break-of-gauge station
a railway station where railways of different track gauges meet, and where transhipment of goods and passengers takes place. Some of these stations have a bogie changing facility.
Industrial supplies, equipment, and components
400 entries in this trade.
breakdown crane
A crane that can be used in the event of accidents and derailments, as well as for engineering work on the railway; the crane is usually coupled to another vehicle on which the jib can be rested when travelling, or when the crane is not in use.
breakout board
A minimal PCB with a single component, used for easier prototyping.
bridge
Any of several electrical devices that measure characteristics such as impedance and inductance by balancing different parts of a circuit
broad gauge
A track gauge that is greater than standard gauge.
brown box
A device used in phreaking that allows the creation of a party line from two telephone lines.
buffer beam
A transverse metal beam at each end of a rail vehicle on which buffers, couplings, brake pipes etc. are mounted.
buffer car
A nonhazardous railroad freight car in a train, typically used to separate locomotives and their crews from freight cars carrying hazardous materials.
buffer stop
a device installed at the end of a railway line or siding, which is intended to stop trains and other rail vehicles going any further.
bull pump
A direct single-acting pumping engine, in which the steam cylinder is placed above the pump.
button punch
indenting two or more thicknesses of metal that are pressed against each other to prevent slippage between the metal.
cab signal
A device in the cab of a locomotive or train which displays the status of signals along the track.
cable core
Central part or the innermost part of a power cable which carries electric current and is surrounded by various layers of insulation.
cable joint
Connection between two power cables with proper insulation and mechanical protection.
cable needle
a type of knitting needle used to temporarily hold stitches, allowing them to be interchanged
cap flashing
Flashing, usually composed of metal, used to cover or shield the upper edges of the membrane base flashing; wall flashing can also be used to cover the top of various building components, such as parapets or columns.
capacitor
An electronic component capable of storing electrical energy in an electric field; especially one consisting of two conductors separated by a dielectric.
car battery
A 12-volt battery used to run the electric starter motor in order to ignite the internal combustion engine of an automobile, and power accessories when the engine is off and the alternator is not turning.
card
A perforated pasteboard or sheet-metal plate for warp threads, making part of the Jacquard apparatus of a loom.
cathead
A (small) capstan (“vertical cylindrical machine that revolves on a spindle, used to apply force to cables, ropes, etc.”) or windlass (“type of winch”) forming part of hoisting machinery.
cell
A region of radio reception, or the group of devices that uses it, that is a part of a larger radio network.
chaff cutter
A machine for cutting straw or hay into chaff.
chattering damsel
A component of a traditional mill which creates a vibratory motion to impel portions of grain toward the millstone.
chopper
Any of various electronic switches used to interrupt one signal under the control of another.
circuit board
A board on which electronic components and their interconnecting circuits are mounted or etched.
circuit breaker
An electrical switch capable of opening and closing an electrical circuit in all operating conditions, including fault situations.
circuit topology
The form of an electronic circuit taken by the network of its components.
circular needle
a knitting implement consisting of two needles connected by a thin wire; used to knit round tubes
clasp brake
A type of brake that presses a cast-iron block against the tyre of a railway wheel when activated; they can be on opposite sides of a wheel (when viewed from the side).
clutch
A device to interrupt power transmission, commonly used to separate the engine and gearbox in a car.
Co-Co
A wheel arrangement for diesel and electric locomotives signifying that a locomotive has six axles, each powered by a motor, on two bogies.
coal pusher
a device used to push coal forward in the tender of a steam locomotive.
coaxial cable
A transmission line, consisting of a conducting wire surrounded by an insulated spacer, surrounded by a cylindrical conducting sheath; used to carry high frequency signals such as TV.
column shifter
A shift lever used to change gears, mounted on the steering column; it is most often for an automatic transmission (e.g., P R N D 2 1) but may sometimes be for a manual transmission, such as a three-on-the-tree (e.g., R‑N‑1‑2‑3).
common crossing
The part of a railway switch or turnout where the running-rails cross; a frog.
computer chip
An integrated circuit, typically installed in a personal computer or other electronic devices.
computer-controlled timing
Any type of timing in a vehicle, machine, or other experiment aided by an internal timer.
connector
A device (or, more precisely, a mating pair of devices, often a plug and a socket) for connecting together two wires, cables, or hoses, allowing electricity or fluid to flow but also allowing easy disconnection and reconnection when necessary.
construction unit
A combination of items that is used as the basis for computing costs and materials needs. A complete construction can consist of multiple construction units, each of which is a copy of the others.
contact wire
A bare wire conducting electricity, often the lower part of the catenary, which comes into contact with a raised pantograph or other form of current collector.
contactor
A relay used to control an electrical power circuit
continuous variable valve timing
A system allowing for the perpetual adjustment of valve timing in an engine in order to optimize it for all engine speeds and conditions.
control car
A non-powered railroad car, equipped with a driver's cabin, front lights and other equipment required for a locomotive, allowing a train to be controlled from the rear end without turning a locomotive at the end of the line.
control joint
A groove which is formed, sawn, or tooled in a concrete or masonry structure to regulate the location and amount of cracking and separation resulting from the dimensional change of different parts of the structure, thereby avoiding the development of high stresses.
controller
Any electric or mechanical device for controlling a circuit or system.
core loss
Energy lost by hysteresis, eddy currents, or other anomalies in the core of an electrical device such as an armature, inductor, transformer, etc.
cotton stripper
A large machine used to pick entire bolls of cotton, ripe or still growing.
crawl space
A level, narrow opening underneath the bottom of a building or storey used to give access to pipes, cables and other utilities.
creeper gear
The lowest gear on a vehicle: especially, a dedicated super-low gear, available in some trucks and tractors, that is even lower than the usual low gear, which is labeled as first gear.
crimping tool
A tool used to crimp, to join two pieces of metal.
crystal set
An early radio receiver, having no electrical power supply except the radio waves themselves; it used a crystal of lead or cadmium sulphide and a wire (the cat's whisker) touching the crystal's surface.
cut-out
A switch that changes the current from one circuit to another, or for shortening a circuit.
cutback
Solvent-thinned bitumen used in cold process roofing adhesives, cements and coatings.
dead man's handle
A lever used as a safety device, typically on trains, which shuts off power if the operator releases their grip.
delay line
An electrical or optical component designed to delay the transmission of a signal by a specific amount of time.
demultiplexer
A device or piece of software used to separate signals that were previously combined using a multiplexer.
devil bolt
A sham, defective or faulty bolt, used to deceive an inspector regarding the quality of the material.
diesel exhaust fluid
A liquid used to reduce controlled emissions from the exhaust of diesel engines.
diesel locomotive
a locomotive powered by a diesel engine, often in a genset-like arrangement (i.e., diesel-electric).
diesel particulate filter
A device designed to remove diesel particulate matter or soot from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine.