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Rail equipment

498 entries in this trade.

run around

verbRail equipment

To move from one end of the consist to the other, so as to pull the train in the opposite direction.

runaway train

nounRail equipment

An uncontrolled railroad incident where a train or rolling stock moves without operator control, often due to brake failure, loss of power, or an accidental release on the main line.

running board

nounRail equipment

A narrow footway above the driving wheels of some steam locomotives, and along the sides of some diesel locomotives.

running powers

nounRail equipment

Permission given in an agreement allowing one railway company to run trains over certain tracks belonging to another railway company.

safety chain

nounRail equipment

A normally slack chain for preventing excessive movement between a truck and a car body during a slue.

saloon

nounRail equipment

the part of a rail carriage or multiple unit containing seating for passengers.

sandbox

nounRail equipment

A box carried on locomotives, from which sand runs onto the rails in front of the driving wheels, to prevent slipping.

sander

nounRail equipment

A device which spreads sand on the rails in wet, snowy, icy, slippery conditions to improve traction.

scissors crossover

nounRail equipment

A superimposed pair of railway crossovers, resembling the letter X, permitting travel in either direction between a pair of parallel tracks.

semaphore signal

nounRail equipment

A railway signal with a moving arm mounted on a signal post or gantry, the position of the arm indicating whether a train should stop or proceed; they are now largely replaced by colour light signals.

shoofly

nounRail equipment

A device for throwing the track temporarily to one side for carrying out repairs, etc.

shunt

nounRail equipment

A switch on a railway used to move a train from one track to another.

shunting neck

nounRail equipment

A length of dead-end track, e.g. alongside a main line, used for the purpose of allowing a train to shunt back into a siding or rail yard without the need for the train to occupy a running line.

side chain

nounRail equipment

On some railways, a chain fitted on both sides of a centre coupler or buffer at each end of a rail vehicle, which has a hook for connection to a corresponding chain on the next vehicle in a train.

signal box

nounRail equipment

A building, typically adjacent to or spanning a railway line, from where signals, points and (sometimes) level crossings are controlled.

signal check

nounRail equipment

An instance where a train must stop at a red signal, or slow down before passing a signal displaying a yellow aspect.

signal gantry

nounRail equipment

a structure erected over one or more railway tracks, carrying one or more signals. Smaller structures usually have a single support, and larger structures are supported on both sides.

signal lad

nounRail equipment

A young man employed in a signalbox to record the times of trains as they pass through the area served by the signalbox.

slack

nounRail equipment

A temporary speed restriction where track maintenance or engineering work is being carried out at a particular place.

slip coach

nounRail equipment

A coach at the end of a long-distance train which carries passengers for an intermediate destination and is decoupled or "slipped" and left behind. (In bygone times the decoupling was done on the move; the rest of the train did not stop.)

smoke deflector

nounRail equipment

a device fitted to either side or on top of the smokebox of some steam locomotives, the purpose of which was to lift smoke clear of the locomotive at speed, so it wouldn't obscure the driver's vision.

snakehead

nounRail equipment

A loose, bent-up end of one of the strap rails, or flat rails, formerly used on American railroads.

snow shed

nounRail equipment

A tunnel-like structure that provides roads and railroad tracks with protection from avalanches and heavy snowfalls that cannot be easily removed.

spectacle

nounRail equipment

A frame with different coloured lenses on a semaphore signal through which light from a lamp shines at night, often a part of the signal arm.

spiral

nounRail equipment

A section of track that forms a circle and crosses over itself, used for gaining height in mountainous territory.

spot

verbRail equipment

To position (a locomotive or car) at a predetermined point, e.g., for loading or unloading.

spring saddle

nounRail equipment

A bent metal bar on the top of a railway carriage journal-box, surrounding the arch-bar and supporting the spring.

staithe

nounRail equipment

An installation built at the railside or nearby for the storage of coal unloaded from wagons.

starting signal

nounRail equipment

A railway signal controlling the starting of trains from a station or some other location, nowadays usually a colour-light signal.

stationmaster

nounRail equipment

The person in charge of a railroad station, usually an employee of a particular railroad by which the station is owned, but sometimes an employee of a separate corporation, such as one owning a station used by two or more railroads.

steam generator

nounRail equipment

A type of boiler fitted in a diesel locomotive or another rail vehicle, which provided steam heating in steam-heated passenger trains that had previously been hauled by steam locomotives.