Glossary of UK railway terminology

This page contains a list of jargon used to varying degrees by railway enthusiasts / railfans and trainspotters in the United Kingdom, including nicknames for various locomotives and multiple units. Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. Inclusion of a term in this list does not necessarily imply its universal adoption by all railfans and enthusiasts, and there may be significant regional variation in usage.

Words in "italics" indicate terms defined elsewhere in this list.

B

* Baby Deltic: D5900 class Bo-Bo locomotives constructed by the English Electric company. They used a single Napier Deltic engine/generator combination, as opposed to the two engines/generators layout and Co-Co wheel arrangement of the much longer "Deltic" locomotives from the same manufacturer, to which they bore a very strong family resemblance. [cite web | title = Recognition and Equipment information – Class 23 | work = | publisher = The Railway Centre .com| date = | url = http://www.therailwaycentre.com/Pages%20Loco/Recognition%20loco/Illus_23.html | accessdate = 2008-01-28]

* Baby Warship: North British D6300 class locomotives which used one engine coupled to a hydraulic transmission, making them effectively half a D600 Warship or NBL D800 Warship. [cite web |url=http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/d6300m_in.htm |title=British Railways Western Region diesel-hydraulic locomotives: D6300 index]

* Barbie: Livery of First Group's bus and rail companies up until Feb 2006 – the name comes from the purple and pink packaging of Barbie dolls. First Group are now favouring "Neon" schemes [http://omnibuses.blogspot.com/2007/08/barbed-comments.html Omnibuses Blog article on Barbie from a bus viewpoint] ]

* Bed pan: a name used for the service that used to operate between Bedford and London St. Pancras; this service has subsequently been replaced by cross-London service on the Thameslink route. [cite book |first=Terence Richard |last=Gourvish |title=British Rail, 1974-97: From Integration to Privatisation |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |id=ISBN 0199269092 |page=page 182] [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=November |year=2007 |title=Rogart 127 to head south |last=Green-Hughes |first=Evan |page=page 38]

* Black Five: LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0. One of the largest classes of steam locomotives built in the UK, named from their black 'mixed-traffic' livery and 'Class 5' power rating. [cite journal |last=Thomas |first=Cliff |year=2005 |month=July |title="Alderman A E Draper" name back on 'Black Five' |journal=The Railway Magazine |volume=151 |issue=1251 |pages=p64 ]

* Blood and Custard: Name applied to the Carmine and Cream livery used on BR's coaches during the 1950s and 60s [cite web |url=http://www.southdevonrailway.org/Coach-276.html |title=South Devon Railway Ex GWR Coach 276]

* Bodysnatcher: Class 57 locos – made by transplanting a General Motors reconditioned power unit and alternator into a Class 47 bodyshell. Term used especially by "Brush bashers" who have not come to terms with their favourite locos being treated in this way.cite web | url = http://www.renownrepulse.com/nicknames.asp | archivedate = 2008-02-06 | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070324225433/http://www.renownrepulse.com/nicknames.asp | title = Nicknames | author = Renown Repulse Restoration Group]

* Bone: British Rail Class 58 – from the shape: the body is narrow with wide cabs. (Also called "egg timer".). Ironically one of the final workings of this class was a railfan special called the Bone Breaker which ended in a bufferstop collision and a passenger breaking his leg. [http://www.c58lg.co.uk/html/class_58_history.html Class 58 Loco Group] ]

* Brush: British Rail Class 47, also known as the "Brush Type 4". Followers of this type are often known as "Brush "bashers".

* Bubble car [cite journal |last=Milner |first=Chris |year=2005 |month=July |title=SWT 'bubble' named |journal=The Railway Magazine |volume=151 |issue=1251 |pages=p77 ] : British Rail Class 121 [cite web |url=http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/travelling-with-us/our-trains/ |title=Our Trains - Chiltern Railways] or 122 [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=November |year=2007 |title=McDonald sells his four DMU cars |last=Green-Hughes |first=Evan |page=page 36] single railcar

C

* Cattle: Passengers (particularly commuters, who often complain that they are treated "like cattle") [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=510734&in_page_id=1770 Daily Mail] ]

* Chopper: Class 20 locomotive [cite journal |journal=The Railway Magazine |title='At least 20 20s' for Barrow Hill diesel jubilee |month=July |year=2007 |page=page 9]

* Clag: Originally used to describe the exhaust of steam locomotives, "clag" is a term describing the often spectacular (particularly blackened, as in Class 37, or whitesmoked, as in Class 55) exhaust emissions of many older British diesel locomotives, especially, Classes 52 and 55. [http://www.llangollen-diesels.co.uk/news%20archive2.htm Llangollen Diesels] ]

* Coffee pot : Applied to the shape of Bulleid class Q1 locomotives [ cite web |url=http://www.kentrail.co.uk/bulleid_q1_class.htm |title=Kent Rail: Bulleid Class Q1]

* Crompton: British Rail Class 33 locomotive (fitted with Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment). (Also see "Hastings Unit" and "Slim Jim").cite web | title =Class 33 locomotives | publisher ="Southern E-Group (SEMG)" | url =http://www.semgonline.com/diesel/class33_01.html | accessdate = 2007-02-16 ]

D

*Dusty Bin: British Rail Class 321, from the game show 3-2-1, featuring the animated character "Dusty Bin". [Citation
first = Iain| last = Ellis
title = Ellis' British railway Engineering Encyclopedia
publisher = Lulu.com
year = 2006
isbn = 1847286437, 9781847286437]
*Dutch: The livery of British Rail Civil Engineers, due to the resemblance of Nederlandse Spoorwegen's corporate livery. [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |title=Devon knows how they make them 37s so greeny! |page=page 29 |month=December |year=2007]

E

* Egg Timer: Class 58 locomotive.

F

* Ferret and Dartboard: The second British Rail emblem introduced in 1956 featuring a lion rampant holding a wheel. From a distance the wheel has a passing resemblance to a dartboard. [cite web | title = Dow's Dictionary of Railway Quotations | work = (138.2 - Coats of arms and logos) | publisher = JHU Press| date = 2006 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=S2NVzZTv9tMC&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=%22ferret+and+dartboard%22&source=web&ots=6yOY2F2nhl&sig=lvLivNbYEZEcL28tIAWLlZuPidI#PPA36,M1 | accessdate = 2008-01-28 |id=ISBN 0801882923]

* Flying Banana: Originally used to describe the first design of GWR diesel railcars, introduced in 1932. [ [http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/earlydays1.html Bluebell Railway - Early Days 1 ] ]

G

* Goyles: A British Rail Class 31; from "gargoyle" (the somewhat ungainly headcode boxes above the driving cabs). [cite journal |journal=Modern Railway Modelling |title=Hornby ‘Goyles’ in OO (Class 31) |volume=3 |pages=pages 26-27 |year=2005]

* Gricer: - an old fashioned name for a rail enthusiast. The derivation is much disputed; one theory is that it comes from Richard Grice, a trainspotter who became legendary for having travelled the entire British Rail network. [http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/gricer Oxford English Dictionary] ]

* Grid [cite journal |last=Nicholson |first=Peter |year=2005 |month=July |title='Grid' owner adds to his collection |journal=The Railway Magazine |volume=151 |issue=1251 |pages=p84 ] , Grid iron: A British Rail Class 56, from the large grilles.Fact|date=February 2008

* Gronk: A Class 08 Shunter [cite journal |journal=Modern Railway Modelling |title=Hornby ‘Gronk’ (Class 08/09) |volume=4 |pages=pages 26-27 |year=2005]

* Growler [cite journal |year=2005 |month=July |title=A real 'Growler' on the South Devon |journal=The Railway Magazine |volume=151 |issue=1251 |pages=p10 ] : A Class 37 (from the engine sound)Fact|date=February 2008

* Growler [ [http://www.gmmes.co.uk/pps/pp022.html] ] Fact|date=August 2008 nickname for the 20 Metropolitan Vickers electric locomotives used on London's Metropolitan underground railway between Liverpool Street and Rickmansworth. The name derived from the noise these locomotives made.

H

* Hoover: British Rail Class 50 (Sound of the engine cooling fans being similar to a vacuum cleaner, prior to refurbishment which removed this characteristic; also "vacs"). [cite journal |journal=The Railway Magazine |title=Swindon's 'Hoover' goes to school |month=July |year=2007 |page=page 86 |last=Nicholson |first=Peter]

* Hymek: D7000 class locomotive using a V16 Maybach engine coupled to a Mekydro hydraulic transmission. [cite book | last = Reed | first = Brian | title = Diesel-Hydraulic Locomotives of the Western Region | publisher = David and Charles | date = 1974 | location = Newton Abbot | isbn =0-715367-69-2]

L

* Large Logo livery: one of the first new British Rail locomotive liveries applied after many years of all-over rail blue. For this livery, the loco cabs were entirely 'warning yellow', with black window surrounds (the yellow usually wrapping round behind the cab doors); the main bodysides were still rail blue but featured very large running numbers with a large white British Rail 'double arrow' logo in the middle, the full height of the body. It was applied to refurbished Class 50 locomotives, among others. [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=November |year=2007 |title=The University of Shackerstone, locomotive division! |last=Chilton |first=Phil |page=page 17]

M

* Metrovick: Locomotives constructed by Metropolitan-Vikers, especially the British Rail Class 28 (D5700 class) Co-Bo. [ [http://www.d5705.org.uk/ Co-Bo World] ]

* Mickey Mouse Ivatt 2MT class steam locomotive. [cite journal |journal=Steam Railway |month=November |year=2007 |volume=343 |title=Bridgnorth's stalwart 'Mickey Mouse' is focus of charter |last=Hopkins |first=Simon |page=page 24]

N

* Nodding Donkey: The Pacer family of DMUs (from outside a moving Pacer has a bobbing motion, like a nodding donkey)

P

* Peak: British Rail Class 44, Class 45 or Class 46, so named because the earliest of these loco types, the ten Class 44s, were named after mountains. [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=November |year=2007 |title=Peak to be sold |page=page 36]

R

* Rat: A British Rail Class 25 or related classes, reputedly originating from a term used on the LMR of British Rail in the 1960s where 25's were as common as "rats"; [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |page=page 12 |month=December |year=2007 |title='Rat' resurrected on the 'main line' |last=Kemp |first=Steve] the Scottish-based Class 26 and 27 were sometimes known as "MacRats". [http://www.the-rat-roadshow.com/ Rat Roadshow] ]

* Roarer: Early British Rail 25kV AC electric locomotive of types 'AL1'–'AL5' (later Classes 81, 82, 83, 84, 85), due to the loud whine made by the traction motor cooling fans when the locomotive is at rest. The name originated with the AL3 type. Although the other types exhibit a less noticeable noise, the name is applied equally to any them. [cite book | last = Chris | first = Shaw | title = The AC Electrics (Rail Portfolios no. 13) | publisher = Ian Allan | date = 1991 | pages = p7 (top caption) | isbn = 0 7110 1938 X]

* Shed: A Canadian built Class 66 locomotive (from the roof shape and also the corrugated bodysides). [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |title=High-speed one: a 'Teddy Bear's picnic! |last=Staines |first=David |page=pages 22-25 |month=December |year=2007]

*Silver bullet: China Clay slurry wagons [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=March |year=2008 |title=News Pictorial |page=page 43]

* Skipper: class 142 DMUs [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=March |year=2008 |title=Cornish Capers |page=page 24]

* Slim Jim: Narrow-bodied version of the British Rail Class 33 – built for the confined loading gauge on the Hastings line. (Also see "Crompton" and "Hastings Unit").cite web | title =Class 33 locomotives | publisher ="Southern E-Group (SEMG)" | url =http://www.semgonline.com/diesel/class33_01.html | accessdate = 2007-02-16 ]

T

* Tadpole: 3R DEMUs. Named due to having two vehicles 8 ft 2½ in wide and one vehicle 9 ft 3 in wide.cite book | first = John| last = Glover| authorlink = | coauthors = | year = 2001| month = | title = Southern Electric| chapter = | editor = | others = | edition = | pages = p93| publisher = Ian Allan| location = Hersham| id = ISBN 0 7110 2807 9| url = ]

* Teddy Bear: Class 14 diesel-hydraulic locomotives for shunting and trip-working. [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |title=High-speed one: a 'Teddy Bear's picnic! |last=Staines |first=David |page=pages 22-25 |month=December |year=2007] Coined by Swindon Works' foreman George Cole who quipped "We've built the Great Bear, now we're going to build a Teddy Bear!". [The Railway magazine, December 2006]

* Thousands: Class 52 diesel-hydraulic locomotives (the "Westerns") given the number range beginning with D1000. [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=November |year=2007 |title=This is the way to celebrate your 50th. birthday! |last=Wilson |first=Matt |page=page 27]

* Thumper: Southern DEMU (BR Classes 201 – 207) – unlike conventional DMUs these used a single, comparatively large diesel engine and electric generator mounted immediately behind one driving cab. The power units made a distinctive "thumping" noise when working hard. [cite journal |last=Nicholson |first=Peter |year=2005 |month=July |title='Thumper' trailer finds a home |journal=The Railway Magazine |volume=151 |issue=1251 |pages=p84 ] Fact|date=February 2007

* Thunderbird: a locomotive kept on standby at a strategic location, ready to rescue a failed train. (From "Thunderbirds") [cite web | title = Virgin rescue locomotives are F A B! | work = (Press release) | publisher = Virgin Trains | date = 17 December 2004 | url = http://www.virgintrainsmediaroom.com/index.cfm?articleid=585 | accessdate = 2008-01-28]

* Tractor: A British Rail Class 37, possibly from the engine sound, also because they could be found hauling almost anything as a mixed-traffic design. [cite web |url=http://www.traffordmodelcentre.co.uk/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?product=TMC_Diesel!Class_37&cart_id=&exact_match=on |title=TMC class 37 product page]

W

* Warship: D600 or D800 class locomotives, most of which were named after Royal Navy vessels. [cite web |url=http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/d600m_in.htm |title=British Railways Western Region diesel-hydraulic locomotives: D600 'Warship' index]

* Wessie: Class 442 – from the "Wessex Electric" brand name used at launch [cite web |url=http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/features/swt442f01.html |title=Whither Wessies?]

* Western: British Rail Class 52 - diesel hydraulic type 4, 74 of which which ran on BR between 1961 and 1977. All were named in a series beginning "Western...". Seven of the class have been preserved. [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=November |year=2007 |title=Western makes debut at Aberystwyth |page=page 8]

* Whistler: British Rail Class 40, from the turbocharger sound; this nickname is also occasionally applied to British Rail Class 20 locomotives [cite journal |journal=The Railway Magazine |title=The Golden Jubilee of the Class 20s |month=July |year=2007 |page=pages 14-20]

* Wizzo: British Rail Class 52 - diesel hydraulic type 4, 74 of which which ran on BR between 1961 and 1977. [cite journal |journal=Railways Illustrated |month=March |year=2008 |title=A 'wizzo' in the west again |page=page 11]

* Worst or WorstGroup: derogatory nickname for FirstGroup, especially on First Great Western ('Worst Late Western') because they are often lambasted for their poor performance, delays, overcrowding and cancellations. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3264459.ece Times online] ]

Y

* Yeoman: Early name for a Class 59 locomotive, the first privately-owned (by Foster Yeoman) locomotives to operate on British Rail, owing to their name being "Yeoman -----" such as 59 001 "Yeoman Endeavour". Supplement to April 1990 edition of "Railway Magazine"]

References

ee also

*Rail terminology
*Passenger rail terminology
*Glossary of New Zealand railway terminology
*Glossary of North American railroad terminology

External links

* [http://www.rodge.force9.co.uk/faq/basher.html uk.railway newsgroup FAQ – 'Basher speak']
* [http://www.rodge.force9.co.uk/faq/nicknames.html uk.railway newsgroup FAQ – loco nicknames (with origins)]
* [http://www.dreadful.org.uk/jargon.htm Extensive rail enthusiast's jargon glossary at 'dreadful.org.uk']