Railroading Terms, Definitions and Meanings

Interested in learning more about railroading terms and what exactly they mean? Well, it’s no surprise that like most subjects, railroading has an interesting and often times confusing glossary of terms and slang that sometimes trips up even seasoned railfans and enthusiasts (often times I don’t even bother trying and just go look up what many of them mean!). My hope here is to be of help in shedding light on some of these terms and just plain defining many others (I can certainly understand that especially those new to the hobby are probably mostly lost when they see many of these railroading terms and it has taken me years to learn and understand the vocabulary I now have, which is far, far from them all!).

Being that railroading is now almost 200 years old it comes as no surprise that in that time a whole dictionary of words and meanings have sprung up describing everything about it, from locomotives and rolling stock to tools and infrastructure. Over time and as technologies have changed new terms have come while some have went. Overall, however, today there are hundreds and hundreds describing every aspect of railroads from railroad ties to knuckle-couplers (something found almost exclusively in North America).

Below, I have tried my best to breakdown these terms and meanings types, categories, and/or meanings (simply read each heading to get a general idea of what types of terms are listed).

Infrastructure and Property Terms

The pages below will link you to terms and definitions on things like frogs, diamonds, lineside structures and other railroading property and infrastructure.

General Railroad Infrastructure and Property Terms

Railroad Signal and Dispatching Terms

Locomotive and Equipment Terms

The pages below will link you to terms and definitions on things like different locomotive types (steam, diesel, switchers, etc.), freight car types, and other related railroading equipment.

Steam Locomotive Terms

Diesel-Electric and Electric Locomotive Terms

Freight and Passenger Car Terms

General Locomotive and Equipment Terms

Other Railroad-Related Terms and Meanings

The pages below will link you to "general" terms and definitions that are not really covered in any of the categories above.

General Railroading Terms

Railroad Organizations and Related Companies

My goal and hope with these railroading terms is to not only provide definitions to understand their meaning but also break them down into subtopics so as to make it easier for study. Of course, I also cannot take credit for being able to cite all of these terms right off the top of my head (not even remotely possible!). While I do know a number of them many others come from friends and other resources, which I most certainly must thank for all of the help with (this “dictionary,” if you would like to call it that, would in no way be possible without their help).

Also, if you have any questions about any of the railroading terms or simply have more to add that are not covered here please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. While I may not be able to answer you questions directly I will most definitely ask around and try my very best to get you a satisfactory answer.

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