Nostalgia & History > Dead or dying terms

Yesterday, I worked with a couple of realatively new guys. Not brand new but I think they said they had 12-18 months. They were riding the point of a shove when we came to a control point where there is a high mast signal and a dwarf signal, down on the ground. They asked me if one of the signals was ours and I said, "Yes, the pot signal is ours".  "Which one is that the tall one or the one on the ground?", they asked. I explained that it was the low one but when they were back on the head end, I asked them if they'd never heard the term "pot signal" before and they both said "No". I can't blame them, with fewer and fewer dwarf signals in use, combined with fewer and fewer coworkers to pass the jargon along. It got me to thinking, what other railroad terms are dead or dying off?

Probably most all of the slang terms.
I wonder if they knew what "Going to beans"  means?  :~)
zr190

"High Iron" somestimes draws a furrowed brow!

How about all the nicknames used to describe a caboose?

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

How about "tank car" being replaced by "tanker"? And "freighter" for "freight train".

A term which I had never heard until a few years ago to describe a train or engine which is not moving is "parked". I've "parked" my car and "tied down" an engine more times than I can imagine but I've never "parked" a piece of RR equipment.

Chico43 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A term which I had never heard until a few years
> ago to describe a train or engine which is not
> moving is "parked". I've "parked" my car and "tied
> down" an engine more times than I can imagine but
> I've never "parked" a piece of RR equipment.

Unless it pertains to the U.P.; ie, Usually Parked...

I never heard WAG2811 use the term "parked". Dad always used the term "spotted" when I was younger. I still think that an engine was is parked is for autos. wag216

crackerjackhoghead Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yesterday, I worked with a couple of realatively
> new guys. Not brand new but I think they said they
> had 12-18 months. They were riding the point of a
> shove when we came to a control point where there
> is a high mast signal and a dwarf signal, down on
> the ground. They asked me if one of the signals
> was ours and I said, "Yes, the pot signal is
> ours".  "Which one is that the tall one or the
> one on the ground?", they asked. I explained that
> it was the low one but when they were back on the
> head end, I asked them if they'd never heard the
> term "pot signal" before and they both said "No".
> I can't blame them, with fewer and fewer dwarf
> signals in use, combined with fewer and fewer
> coworkers to pass the jargon along. It got me to
> thinking, what other railroad terms are dead or
> dying off?

"Bull Switch," (yard) lead, drill (track), shanty, and "frogged" to name a few.

Chico43 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A term which I had never heard until a few years
> ago to describe a train or engine which is not
> moving is "parked". I've "parked" my car and "tied
> down" an engine more times than I can imagine but
> I've never "parked" a piece of RR equipment.

I would often describe a 'train' as being 'parked', but never when referring to a peice(s) of equipment.

wag216 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I never heard WAG2811 use the term "parked". Dad
> always used the term "spotted" when I was younger.
> I still think that an engine was is parked is for
> autos. wag216

Exactly. You park cars, not trains.

Big hole.
Gandy Dancer.

"Ride these cars and make a joint"  So the new kid did, big crash and some odd smelling smoke.  Doug

Parked? Spotted? All went out the window when the SD90H model came with an "electric parking brake"!

Out

I've had so many guys confuse the term "yard lead" with "yard ladder" as though they are interchangeable when, in fact, they are two different things.

High ball. 

Adam

How about "passing signs"? That would be impossible today on most trains, since you would need at least two trainman that know any hand signs.

We might come up with a shorter list by naming the terms that have remained.

EO

I was going to mention hand signs. That is almost dead. Also, some signs were Western or Eastern. The list goes on.


Nudge

Back in the day you never had to park your train. They always got over the road and made it into the final terminal where you yarded it.

Or maybe "arrived" it. 
Dave in Msla



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/16 11:44 by monaddave.

A new term, which drives me nuts is "powers". The yard master might intruct a crew to go get their power, referring, collectively, to a lash-up of locomotives. But now, these new guys call a single unit a "power". They point to a consist and say, "Look at all those powers". Oh boy.