Usage of the terms railroad and railway

The terms "railroad" and "railway" generally describe the same thing, a guided means of land transport, designed to be used by trains, for transporting passengers and freight. Etymologically both words derive from Old English; a "road" being something one "rides" along and "way" deriving from a Germanic base meaning "move, journey, carry". Both words were first recorded in use at Broseley in Shropshire.

U.S. practice

Historically, in the United States of America the term "railroad", especially when used in a company name, implies a conventional rail system and "railway" implies a street railway (tramway), also known as a streetcar or light rail line. There are, however, quite a number of exceptions. In fact, many companies change from one term to the other when they re-incorporate, possibly to distinguish between the old and new companies (example: Seaboard Air Line Railroad).

Railroad

The term "railroad" is used almost exclusively in the U.S. to describe conventional rail transport systems that are part of the national rail network, which until the mid-20th century were often described as "steam railroads". These systems now operate diesel or electric locomotives hauling passenger or freight cars, and self-propelled passenger multiple units.

The alternative form of "rail road" as two words primarily reflects early practice, but several roads retain this form, notably the Long Island Rail Road, the oldest railroad in the U.S. still operating under its original name.

Though the use of "railroad" is prime in U.S. practice as described above, there are notable exceptions. Earlier railroads that were British influenced in management, engineering and/or construction had a greater tendency to use the term railway, as in Southern Railway and Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW), the latter also using the British practice of left-hand running (although that was not inspired by British operations). Railroad companies in bankruptcy sometimes retained their name in reorganization but changed "railroad" to "railway" or vice versa; e.g., Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad Company changed to Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway Company. Some U.S. railroads are "railways" for no obvious reason, such as Vermont Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway.

Railway

Urban and interurban electric railways in the U.S. using single cars or short trains have more commonly used the term "railway" in their names than regular railroads. Examples include the Pacific Electric Railway, San Francisco Municipal Railway, Municipal Railway Company (New York), Boston Street Railway Company and Chicago Railways. Here, too, there are exceptions. The first street railway company in Brooklyn, New York City to operate an electric trolley line was the Coney Island & Brooklyn Railroad.

Other English-speaking countries

In the United Kingdom the term "railroad", also spelled "rail road" or "rail-road", was often used in the early days of the railways, but by about the 1850s "railway" had become the preferred term, with "railroad" becoming disused. The use of "railway" then extended to the British Empire; the word "railroad" has some currency only in Canada, where "railway" is nonetheless invariably used in naming (e.g. Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway). [cite web| url=http://www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/General+Public/default.htm| title=General Public| author=Canadian Pacific| date=2007| accessdate=2007-09-10| quote=Canadian Pacific "Railway" … a "railroad" [built] through some of the toughest terrain on earth.]

A road

In the context of railways or railroads, a road is a single track, which may be part of a multi-track system or an isolated line.

ee also

*Rail terminology
*Tram

References