1

VOCABULARY OF TRAINS



























Aboard, All Aboard
Agent
Ash-box
Axle
Barrier, Ticket Barrier
Bed, Engine-bed
Belt-line
Brakeman
Bogie
Boiler, Boiler Room
Steam Boiler
Booking
Booster
Signal Box
Emergency Brake
Branch, Branch-line
Break-down Gang
Coupling Buffer
Baggage Car, Flat Car, Observation Car,
Passenger Car, Refrigerator Car, Stock Car,
Rail Car, Sleeping Car, Track Inspection
Car, Parlour Car, Tank Car, Cattle Car,
Dining Car, Freight Car, Luncheon Car,
Mail Car, Observation Car, Wood Chip Car
Caboose
Carrying Capacity
Chain-coupling
Check-room
Luggage Check
Chug
Cinder
Claims
Class
Coach
Coach Porter
Coal
Signal Code
Cog-rail
Collect, Collect Telegram
Commute, Commuter
Compartment
Concourse
Conductor
Consignment
Corridor
Car Coupler
Coupling
Crew
Crossing
Depot
Derail
Detrain to
Detraining
Diesel Locomotive
Dispatch to
Dolly
Elevated Railway
Emergency Brake
Excess Luggage
Excursion
Express Delivery
Flagman
First-class
Fire Box
Coal Firing
Fireman
Flag a Train
Foreman
Freight
Funnel
Furnace
Gang Foreman
Source: Railway Vocabulary English-French Canadian Pacific Railway Co. 2
nd

edition. (Montreal: Department of Public Relations & Advertising, 1966)
from Archives at St. Constant



2


Night-watchman
Northbound
Rolling Stock
Offload
Piggyback Service, Flat Car
Platform
Pullman Car
Parcel
Rack
Guard Rail
Ramp
Railwayman
Red Cap (Porter)
Return J ourney, Return Ticket
Reversing Switch
Right of Way
Seating Capacity
Shackle (a coach onto a train)
Freight Shed, Engine Shed
Shunt Line (line to garage, siding or
branch-line)
Siding (line to garage for servicing)
Signal, Signalman
Smoking Compartment
Southbound
Full Speed
Spurline (sideline)
Getting Up Steam, Keep Up Steam, Blow
Off Steam, At Full Steam
Stoker
Stowing
Suburban Train
Switchboard
Terminal, Terminus


Gate-keeper
Rolling Gates, Sliding Gates, Lifting Gates,
Swing Gate
Goods Train
Grade
Gradient
Half-fare
Hand Brake
Hauling
Headlight
Hose
Ice-car
Behind Time, Running Late
Incoming Train
Initial Station
Insulated Car, Insulated Heated Box Car
Interchange
Interlocking
Interval
Ironwork
J ump a Train
Lamp-man
Lavatory
Level Crossing
On the Level
Lever Switch, Lever-man
Lineman
Full Load, Partial Load
Locomotive
Mail Bag
Main Line
Narrow Guage Railway
Normal Guage Railway
Newspring Car


3



























4



Tie
Track, Sidetrack (on track)
Trolley, Trolley Bus
Troop Train
Tunnel
Uncouple
Valid
Valve
Waiting Room
Steam Whistle
Wicket
Wrecking Crew
Wrecked Train
Railway Yard, Marshalling Yard
Different Kinds of Trains:
Local Train
Express Train
Light Railway
Circle Line
Elevated Railway
Funicular
Mountain Railway
Scenic Railway
Tube Train
Metro Train
Subway Train
Underground Railway
Underground Railroad (escaped slave
route)