo willing to work
'Give me a brake!" This probably came from the days of the engineer signaling to brakemen riding on car roofs to apply hand brakes.
Whistle signal (-) One short.
Gravy Train
A gravy train was railroad slang for an easy run that paid very good. Circa 1920
Grease Monkey
An employee who is responsible for greasing frogs, switches and interlocking track equipment. Also a car oiler.
*H's*
Hot Box
A hot box is an overheated wheel journal. The journal is located in a box which protrudes slightly from the wheel assembly. The box, which normally has a cover over it, is filled with "waste", which is oil-soaked to keep the journal cool. An overheated journal is a serious situation, because a hot axle can fail, and break. Hotboxes often caught fire, and smoked or sparked.
Hot Box Dick
*J's*
Jerkwater Town
A small town with few facilities, identified on the railroad by the existence of a water plug only.
Johnson Bar
Valve gear adjustment lever.
Join the Birdies, To jump from a locomotive cab before a collision.
*K's*
Keester
A suitcase or trunk
Kettle
(Steam) engine (amer. slang).
Key
Telegraph instrument
Telegraph instrument
*L's*
Lamb's Tongue
A fifty cent tip
'Light at the end of the tunnel' Could be used to indicate an end to a bad thing or the approach of an oncoming train.
*M's*
'Milk run' From long ago when farmers would leave cans of milk for the train track to be picked up for delivery.
*P's*
'You can hear a Pin Drop' comes from the old link and pin coupler days, when all was quiet at the rail yard.
*R's*
'Rail worker' - Gandy dancer or snipe
'Railroaded' as in getting unfair treatment. From a time when courts were in the pocket of the railroads.
'Red Ball'
A fast freight train.
'Red Eye'
A red signal or horizontal semaphore arm requiring the train to stop and proceed with caution.
'Red light district.' RR construction crews would hang their red lantern outside a tent whilst conducting business with women of easy virtue.
'Ridin' th' Rods'
An old-time hobo practice, now virtually obsolete. The hobo would place a board or boards across truss rods under a car and ride on it. This was very dangerous even in pleasant weather, and the possibility was ever present that you might doze, get careless, become too cramped, or lose your nerve-and roll under the wheels.
I imagine this practice took place when no Box cars were available?
*W's*
We got 'Wind Pumping Back to the Shack' The Air Brake Lines are pressurized all the way to the Caboose.
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