General Railroading Terms

Below are general railroading terms that more or less fit better in their own category. Also, if you have any questions about the meanings of any of these definitions or simply have more to add that are not covered here please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

AEI: Short for Automatic Equipment Identification it is meant as a tracking system for cars used by many railroads throughout the country (particularly Class Is). Located along right-of-ways it will scan any car that passes by which has a data tag placed on it.

Adhesion factor: This term essentially describes how well a locomotive can grip the rails, it is measured by the percent of total on a locomotive's driving wheels available for traction.

Affiliate: A company owned or controlled by another.

Availability: Refers to when a locomotive is free to be used in revenue service and down for some type of maintenance work.

Bad order: A freight car which has been barred from service because of a mechanical problem or defect. To mark such a car a card is placed on it by a car inspector.

Belt line: Refers to a railroad that operates exclusively in and/or around a large city.

BLE: Refers to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers which is a railroad labor union (made up of engineers and dispatchers throughout the U.S. and Canada) created in 1863.

Boomer: A railroader who changes jobs often as he drifts through the country.

Bridge route: Refers to a railroad which typically has more bridge/through traffic operating over its rails than terminating/originating traffic.

Bridge traffic: Also known as overhead traffic it is freight received from one railroad to be moved by a second railroad for delivery to a third.

Bulk: Commodities such as grain, coal, soda ash, ore, plastic pellets, liquid sweeteners, petroleum, etc.

Bulletin order: According to Trains.com, "paperwork notifying railroad employees of changes in procedure affecting train movements or operations."

Charter: Necessary in creating a corporation, a governmental means (usually either state or country) of granting rights, franchises, and privileges to such.

Clearance diagram: According to Trains.com, "a diagram showing the maximum size of cars and locomotives that may use a line or a track."

Clearance form: According to Trains.com, "a document issued by an operator to passing trains. Indicates for each train the total number of orders, if any, and the sequence number of each order addressed to the train."

COFC: Short for Containers On Flatcar, used to describe a type of train movement which hauls shipping containers.

Cog railroad: Cog railroads are capable of traversing incredible grades and to do so they use toothed wheels (similar to gearing) running between the rails to achieve this.

Common carrier: A company which offers services to the general public and anyone willing to use the company to move their goods for compensation in return. The Baltimore & Ohio was our nation's first common carrier.

Commuter service: Passenger train service that typically operates during normal working hours throughout the week hauling mostly workers to and from the workplace.

Company-owned railroad: A railroad's stock controlled by a company and not individuals.

Conductor: The crew member who is entirely responsible for the train including its crew, cargo, and assures to it arrives to its destination on time and safely.

Consignee: One who receives a freight shipment.

Consist (pronounced CON-sist): Used to describe the makeup of a train (i.e., freight, car types, etc.).

Consolidation: The merging of two corporations into an entirely new corporation.

Container: Standardized 40-foot box designed for shipping freight by rail, truck, or ship.

Controlling interest: Owning enough stock in a corporation to control that corporation.

CP: Abbreviation for control point on a railroad.

Crossbuck: The "X"-shaped sign found just before a road crosses railroad tracks. A passive crossbuck is just the sign itself: a white "X" with black lettering. An active crossbuck includes either flashing lights and/or gates that lower when a train approaches.

Cut: The term which describes a grouping of cars coupled together. It also refers to graded right-of-way that was achieved by digging through a hillside or mountain (without it actually being tunneled).

Deadhead: A term which applies to both railroad equipment and employees, meaning to move in a train but in no way helping, merely to ride along to be repositioned for later work/use.

Degree: Measures the curves sharpness. According to Trains.com, "it is the angle through which the track turns in 100 feet of track. The number of degrees is equal to 5,729 divided by the radius of the curve in feet."

Departure yard: Like a staging track to ready locomotives, departure yards assemble cuts of cars to ready them for an outbound train.

Derail: Meaning to leave the rails. Also, a safety device placed on the track, usually on a siding or industrial spur, that guides a car, rolling away, off of the rails to prevent it from traveling onto the nearby main line and thus cause an accident.

Derating: Any means of changing the locomotive's prime mover (diesel engine) to improve fuel efficiency or lower maintenance costs.

Double the hill: Meaning to move a train over a hill or steep grade in two parts as the locomotives are simply not powerful enough to move it as one unit.

Doubleheading: Using two locomotives, independently, to move a train, usually over a steep grade. This was a common practice in the days of steam.

Double-stack: Meaning to stack one container on top of another in a special well car. This is much more efficient and profitable than, obviously, only hauling one container per car.

Drag: Slang for a slow freight.

Drawbar force: Somewhat refers to the "net" tractive effort involved by taking the total tractive effort and subtracting it from the tractive effort needed to move the locomotive.

Drayage: Meaning moving via truck.

Dual-mode: A locomotive which can operate conventionally as a locomotive or as an electric via shoes able to pick up the electrical current in the available third rail (thus, it can only operate in electric mode if the track includes a third rail).

Dual-service: Locomotives which pull both freight and passenger trains.

Dump the air: Meaning to apply the air brakes, usually during an emergency of some sort.

Eighth notch: Like the gears in an automobile the eight notch is the final, and most powerful position on the locomotive's throttle.

Embargo: Usually refers to when a railroad company (although a regulatory agency, like the FRA, is also capable of doing this) temporarily shuts down a rail line to all forms of train movements for some kind of outstanding reason.

Engineer: Person responsible for the operation of the locomotive.

Extra board: The group of employees not assigned to normal runs.

First trick: Refers to the day's first work shift between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Flimsies: Refers to the thin piece of paper train orders were once written on.

Form D: According to Trains.com, "a type of track warrant used exclusively by railroads in the eastern United States governed by NORAC (Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee) operating rules."

Full service trackage rights: Trackage rights agreement whereby the tenant railroad can serve all customers located along the owning railroad's segment of line it has rights to operate over.

Fusee: A flare used by railroads.

Gandy Dancer: This was once slang for one who maintained the railroad track and right-of-way. According to Trains.com, "some attribute its origin to the Gandy Manufacturing Company of Chicago, which made track maintenance tools. The Gandy Tool, used to tamp down ballast in the roadbed, was a rod about 5 feet long with a cross bar near the bottom. Using the tool required placing one foot on the bar and hopping around on the roadbed, hence 'gandy dancing.'"

Golden State Route: Refers to Union Pacific's Kansas City, Kansas to El Paso, Texas main line, which used to be operated in conjunction with the Rock Island and Southern Pacific.

Granger roads: The term applied to the Midwestern/Plains railroads that earned a substantial portion of the earnings from America's Breadbasket (agriculture). These railroads included the Chicago & North Western, Chicago Great Western, Minneapolis & St. Louis, Rock Island, Milwaukee Road, and the Burlington Route. According to Trains.com, "they were affected by legislation in the 1870's that regulated rail-freight rates in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. The legislation was sponsored by a farmers' organization called the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, whose efforts later led to the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887 and the nationwide regulation of railroads."

Gross ton-mile: The total weight of cars and their lading when moving over a distance of one mile.

Haulage: According to Trains.com, "the movement of one railroad's traffic by a second road between specific points under the terms of a contract. The hauling road exercises no control over the traffic, is not shown in the route for the traffic, and does not get a division of the revenue."

Haulage rights: According to Trains.com, "an arrangement where one railroad (the road receiving haulage rights) may negotiate rates or contracts with customers located on another railroad's line (the road granting haulage rights). The railroad receiving haulage rights supplies the cars. The railroad granting the haulage rights is responsible for the actual movement of cars on its trackage, providing switching services, track, train crews, dispatching, and sometimes locomotives, but does not receive any portion of the revenue."

Highball: The signal to operate the train at full speed. First used prior to common lighted, colored, signals when old-time ball signals were raised high to show a "clear" signal.

High-rail vehicle: Usually a standard pickup or utility truck with flanged wheels mounted to the frame that can be extended to operate on the tracks.

Hogger: Slang for locomotive engineer.

Holding company: A company that controls other companies through ownership.

Hostler: An employee which operates locomotives only around enginehouses.

Hotshot: A high priority freight train that is usually never held up and nearly always given the main line.

Hours of service law: Also known as the hog law by employees, it is a federal law mandating employees (particularly train crewmen/women) can only be on duty 12-hours at a time (in an effort to prevent fatigue).

In the hole: Used by railroaders to describe when a train is in a siding, usually waiting for another to pass.

Incentive per diem: According to Trains.com, "to alleviate a shortage of boxcars in the mid-1970s, the railroad industry encouraged the railroads to put new cars into service by offering an incentive payment-basically almost double the daily rental for new boxcars in good condition. Investors teamed up with short lines to take advantage of incentive payments, accounting regulations, and tax laws; short line box cars blossomed forth. Then the recession of 1978 hit, followed by truck deregulation. The boxcars were soon idle; eventually many of them were sold to other railroads."

Industrial railroad: Railroads owned exclusively by industries merely to move cars around and within their property.

Interchange: A junction point that allows two railroads to switch or transfer cars. Also meaning to actively switch/exchange cars between the two railroads.

Intermodal: Refers to moving freight using more than one type of transportation (i.e., truck, rail, ship, etc.). Regarding railroad operations it usually describes the movement of truck trailers (Trailer-On-Flatcar) or container (Containers-On-Flatcar) movements.

Interurban: A termed applied to electrically-powered commuter operations that used to be very common in most cities of at least 10-15,000 residents and almost always had street trackage somewhere through the city (interurbans usually used a fleet of single, powered, cars to transport passengers). They died away after roughly 1950 but have since been revived of late with new light rail projects popping up in cities all over the country (which also either use a single powered, car, or a small trainset to move passengers within a city limits).

Joint operation: Refers to operating two railroads as one but retain each railroad's board of directors.

Knuckle: The free-moving part of a coupler that actually keeps cars and locomotives mated to one another.

Lading: Refers to the cargo or freight the railroad is hauling.

LCL: Short for less-than-carload freight traffic.

Lignite: Refers to low-quality coal.

Line-haul railroad: Today this term refers to all Class Is, regionals, and some shortlines. It is used to describe a railroad that operates through freight from one point to another and is distinguished from switching and terminal railroads.

Load limit: The maximum load that a rail line/bridge/freight or passenger car is capable of handling.

Loading gauge: According to Trains.com, "the limiting dimensions of height and width for cars, in order that they may safely clear all lineside structures as well as equipment on adjacent tracks."

Manifest: The paperwork that identifies each and every type of lading each freight car is carrying within a train. It also describes a train that is carry lading which is not intermodal or "unit" (i.e., all the same) in nature.

Marker: See EOT device.

Mars light: Widely popular and well known with railfans this trademark name referred to an auxiliary headlight (several different versions were produced) whose beam revolved in a figure-8 motion.

Meet: Occurs when two trains pass one another on a single-tracked line where one train is in the siding awaiting the other to pass.

Merger: The assimilation of one or more corporations by another. According to Trains.com, "in precise terms, Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and Burlington were not merged to form Burlington Northern but were merged by Burlington Northern. Sometimes a new name is involved: Seaboard Air Line merged Atlantic Coast Line and simultaneously adopted a new name, Seaboard Coast Line"

Mixed train: Refers to a train hauling both freight and passengers.

Name train: This refers to, usually, passenger trains during the days when the private railroads operated them. A named train was much more esteemed than a train with only a number. Some freight trains were also once named and the principal worked in the same manor, it was the (or one of the) premier train(s) and received priority over all other freight trains.

Net ton mile: The movement of one ton of freight per mile.

Nominal: Refers to the actual rating of locomotive even if mechanical troubles or problems may result in the locomotive producing less horsepower for a period of time.

On the ground: Used by employees to describe a derailed train.

Operating ratio: Used to determine operating expenses as a percentage of revenue (anything over 80 is a bit high and should be lowered).

Overhead trackage rights: Trackage rights agreement whereby the tenant railroad cannot serve any customers located along the owning railroad's segment of line and only has rights to operate over it.

Overhead traffic: Also known as bridge traffic, which is traffic delivered by Railroad A to Railroad B where then Railroad B delivers this traffic on to Railroad C.

Per diem: A Latin term that means per day, it is used by railroads to mean the daily rental fee a car owner charges one wishing to use its car(s).

Pickup: A general term meaning to add cars to a train.

Pooling agreement: When separate railroads split all of their collective earnings amongst each other, no matter how much more traffic one railroad may carried over another.

Powder River Basin: Known as PRB, for short, it is a vast area of southern Montana and eastern Wyoming that is extremely rich in low-sulfur coal

Power: Another term for locomotives.

Profile: According to Trains.com, "a graphic representation of a railroad line showing the location and severity of grades; vertical and horizontal scales are generally not the same, so as to emphasize the grades."

Receivership: During bankruptcy proceedings a corporation that is being managed by a receiver.

Recrew: When a train receives a new crew, usually occurring when the current crew has completed their 12-hour, FRA mandated, workday.

Regional railroad: A term to describe Class II railroads, which are larger than Class IIIs (shortlines) but smaller than Class Is, in terms of overall earned revenues.

Reporting marks: Up to four letters which identify the owner/operator of the car. A reporting mark ending in the letter "X" denotes a car owner that is not a railroad.

Restricted speed: According to Trains.com, "slow operating speed that permits the engineer to stop the train within half the range of vision short of a stop signal, train, track employee, or any type of dangerous condition. Trains operating at restricted speed are never to exceed 20 mph."

Right of way: Refers to a railroad line including all of the track, property, and roadbed.

Roadmaster: One who is responsible for railroad track maintenance.

Road number: The digits used to identifying a locomotive.

Roadbed: It is the foundation layer of fill that supports the track structure (i.e., ballast, track, ties, etc.).

Roll-by: Inspecting a train as it passes.

Rolling stock: Usually refers to freight/passenger cars but also includes locomotives.

Route mile: The actual physical, geographical, distance the railroad line travels not including extra tracks, yards, sidings, etc.

Ruling grade: The steepest section of railroad on any given rail line, it sets the amount of tonnage a train can handle.

Run 8: Also known as notch 8 or full power.

Runaround: Usually describes the maneuver of a locomotive uncoupling from a train, and attaching itself to the other end using a parallel railroad track (usually a siding). However, it also refers to a particular track that allows this to happen as well.

Run-through: A train that does not stop to do any type of switching or setting out/picking up of cars.

Section hand: A general track laborer assigned to a section gang.

Section house: Housing for a track maintainer provided by the employee's railroad.

Set out: Refers to when a train switches out a car, or group of cars, at a particular location, usually either a siding or industrial spur.

Shorthaul: Moving freight over a shorter distance than what is possible between two given points (i.e., instead of carrying freight all of the way from New York to Chicago, for example, shorthauling it to, say, Pittsburgh and then another railroad finishes carrying it on to Chicago).

Short-time rating: In regards to a locomotive's traction motors the maximum amperage allowed over a period of time without damaging them. It is higher than continuous rating since the duration is much shorter.

Single-line haul: Refers to a shipment over only one railroad.

SIT: Stands for storage in transit.

Slack action: The result of "give" in each coupled car in a train that can sometimes be quite violent when it is pulled free.

Spot a car: To switch a freight car into a particular location for loading/unloading.

Stabbing: Refers to a delayed train that is not expected.

Stack train: The slang term for a train made up entirely of containers stacked two-deep per car.

Staggers Act: This act was named after Rep. Harley O. Staggers of West Virginia. It was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 14, 1980, which allowed enormous deregulation of the railroad industry. Some of the advantages included allowing railroads to enter into contracts with shippers to prices and services, both without ICC approval.

Subsidiary: A company that is completely controlled by another through ownership of over 50% of its common stock.

Superelevation: According to Trains.com, "on segments of curved track, the vertical distance the outer rail is raised above the inner rail to counteract the centrifugal force of moving trains."

Switching district: Refers to an area where shippers have their choice of railroad (i.e., more than one) to move their goods.

Tariff: The railroading term for a bill of service, so to speak, it defines the rates and regulations for hauling passengers and freight.

Terminal: The term describing areas where railroads make up, assemble, and dispatch trains (such as a large yard).

Terminal railroad: Usually operate within large cities, like Chicago, they do not pick up and deliver goods themselves but rather receive all their freight set off by line-haul railroads.

Through freight: A train not designated to set off or pick up cars when in transit.

Tires: The rims of locomotive driving wheels.

TOFC: Stands for Trailer-On-Flatcar, it is the haulage of highway truck trailers.

Tonnage rating: According to Trains.com, "the maximum permissible trailing load for a given locomotive over a given segment of railroad track. It depends on tractive effort and ruling grade."

Ton-mile: The movement of one ton of freight a distance of one mile, a standard transportation industry measure.

Trackage rights: An arrangement in which one railroad negotiates the right to operate its trains over certain segments of track owned by another.

Tractive effort: According to Trains.com, "the force in pounds exerted by a locomotive to turn its driving wheels. Tractive effort equals the weight on the driving wheels multiplied by the adhesion factor. Also called tractive force."

Trailing truck: Used to describe a truck on steam locomotives that was located under the cab and helped to stabilize the ride.

Train line: Describes the air-brake line in a train when it is completely connected and continuous.

Transit: A term that refers to commuter rail operations, usually hauling passengers from urban to suburban settings and vice-versa for the means of getting to and from work.

Truck: The wheel-axle-frame assembly under each end of a car or locomotive.

Unit train: A train carrying a single type of commodity, such as coal or grain.

Varnish: A slang term that originally referred to when old wood-built passenger cars received high-gloss coats of varnish. The term is still used today to describe passenger cars and equipment, particularly

Waybill: A document containing information about a specific freight shipment, such as the shipper, consignee, routing information, car initials and number, description and weight of the commodity being shipped, and billing information.

Wayfreight: A term describing a local freight train.

Wheel slip: Similar to any other type of wheel slip condition it is the result of a locomotive's driving wheels rotating faster than the train itself resulting in decreased pulling power. It usually occurs with a very heavy train from a stopped position or wet/slippery rails.

Work train: A train that does not earn revenue and usually used by railroads for maintenance-of-way work.

Zombie: A slang term describing the reuse of a locomotive's frame and trucks as the groundwork for a low-powered re-engining.

For more on general railroading terms, like those above, please visit, and consider joining, the American Rails Forums, a family-friendly community where there are plenty of knowledgeable folks to help answer any questions you might have.

Also, if you are interested in knowing the meaning of a term that is not listed above please do not hesitate to contact me and if I do now know the answer myself I will hunt around or ask until I do! One way or another you will eventually get an answer.