From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Railway terminology used in Australia
This article lists some of the
terminology used at present and in the past by railway employees,
railway enthusiasts and railway historians in
Australia . Many appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. Significant regional variations exist, indicated by abbreviations of the state (e.g. Vic, NSW) or railway (e.g. SAR).
[note 1]
B
Bandicoot (Qld)
An
electric multiple unit (EMU) [
which? ] with a distinctive grey band painted across the cab wind shields
Banjo or scoop (SAR)
Fireman's shovel
[1]
Barwell's bull (SAR)
Model 75 Brill railcar (nickname from the South Australian premier 1920–1924,
Henry Barwell ; "bull" may have originated in the characteristic deep "bellow" of the railcar's horn
[2] : 3‑494
Basket (SAR)
Basket of coal (measurement: 25 baskets to the ton)
[1]
BETY (Qld)
QR BB181 ⁄4 class Pacific type (
4-6-2 ) steam locomotive used on express passenger and freight trains (named after the telegraphic code; pronounced "Betty")
Bleed (SAR)
Drain the air from the brake reservoir of a train or a rail vehicle
[1]
Blister (SAR)
Official serious caution
[1]
Blood and bone (Vic)
Livery used by
V/Line [
which? ]
Blue babies (Qld)
QR DD17 class suburban tank engine, in a blue midway between navy and sky blue
Blue Goose (NSW)
Livery used by the
PTC in
NSW found on B,
S ,
V and W sets, and
Tulloch trailers
Bluebird (SAR)
South Australian Railways
100/250/280 class country-lines diesel railcar, which had a blue and stainless-steel side and silver roof
[1]
Bowser (SAR)
Switchstand
[1]
Boxcar (SAR)
Enclosed bogie vehicle (e.g. M, DW class etc boxcar)
[1]
Brass (SAR)
Railway official
[1]
Brill (SAR)
Model 55 or Model 75
Brill railcars
[2] : 3‑473
Broad gauge (all jurisdictions)
1600 mm (5 ft 3 in ) gauge in the states of Victoria and South Australia (and for a short time, Tasmania)
Brown bomber (Qld)
A QR C17 4-8-0 (2D) steam engine, typically painted brown
Button up (SAR)
Connect air hoses and open air taps (see "
Make good "
[1]
B.V. (SAR)
Brakevan
[1]
C
Caboose (SAR)
U.S.-style
brakevan without passenger accommodation, with
cupola in the centre; sometimes referred to as "
Webb caboose"
[1]
Candy (NSW)
Red, black and yellow livery used widely by the
New South Wales
State Rail Authority
Cannonball crew / top engine crew (SAR)
Cannonball Link crews that worked
The Overland , East-West Express and other express trains
[1]
Captain/skipper (SAR)
Guard
[1]
Car (SAR)
Rail vehicle (passenger, freight or service)
[1]
Centralised traffic control (all jurisdictions)
A system in which signals and switches for a given area of track are controlled from a centralised location (abbreviated as CTC)
[3]
Cheeseburger (Vic)
V/Line Mk 3 Livery (2008–2017), which featured the colours red, white and yellow.
Conductor (all jurisdictions)
The person who checks (and may sell) tickets on a train or tram
Connie (SAR)
Conductor
[1]
Compo (SAR)
Guards van with passenger compartment each end (short for "composite")
[1]
Consist (SAR)
[note 2]
The make-up of a train; a list containing specific information for each car of a train; also a group of locomotives (see
Rake )
[1]
[3]
Corner shunt (SAR)
Bumping a vehicle or vehicles standing foul into the clear when running on an adjacent line
[1]
Corrie (SAR)
Correspondence, especially for trainworking
[1]
Creamy Kate (NSW)
Colloquial name for
NSW Rail Motor No.38
Cripple (SAR)
Red or green carder (rail vehicle with a
red card or
green card )
[1]
Cyclops (Qld)
A Queensland
electric multiple unit [
which? ] with one cab modified to only have one central windshield, which can then only be used as a guard's cab in the middle of a six-car set
D
DERM (Vic)
Victorian Railways diesel electric rail motor
Detonator (DET) (all jurisdictions)
A small explosive device placed on rail and triggered by wheel pressure, used to warn of a hazard ahead
Dog or dogspike (all jurisdictions)
A
rail spike driven into a timber
sleeper to secure a rail; the head shape facilitates extraction with hand tools
[4]
[5]
Dogbox (Qld)
Non-driving cab of the QR electric multiple unit[
which? ] with one centre windshield, used as a guards compartment (see
Cyclops
Doggies (Vic)
Former "dog box" type red suburban trains
Dolly [
where? ]
A shunting signal
Dolly Varden (SAR)
4400 class composite (guard, freight and passengers) brakevan
[1]
[note 3]
Dope (SAR)
Special water treatment for steam locomotives
[1]
Drag (SAR)
Long wayside freight train
[1]
E
Electric staff (all jurisdictions)
See
staff
Electric multiple unit (EMU) (Qld)
A class of
electric multiple unit suburban train[
which? ] in Brisbane
Evans set (Qld)
Wooden suburban passenger carriages in
Brisbane
F
Fender (SAR)
Wagon between loco and wagons for dangerous goods separation or because of incompatible couplers
[1]
Flat (SAR)
Flatcar – e.g. four-wheeled (F class) or bogie (FB, FBT class)
[1]
Foamer
Slang for a rather obsessive rail or tramway enthusiast
Foul (SAR)
Obstruction by a vehicle that is not sufficiently clear of an adjacent line or switch/turnout
[1]
Freight (SAR)
Goods; alternatively, freight train
[1]
Full jigger (SAR)
Full load
[1]
G
Gabby (Vic)
A train spotter who photographs Melbourne suburban electric trains, especially
Hitachi electric multiple units
Gondola or "gonny" (SAR)
An O class open bogie freight car
[1]
G.B. (SAR)
Goods brake[van]
[1]
Green carder (SAR)
Vehicle in need of repair but can be operated (see
red carder )
[1]
Guard (all jurisdictions)
Crew member responsible for the safe and proper operation of the train
[3]
Gunzel (Vic)
A rail or tramway enthusiast, especially of the more obsessive kind
H
Harris (Vic)
Former
Victorian Railways Harris type (or Blue) electric suburban train.
High flyer (NSW)
NSWGR
Z15 and
Z16 class locomotive
I
In the ditch (SAR)
Derailed
[1]
K
Katie (NSW)
NSWGR D55 class locomotive – most probably derived from original class numbering, KT
L
Ladder (SAR)
A major track through a yard
[1]
Lamp (all jurisdictions)
A portable (often handheld) light source that is used to signal train crews;
[6] former kerosene-fuelled light on signals
L.C.L. (SAR)
Less-than-car-load freight
[1]
M
Make good (Vic, NSW)
Connect air hoses and open air taps (see "
Button up ")
[1]
Mustard pot (SAR)
Traffic yellow (orange), red oxide and silver colour scheme of SAR
830 class diesel locomotives before
AN take-over, or one of such locomotives
[1]
N
Nanny (NSW)
NSW C.35 Class locomotive – probably derived from original class numbers NN
Narrow gauge (all jurisdictions)
Most commonly
1067 mm (3 ft 6 in ) gauge in the states of Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia; also sugar cane lines of 762 millimetres (2 feet 6 inches) and 610 millimetres (2 feet 0 inches) gauge
Number nicker or number shark (Vic)
A trainspotter who records numbers of trains they have seen
O
On the mat (SAR)
To be subject to official discipline
[1]
Oscar (NSW)
NSW TrainLink H set , a class of electric train with "outer suburban carriages"
[7]
P
Pain (SAR)
(To be rostered for) a freight shift
[1]
Pawpaw
Queensland Railways class 1170 diesel locomotive, or its colour
Peg (all jurisdictions)
Colloquial term for
train staff or token
Petrol electric rail motor (PERM) (Vic)
A
railmotor operated by the
Victorian Railways ; later called the
Diesel Electric Rail Motor [
citation needed ]
P.I.C. (SAR)
Porter in charge (person in charge of a station that does not justify a stationmaster)
[1]
Pig (NSW)
NSW C36 class locomotive
Plastic Fantastic (NSW)
NSW XPT (Express Passenger Train) when new
Provisional stopping place (SAR)
Place shown on public timetables at which a passenger either signals a train to stop or, if on board, asks the
guard beforehand (see also
Rail motor stopping place )
[8]
Pull the pin (SAR)
Finish the work for a shift
[1]
R
Rabbit/block (SAR)
A
derail
[1]
Rail motor stopping place (RMSP) (Vic)
A short platform on a Victorian country line specifically for picking up and setting down rail motor passengers (see also
Provisional stopping place )
Rake/string/cut (SAR)
Several rail vehicles coupled together (see
Consist )
[1]
Rattler (Qld)
Colloquial term for former wooden suburban passenger carriages ("Evans sets") in Brisbane
Rattler (SAR)
Fast freight
[1]
Red carder (SAR)
Vehicle in need of repair and cannot be operated (see
green carder )
[1]
Red Hen (SAR)
South Australian Railways
300 or 400 class suburban-lines diesel railcar
[9]
Red Rattler (NSW)
First-generation single-deck
electrical multiple units which operated in Sydney from 1926 to 1993
[10]
Red Rattler (Vic)
Melbourne suburban passenger
"Tait" electric multiple units that ran in Melbourne from 1909 to 1984
Reefer/cool car (SAR)
Refrigerator car (later "insulated van"), four-wheeled or bogie
[1]
Ridgy (NSW)
Sydney Trains
S ,
S and
K sets
Ringmaster (SAR)
Yardmaster
[1]
S
Screw the anchor on (SAR)
Set the hand brakes
[1]
Set-up (SAR)
Specific orders for placement of rolling stock
[1]
Silver ribbon (Vic)
Hitachi suburban electric multiple units , also known as "
tea cup "
Snapper (Qld)
Roaming employee who checks tickets on trains or at stations (see also
Conductor )
Spark[
where? ]
A suburban electric train
Spragger (SAR)
Employee who applies brakes on rolling stock in yard work
[1]
Staff
System of safe-working used on single track to allow the movement of trains; in its simplest form each block section had a small bar or staff which must be carried by any train moving over the section. This, however, requires trains to run alternately in opposite directions. With the electric staff system, there are several staffs to each block, and these are placed in cases at either
end. The cases are electrically connected, each one controlled by the signalman at the other end.
[11] : 265
Steel set (Qld)
QR suburban electric passenger sets from the 1960s, replacing the Evans sets (see
Red rattler (Qld) )
Stick (SAR and others)
Signal
[1]
Sweat set (NSW)
Sydney Trains S set ("
Waratah "), so named because of their lack of air conditioning.
[12]
[13]
Silver stripes/silver ribbons
Livery that
V/Line used in its formative years; original from
VicRail
Swinger (SAR)
Freight vehicle fitted with bogies suitable for higher-speed passenger operation, such as an RBP class
Reefer/cool car
[1]
T
Tangara (NSW)
Officially used name for
Sydney Trains T set , a class of electric suburban train in Sydney
[10]
Tin hare (NSW, SAR)
NSW
CPH class rail motor; SAR
model 55 Brill railcar
Twix[
where? ]
Two trains on the same mainline
Teacup (Vic)
Livery used by
VicRail , also known as "
silver ribbon "
Tommy Dodd (SAR)
Dwarf signal
[1]
U
Uniform gauge (Qld)
1435 mm (4 ft 8+ 1 ⁄2 in ) gauge, known elsewhere (and in Queensland) as
standard gauge
V
Van (SAR)
Guard's van (brakevan) or enclosed four-wheeled rail vehicle (e.g. DA, DWF class) (see
Boxcar )
[1]
W
White set (Qld)
A Queensland Railways long-distance train with livery from the 1950s
Waratah (NSW)
Sydney Trains A and B set electric multiple unit that operated in Sydney
[12]
X
Xtrap (Vic)
X'Trapolis 100 electric multiple unit that operates in Melbourne
Y
Yard goat (SAR)
Yard shunt locomotive
[1]
See also
Notes
^ Terminology of the other railway to operate in South Australia before its amalgamation with the SAR's country operations under the
Australian National banner – the
Commonwealth Railways – is not included in this list. The
South Australian Railways ' orientation towards
United States terminology and practices largely originated with their introduction by the American railways commissioner 1922–1930,
William Alfred Webb , and continued because of employees' enthusiasm for US railroad developments thereafter.
^ Pronounced CON-sist.
^ Dolly Varden is a character in Charles Dickens's 1841 novel,
Barnaby Rudge .
References
^
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ba
bb McAuliffe, Des (1999). "The Snowtown to Port Pirie Line". Proceedings of the 1999 Convention . Modelling the Railways of South Australia. Adelaide. p. 1-129 .
^
a
b Bird, Kim (2013).
"Brill railcars of the South Australian Railways" . Proceedings of the 2013 Convention . Modelling the Railways of South Australia. Adelaide.
^
a
b
c
"Railroading Glossary: C" . TRN.Trains.com .
Kalmbach Publishing . Archived from
the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2013 .
^
Railway Track Engineering (fourth ed.). New Delhi, India: Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Ltd. 2010 [first edition published 2000]. p. 122.
ISBN
978-0-07-068012-8 .
^ Fitch, Ron J. (2006).
Australian railwayman: from cadet engineer to railways commissioner . Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd.
ISBN
1-877058-48-3 .
^ Cunningham, William A. (1997). The railroad lantern, 1865 to 1930: the evolution of the railroad hand lantern as reflected by the United States Patent records and by lanterns made by Cross, Dane & Westlake, Dane, Westlake & Covert, the Adams & Westlake Manufacturing Co. & the Adams & Westlake Company . Wm. A. Cunningham.
^
"The first Oscars are out and about" . Sydney Trains . Archived from
the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2018 .
^ "Metropolitan and country time and fare tables" (Document).
Adelaide : South Australian Railways. 19 October 1958.
^ Bird, Kim (October–November 1985). "The 300-400 class railcars and 820-860 class trailer cars of the South Australian Railways".
Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin . XXXVI (576–578).
Australian Railway Historical Society , New South Wales Division: 219–238, 243–261, 279–283.
ISSN
0005-0105 .
^
a
b
"Generations of electric rolling stock" . Sydney Trains . Archived from
the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018 .
^ Tratman, E.E. Russell (1908).
"Railway track and track work" .
Internet Archive . The Engineering News Publishing Co. Retrieved 20 January 2024 .
^
a
b
"Waratah Trains – Railway Technology" . Railway Technology . Retrieved 2 April 2018 .
^ O'Sullivan, Matt (22 March 2018).
"New Waratah trains finally signal end to Sydney's 'Sweat Sets' " . The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 2 April 2018 .