flat rail
nounRail equipment
A metal pole or simple flat bar that is laid horizontally on the ground.
Rail equipment
498 entries in this trade.
flat wagon
nounRail equipment
An open railway wagon without sides and roof, or with very low sides.
flatcar
nounRail equipment
A railroad freight car without sides and roof.
fleeting
nounRail equipment
An automatic operation mode of an absolute signal that reserves a route for several trains following one another, without the need for dispatcher to re-set the route for each train.
flying meet
nounRail equipment
The carefully-timed situation in which two opposing trains on a nominally single-track line meet at a siding and are able to pass each other without stopping, because they have reached the siding simultaneously.
fog signal
nounRail equipment
A small explosive charge (detonator) which can be placed on a railway line in fog, to be detonated by a train passing over it as a warning signal to the driver.
FOH
nameRail equipment
The station code of Fortress Hill in Hong Kong.
FOT
nameRail equipment
The station code of Fo Tan in Hong Kong.
four-tracking
nounRail equipment
Provision of four running lines on a stretch of railway track, usually two in each direction.
fourth class
nounRail equipment
A class of rail travel formerly found in some countries.
fourth rail
nounRail equipment
An extra rail in addition to the third rail (live rail) which is used for current return purposes, mainly by London Underground, because of problems caused by using the running rails for current return underground.
freight operating company
nounRail equipment
A company that runs freight trains on the national railway network in Great Britain under license from the government.
freight-only
adjectiveRail equipment
Describing a railway line that is used only by freight trains
ganger
nounRail equipment
One who oversees a gang of workmen.
gate box
nounRail equipment
A signal box that controls a level crossing.
gauge-restricted
adjectiveRail equipment
Having a restrictive loading gauge, limiting which rail vehicles may be used.
gauntlet
nounRail equipment
Overlapping parallel rail tracks; either to allowing passage through a narrow opening in each direction without switching, or to allow vehicles of a larger gauge to pass through a station without hitting the platforms.
Gibson ring
nounRail equipment
A retaining ring used to fit a steel tire/tyre to the wheel of rolling stock.
gon
nounRail equipment
Abbreviation of gondola car.
gondola
nounRail equipment
A type of open railway car with low sides, used to carry heavy freight such as crushed rock or steel.
goods van
nounRail equipment
An enclosed railway freight car, especially one with a sliding door.
grab iron
nounRail equipment
A metal bar attached to the side of locomotives and railroad cars for use as a handhold.
granger road
nounRail equipment
A railroad used mainly for transporting the produce of farmers or grangers.
ground frame
nounRail equipment
A lever frame controlling the operation of points and/or signals which is installed at ground level.
ground signal
nounRail equipment
A dwarf railway signal, mounted close to the ground.
guard
nounRail equipment
An employee, normally travelling in the last vehicle of a train, responsible for the safety of the train.
Hall
nounRail equipment
Hall class, a class of steam locomotive used on the GWR.
halt
A minor railway station (usually unstaffed) in the United Kingdom.
hammer blow
nounRail equipment
A pounding of the rails by the driving wheels of a steam locomotive caused by the inertia of unbalanced parts.
headboard
nounRail equipment
A board on the front of a train, carrying the train's name or that of the service it is on.
headchair
nounRail equipment
Part of a block switch on a railway line that the ends of the moveable rails rest on, and to which the stationary rails are attached.
headcode
nounRail equipment
A code used to distinguish classes of train for the benefit of signalmen, formerly by using white oil lamps (or white discs) placed on brackets on the front of the locomotive. The various lamp positions defined the class of train.
heavy rail
nounRail equipment
A term generally applied to main-line railways, but this varies from country to country. It has no relation to the weight of the rails used.
helper
nounRail equipment
A locomotive that assists a train, usually on steep gradients.
helper grade
nounRail equipment
A railroad gradient where helper locomotives are required to assist the train locomotives.
heritage railway
nounRail equipment
A railway operating a line with preserved and restored locomotives, trains and infrastructure, and usually providing train services for visitors; in effect a working open-air museum.
high-speed rail
nounRail equipment
A type of rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks.
highball
nounRail equipment
An all clear or full speed ahead signal.
higher-speed rail
nounRail equipment
A type of railway system based on existing infrastructure upgraded to allow passenger train speeds typically between 80 and 120 miles per hour.
home signal
nounRail equipment
A railway signal controlling entry to the next section of line. Originally it meant a signal governing entry into a station.
horsebox
A van-type railway vehicle specially built for the carriage of horses.
hotbox
nounRail equipment
An overheated axle box, bearing and bearing enclosure.
hourly rating
nounRail equipment
A measure of the maximum output, usually expressed in horsepower, that can be obtained from the motors of an electric locomotive for a period of one hour without the motors overheating.
Hudson
nounRail equipment
A steam locomotive of the 4-6-4 wheel arrangement.
hump
verbRail equipment
To shunt wagons / freight cars over the hump in a hump yard.
hump slug
nounRail equipment
A kind of slug (locomotive accessory) designed for even slower operation than a yard slug, and able to push a long cut of cars over a hump at very low speed.
hump yard
nounRail equipment
a classification yard or marshalling yard which has a hump over which trains are shunted, the vehicles then running on their own by gravity into various sidings.
IE
nameRail equipment
Initialism of Iarnród Éireann (“Irish Railways”).
interchange
nounRail equipment
A connection between two or more lines, services or modes of transport; a station at which such a connection can be made.
interlocking
nounRail equipment
An arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through a set of intersecting tracks, such as junctions or crossings.
interlocking tower
nounRail equipment
A building or room that houses controls for switches.
interurban
nounRail equipment
An electric railway carrying mainly passengers between two or more urban centres.
island platform
nounRail equipment
A railway platform which has tracks on both sides.
Jacobs bogie
nounRail equipment
A design of bogie used for articulated passenger trains and trams, where the ends of two cars are mounted on the same bogie.
joint line
nounRail equipment
A railway that is or was owned and operated by more than one company.
Jubilee
nameRail equipment
A London Underground line which runs between Stratford in East London and Stanmore in northwest London, via the London Docklands, South Bank, and West End.
kinematic envelope
nounRail equipment
The outline of the space occupied by a rail vehicle when in motion, including the effects of tilt, sway, track cant, etc.
King
nameRail equipment
King class, a class of steam locomotives once used on the GWR which were all named after kings.
land bridge
nounRail equipment
A relatively fast rail or road route over land, especially one for transporting goods.
layup
nounRail equipment
A track used to store train cars.