Train terminology: U.K. vs U.S.

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A useful video for anyone with an interest in trains or the 'Thomas & Friends' franchise. In this video I look at the differences between British and American train-related terminology. I hope you find this as useful as I have.
Previous video: • ♫ S.R.T. No. 04: Gordo...
'Thomas & Friends' is property of Mattel
Original Music by: Mike O'Donnell & junior Campbell

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11 ноя 2023

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@elsbridgestudios1885 7 месяцев назад

A couple of things I should probably of made clear from the start. 1. This is based on the information I had available at the time when I made this video. I understand that It wont be 100% accurate. 2. Whilst I am aware that some Brits use some American terms and vice-versa, this is a generalisation for the U.K. & U.S. as a whole. Its up to you whether you us British or American terms, this video just gives you a new perspective. 3. I am aware that this video doesn't contain all railway terms. This is just a collection of the more commonly used terms and terms that have the same name in both the U.K. and U.S. (e.g. Hoppers) have been omitted. 4. I have not included every variation of certain items names because either A). I didn't know that name was used or B). it is a very localised term and not commonly known.

@BlooMonkiMan 7 месяцев назад

You may wanna pin this so people will see it.

@up3982trainmaster_challenger 7 месяцев назад

At 15:10 for the US term we would call this a Johnson bar

@railwayjade 7 месяцев назад

I wanted to jump on that criticism bandwagon, but then I remembered the idea behind the video and I say viewing it in that light, that this is pretty well done.

@BriceGum138 7 месяцев назад

Pretty good pinned comment. And while I do like how informative your video is, I still prefer most UK railway terms over how most of the terms in America are said for railroads. I don't mind much about a brakevan being called a caboose. I am still used to a guard being called a conductor. I think the term "switch track" or "switches" is better than points at this point. But of course, I am not a fan of everything else given my disdain on most of the American railroad terminology all of us in the US came up with and stuck with for all these years.

@MatNichols-iz9dy 7 месяцев назад

It's okay. It's Americans have so much slang that's spread all around the country.

@timthetrainguy 7 месяцев назад

A caboose in the USA actually doesn’t assist with braking beyond reading air pressure in the break lines. They primarily function as a mobile office where the conductor would keep track of paperwork

@BriceGum138 7 месяцев назад

That is what makes a caboose and a guard's van different.

@MatNichols-iz9dy 7 месяцев назад

Yeah some American railroads, like the old Rio Grande had breakvans, but they were rare and I'm not sure if any are left. Plus we also have waycars and stuff, so...

@MatNichols-iz9dy 7 месяцев назад

Btw a waycar is just a caboose without the top thing(forget the name)

@bladeobrian2144 6 месяцев назад

@@MatNichols-iz9dycupola

@snowstorm9310 7 месяцев назад

4:45 We generally call them Hoppers, if they're large enough. Coal Hopper. Open Top Hopper, Closed Top Hopper, Etc. The term generally invokes the massive coal cars with the 3 vents at the bottom for efficient emptying. Gondola specifically tends to refer a very specific car type with a fixed bottom, like a flatcar with low walls. While generally used for the same thing, they're a lot less frequently seen transporting bulk commodities like Coal, Iron Ore, Etc. Generally they'll carry scrap, Steel Rebar, piping, things of that nature. I've seen the term applied to both, but if we're getting actually specific, there is a difference.

@elsbridgestudios1885 7 месяцев назад

To my knowledge 'Hoppers' are a separate type of truck/car to open-wagons/gondolas. Since they are called hoppers in both the U.K. & the U.S. I have not included them.

@russellgxy2905 7 месяцев назад

@@elsbridgestudios1885 That’s correct. Hoppers are arguably the most popular type of open car, but if its open without a discharge method, then yeah they are gondolas or “gons.” We usually use a different pronunciation from that of the Venice boats, but I’ve heard both

@steamrangercomputing 7 месяцев назад

I'm from Australia and most of the terminology I use is British. Interestingly though, the trains here use the American style couplings.

@IndustrialParrot2816 7 месяцев назад

I think you guys switched from British rail standards to American standards sometime around the middle of the last century

@MilkDrinker218 7 месяцев назад

Well, Australia’s terrain has a lot of similarities to the US, being from the US myself, there’s massive stretches of absolutely nothing with a few big cities dotted around here and there, so heavier duty cars and couplings are probably needed. Sometimes I envy you guys, you put a Corvette engine in a road car with a truck bed! Yes, I know it isn’t REALLY *just* a road car with a truck bed, but explaining Utes to anyone unfamiliar with the concept is like explaining the color Red to somebody that’s color-blind.

@dabbinghitlersmemes1762 7 месяцев назад

@@MilkDrinker218 It kind of is a road car with a truckbed. A lot of them are just ute variants of sedans, e.g. AU Falcon (sedan) vs AU Falcon wagon. I'm sure that most of the parts are interchangeable too.

@MatNichols-iz9dy 7 месяцев назад

Yall also have robot trains and stuff

@dinosandtrains909 7 месяцев назад

Ironically as a Brit, I prefer to call engines locomotives, sounds superior in my opinion

@elsbridgestudios1885 7 месяцев назад

Each to their own. I tend to drift between the two.

@FunAngelo2005 7 месяцев назад

Yup

@SteamLance 7 месяцев назад

Engine really refers to say a stationary steam engine, used for pumping water or moving a mine cage up and down a shaft

@thelastsaxtop 7 месяцев назад

An engine is a device that converts heat into motion. All locomotives have engines in them, but not all engines are even steam powered, let alone mobile

@charleshax 7 месяцев назад

I use the two interchangeably as an American

@ExplosiveCookie 7 месяцев назад

We use Locomotive in the UK too - the Americans will call a locomotive/engine on it's own a "train", whereas we don't do that in the UK. Also, the term "Box Van" is the full term used in the UK - usually shortened to just Van. The Shunter isn't the driver of the locomotive - they're the person on the ground dictating what happens. If locos are double heading, the leading loco is generally just known as that - a Pilot is more specific to a loco that is assisting another loco and it's crew through a route that they're not used to, as the local crew will better know the signalling and lines etc.

@Ry_guy7 Месяц назад

Non-railfans call the locomotive train in America. It’s more used as a term to say quickly instead of engine or locomotive.

@InventorZahran 7 месяцев назад

In my experience, 'formation' almost always refers to the entire train, while 'rake' usually describe the rolling stock *other than the locomotive/engine.* 'Consist' can have either meaning, depending on context.

@KibuFox 7 месяцев назад

couple notes: 2:34 Depends entirely on the railroad, however the majority called him a fireman. 6:26 There is a marked difference between a "caboose" and "guard's van". Guard's vans provided braking power for a train, and helped with stopping. Cabooses, did not do the same. A caboose was the office of the conductor (you may call him a guard, but their jobs are different), but also allowed the rear end brakemen and crew of the train to ride in it. Even after air braking came into use, cabooses remained well into the 1980's. Similar car types, but if you really look into it they have vastly different uses. Not unlike calling a refrigerated car a boxcar. Similar car, different uses. 7:51 As with Fireman, this varies entirely by railroad. Some called it a timetable, others called it a schedule. There was no one standard way of doing things. 9:27 Note: While you are partly correct, as with caboose and guard's van, there is a good bit of nuance to this one. What the tower is, depends entirely on what it is used for. For example, if the tower is located where two tracks cross at an angle to each other, it's called an "Interlocking tower". If the tower is located at a flat yard, it's a "Yard tower", and if it's located at a hump yard, it's a "Hump tower." 10:03 Depends on railroad. Points was also used, though 'blades' were also used. 11:21 A hostler does not operate switching locomotives (shunters). The term Hostler refers to a specialized engineer who works in and around locomotive repair facilities, as well as round houses in the steam days. Hostlers prepare locomotives for the engineer and fireman. This is by raising steam, or moving them out of repair bays. Hostlers do not have any interaction with trains outside of these movements. Crews of "Shunters" are called engineer and fireman. 18:09 Worth noting, the car used in the image? That's a San Francisco Cable Car.... it has no motor, it's pulled along by a cable under the street.

@MilkDrinker218 7 месяцев назад

If there were an equivalent term for a hostler, it’d probably be a Firelighter.

@SouRwy4501Productions 7 месяцев назад

Here in America, the term “stoker” refers to a mechanical screw that transfers coal from the tender to the firebox on larger locomotives. In America, anything larger than a 2-8-2 will require a stoker for proper firing. What this video refers to as a stoker is actually called a fireman in America. Additionally, in America, the term well-car refers to a specific type of railroad car that carries intermodal containers. What this video refers to as a well car is actually called a depressed flatcar in America.

@mwand89 7 месяцев назад

For the UK term as "banker", the US term for that is also called "pusher". Since there is a UK term for "mixed-traffic", the US term is called "dual-service".

@klipsfilmsmelbourne 7 месяцев назад

Very well educated video for next generation of trains fans

@BriceGum138 7 месяцев назад

Even if I feel that the UK and international railway terms are better than most of the American terms.

@ChrisCooper312 7 месяцев назад

One interesting fact. London Underground actually uses American technology. This is because the first grouping of lines into what became todays London Underground was under the control of Charles Yerkes, an American. This means that London Underground trains have cars, ride on trucks, and have a train line for the brakes. Tradionally they were driven by motormen (which is a term used for subway drivers in the US too), but these days the gender neutral driver is more common.

@Stoked_magic 7 месяцев назад

Me personally i like to use British AND American terminology. So like i'll say rake but i will also say consist interchangeably. The only thing i won't do it with is railway. Railway sounds better then railroad.

@BrakeCoach 7 месяцев назад

3:19 added to this, the term "coach" among ordinary folks in the US would be used as a classification of passenger seating. "Standard class" in the UK would be referred to as "Coach class" in the US.

@epoxysentra 7 месяцев назад

A nice video indeed. There are a few other terms and tidbits of lingo that wasn't mentioned that I feel like sharing with folks who are interested. In terms of electric traction in the US, the driver in the past was often called a "motorman" as they would be controlling the electric motors that moved the train. This term isn't as common anymore, and most are simply referred to as an "operator" On some passenger trains in the past where multiple conductors are on board, the head conductor would have the title of "trainman" Signals is used both in the UK and the US to describe, well.. signals. However, in the US, the older style that used a flag would often be known as a "semaphore" type signal. Some earlier examples used balls that would be raised and lowered, which is where the term "high ball" came from, indicating the train can proceed at track speed. Specific to the network built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, you'll notice signals in the shape of discs that have lights attached to them, which are lit in different directions to tell the engineer what action to take, and these are known as "position light" signals. Another term not mention is the title of the person in charge of running the railway. In the UK, they are referred to as a "director" or "controller", depending on the era. In North America, the common name was "superintendent" Now while the term "locomotive" is common across North America, some, specific with tender locomotives, may refer to the front half as the "engine", while on diesels, the "engine" is commonly known as the "prime mover". There are some other terms used in regard to diesel in NA, such as the "B unit", which is essentially a diesel locomotive without a cab, intended to be used in multiple unit setups. B units are commonly mixed up with a "slug", which is a vehicle equipped with traction motors, but does not have it's own prime mover, instead drawing its power from a paired locomotive. Another unique term is the "tunnel motor", which is a diesel designed to provide better airflow inside long tunnels to order to not starve the prime mover of colder air. Finally, there's DP, or "distributed power" units, which are locomotives placed in the middle or back of the train that can be operated remotely from the lead unit, usually used on long and/or heavy freight trains where extra power in the middle or tail end of a consist is needed. From what I gathered, a train in the UK made up of a single cargo type is called a "block train", while in NA, it is a "unit train" Driving wheels on a steam locomotive may sometimes be called the "coupled wheels" in the UK, while in NA, these are commonly called the "drivers" The housing for the journal bearing on wheels is often known as the "journal box" in NA and the "axle box" in the UK. Before the invention of roller bearings, one of the jobs for the crew in the caboose was to look out for "hotboxes", which is the term for when a journal bearing overheats, and the train has to stop to let it cool down.

@IronRoseMaiden 7 месяцев назад

Trainman is NOT the head conductor, but any subordinate of a conductor. That's why the spare board for an assistant conductor is called a trainman's board

@TrevortheTrainFan 7 месяцев назад

For me, I’d like to use a variety of different terms when it comes to Thomas-whether it’d be freight cars or trucks, or whatever. 🙂

@elsbridgestudios1885 7 месяцев назад

It's up to the individual as to what words they use. Despite being from the U.K. I do use some U.S. terms. This is just a review of what terms most people use.

@TrevortheTrainFan 7 месяцев назад

@@elsbridgestudios1885 I know. I was trying to say that I like to use both British and American terms. In fact, I would LOVE to visit the UK 🇬🇧 someday just to visit one of their heritage railways! ☺️

@elsbridgestudios1885 7 месяцев назад

@@TrevortheTrainFan If you ever get to visit the U.K. I would recommend: the Dean Forest Railway in Gloucestershire, England; the Talyllyn Railway in Towyn, Wales & the National Rail Museum in York, England as some of the best places to visit in the U.K. as a train enthusiast.

@mandyward5372 7 месяцев назад

@@TrevortheTrainFanif you call trucks 'freight cars' in thomas, your not a true thomas fan

@clayv5422 7 месяцев назад

no there either trucks or troublesome trucks

@plagued_inferno6059 7 месяцев назад

I personally alternate between the UK and US terminology depending on what I'm referring to. For example, if I'm talking about a British engine, I'll use the term "funnel," and if I'm talking about an American loco, I'll use the term "smokestack"

@CaseyJonesNumber1 7 месяцев назад

The correct British term is "Chimney". The Rev Awdry seems to have put the term "funnel" into the language of more recent generations of railway enthusiasts, me included, until I started reading rather more serious railway publications...

@InventorZahran 7 месяцев назад

@@CaseyJonesNumber1That's really strange, considering that an 1860s American-style smokestack actually looks like a household funnel.

@CaseyJonesNumber1 7 месяцев назад

@@InventorZahranwhat is "really strange" about it? The Rev Awdry was British, the Railway Series of books he wrote are British, and they are about a fictional British railway. UK locomotive chimneys have never been called "funnels" because they are not shaped like them. Even the few British locomotives that were fitted with spark arresting chimneys didn't have ones that were shaped like funnels either.

@clayv5422 7 месяцев назад

6:02 the well wagons are also reffered to as lowbeds or lowboys sometimes in either country also in the us while they can be reffered to as stokers most of the time there reffered to as a fireman

@CaseyJonesNumber1 7 месяцев назад

In the early days of railways in the UK, firemen were often called "stoker", similar to those doing the same job on steamships.

@michaelmeliambro5117 7 месяцев назад

You left out the U.S. term "Hogger," sometimes used in reference to the engineer, as well as the different terms for an all-clear signal; "right away" or "highball," in reference to the early ball-type signals on American railroads.

@harrisonallen651 7 месяцев назад

As an Australian who grew up with the uk dub of Thomas, it’s to hear Ringo speak with this American from the the few us tapes as well as Michael for that one occasion too!

@Trainfan1055Janathan 7 месяцев назад

It's weird how it's the same language, yet we have completely different terms for everything.

@FuelFire 7 месяцев назад

As a german I only use "locomotive" because a steam "engine" here is stationary and powers something else. (Also technically a locomotive has two engines, one on each side)

@greaterHoustonrailfan 7 месяцев назад

I think you did a great job, but a couple things. 1: In America, we also call a siding that doesn't return back to the mainline a "Spur track" and if the spur track serves a company/Industry, its called an "Industry Track" 2: In modern America, Locomotives are usually stored in a yard or storage track. 3. A "Light engine" made up of multiple engines is called a "Powermove" 4. a Trolly that is more modern, would also be called a Tram, usually looks like a streamlined "motor coach", or an "above ground" metro

@happynoname2488 7 месяцев назад

gondola and wagon surprised me, always thought it was the other way around (gondola was U.K. wagon was U.S.), i have also never heard a mail-van/mail-car referred to as a mail-truck

@abrr2000 7 месяцев назад

Interesting point. A caboose and a guards van don't service the same funciton. A caboose has the additional function of being a mobile office space for doing paperwork, as well as providing overnight accomodation for the railway crew, AND access to the roof of a train while in motion, so that the guard can walk along the roof and adjust the breaks along the train while in motion. Meanwhile the breakvan is almost entirely there so the guard can adjust the breaking force applied to the rear end of the train in order to maintain tension on the couplings while providing the minimum amount of neccessary drag, so that the couplings don't go slack and jump off the hooks.

@IndustrialParrot2816 7 месяцев назад

A caboose os also designed to check the track for any defects like hotboxes broken couplers etc but they replaced that with automated trackside defect detectors

@IndustrialParrot2816 7 месяцев назад

Cattle cars are also sometimes called stock cars because they carry livestock

@alejo08261 7 месяцев назад

I call some of the things on this list as the British term and I’m American

@andreiemanueltudose2445 7 месяцев назад

What a creative video really great i learn a few things i didn't know about the U.K and U.S on the Railway terms i don't see stuff like this everyday

@MatthewChenault 7 месяцев назад

17:35 The reason why It’s called a “Janney Coupler” is because the original design was developed by Eli Janney. Janney was a Virginian - from around Alexandria, Virginia - who had been engaged in the railway industry prior to the American Civil War. During the war, he acted as a staff member for Robert E. Lee and achieved the rank of Major in the Confederate Army. After the war, he would develop the Knuckle Coupler - otherwise known as the Janney Coupler - as a means of replacing the old Link & Pin couplers used by railway lines of the time. The design has been modified and improved over the years, but the basic principle behind the design is still influenced by Janney’s original design. 19:19 As for why it’s called a “torpedo” in the United States, it’s because the term comes from a time when what we would call “mines” were referred to as “torpedos.” When the torpedo (or detonator) was first invented in 1841, the term “torpedo” was still the commonly used term for an explosive charge laid down in an area. The name in the US didn’t change, even though the meaning of the word has changed to refer to self-propelled explosive charges launched from submarines.

@Pershingtank 7 месяцев назад

For whatever reason, it is very common for people who know nothing about trains to say "conductor" when they really mean the "engineer." But I have *never* seen anyone use "guard" in the same incorrect manner.

@bodacious4398 7 месяцев назад

The closest thing, at least I know, to “empty stock” we have is “Baretable.” This term is mostly used for empty intermodal or piggyback trains.

@joshuarosen465 7 месяцев назад

The guy who shoveled coal on a train was called a fireman in the US not stoker. Stoker was used on ships, Britsh ships don't know what they were called on American but it might have been the same. Engine and Locomotive are used interchangably in the US.

@thecairnsrailfan 7 месяцев назад

This is pretty interesting, I noticed that as an Australian from Queensland, we seem to mostly use a mix of terms from both the UK and USA for our trains.

@ThunderboltSirenStudios 7 месяцев назад

In the US we also call the fireman a "fireman"

@mikepowell2776 7 месяцев назад

I’m fairly sure the term ‘locomotive’ is used in Britain and the railway station/train depot difference seems to have been omitted. Otherwise fascinating.

@BlooMonkiMan 7 месяцев назад

Yeah, like... I think the full name of the main workshop for the LNER was "Doncaster Locomotive Works"?

@grassytramtracks 7 месяцев назад

And car and freight train are definitely terms used in the UK as well

@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp 7 месяцев назад

@@grassytramtracks Though they still call them wagons, the British have slowly been starting to use the term freight train on occasion.

@STLSF 7 месяцев назад

12:41 I did not know that we also used Banker to describe a helper locomotive tied onto the rear of a Train here in the US. I always thought that they were just called pusher locomotives.

@emilioi.valdez6680 7 месяцев назад

Honestly I'm now interested in train terminology from the rest of the anglosphere. Could be interesting.

@DistanceNsVeterans 7 месяцев назад

U.K loading gauge: Small USA loading gauge: Giant

@ArthurAndNormandyFan1 7 месяцев назад

I'm Australian, I've heard both engine and locomotive used interchangeably.

@southsidediy 7 месяцев назад

Growing up watching Shining Time Station and Thomas VHS tapes in America(Chicago proper to be precise) definitely 'coloured' my my rail related vernacular lol. I find myself slipping and using terms like 'bogies' instead of 'trucks' and calling 'industrial spurs/leads' 'sidings'. Sidings in the states are like long "passing sidings on single track mainlines that allow long trains to pass one another lol.

@gabrielperez8864 7 месяцев назад

I have never heard the term stoker in the U.S. for a fireman. We call them fireman as well.

@lowfurts 7 месяцев назад

So I'm an American and a lot of these British words I use very commonly like "Shunting" "Sidings" "Tram" "Rolling Stock" and other people know what I'm talking about! I dont know why and I'll never know why

@robscott8296 7 месяцев назад

15:40 I believe we Americans call it a air hose and not a train line ( I have never heard of this term ever)

@xaviersaavedra7442 7 месяцев назад

funny enough in the us we still use the word post for post offices or for post men or post women

@thejuxtaposedjinty9140 7 месяцев назад

In Canada virtually all terms are the same as in the U.S. of A with the exception of Railway/Railroad with (to my knowledge) all being called Railways officially, whereas in the states although railroad is more common railway and railroad are somewhat interchangeable, but of course many people call them railroads , due to being in close proximity to the states.

@timhawley3721 7 месяцев назад

In the US, I’ve heard of well-wagons being referred to as lowboys, but maybe that’s just for trucking.

@SuperTrainStationH 7 месяцев назад

In the US dub of "Rusty to the Rescue" the line "Rusty's engineer agreed to be Stepney's fireman" confused me. In the UK original, the intention was a secondary member of Rusty's crew, a mechanic of sorts, came alone, and helped operate Stepney. The US dub with George Carlin left this line unaltered, leaving it to Americans to seem as though Rusty's driver was on board Stepney shoveling coal, leaving Rusty without a driver AT ALL! The line should have been changed to "Rusty's mechanic agreed to be Stepney's fireman."

@marshallhuffer4713 7 месяцев назад

Yeah, that always bothered me.

@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606 7 месяцев назад

In the US we refer to fireman as such, fireman vs stoker however it is more depending on where you live within the US, on diesel electrics during the early diesel era they were renamed to Engineman who maintained the diesel engine of the locomotive. It’s also common to hear engineers of electric train sets be called a “Motorman”, we also typically refer to Gondolas a specifically short in height open top cars that carry bulk variety goods but typically only see them carrying specialized cargo like maintenance of way equipment and rails, ties and ballast, they also carry hazardous waste with special covers over them, coiled steel or scrap metal. However some tall gondolas exist that are used in conjunction with open hopper cars in coal service however they have unique names like “Bathtub gondolas” “Battleship gondolas” which were early 100T coal haulers with 6 axles or more modern naming they are referred to as “rotary dump” gondolas. Obviously Hoppers are bottom dump cars that can be 2-6 bay depending on size and length of the car body. However also specific to coal service “RDLs” exist which is short for “Rapid Discharge Loaders” where the whole underbody of the car opens pneumatically and those are distinct to traditional hoppers.

@TheAdventuresOfJimiJaden 7 месяцев назад

I’m used to most of the British terms shown here due to watching a lot of Thomas.

@railbaron1 7 месяцев назад

We use the term "Dead-Head" across rail, road, and air. Moving empty semi trailers or planes, even crew member have to travel as passengers for work are said to be dead-heading. The only exception is the Semi Cab traveling without a trailer, that's called Running "Bob-Tail" and Trucks hate doing that because you're not making money doing it.

@gavinrramirez 7 месяцев назад

Here in America we do use the terms “Railway” “Engine “Fireman” “Rolling Stock” just as much.

@charleshax 7 месяцев назад

In the US, a “Decapod” is a steam locomotive with a 2-10-0 wheel arrangement, while in the UK, it refers to a 0-10-0 steam locomotive

@everettrailfan 7 месяцев назад

5:50 That would actually make sense, but wellcars here in the US refer to cars designed to carry intermodal containers with a well in the middle, as opposed to the older method of just sticking them straight on a normal flatcar. This type of car is called a depressed flatcar and is typically reserved for extra large (known as high-wides) or heavy loads such as generators or transformers. Most of them even have another 2 sets of trucks. 11:41 You're not far off, but I think the term "hostler" refers to someone who specifically switches locomotives around in a yard or "hostles" power between nearby terminals. 12:25 I haven't really heard any terms for extra power on the front of a train, I guess most people just call them trailing units. For units placed in other parts of the train, those used to be called helpers especially before radio systems were developed to sync all the locomotives to the leader, but they're officially called DPUs, or distributed power units; specifically, mid DPUs or rear DPUs (I think you can guess why lol).

@nicknchicken5381 7 месяцев назад

Cattle car is more often called a Stock ( Livestock ) Car in US

@carlenger9707 7 месяцев назад

Some notes here from someone that's familiar with American railroading. (railwaying?) Bearing in mind this from the perspective of one person who's worked for one American railroad. 1:53 this is true, however, people will still say "engine" to refer to a locomotive. (eg "what a cool engine, etc). I've heard a lot more British people say the word "loco" than I have Americans. 2:33 we still call them a fireman. A stoker refers to an engine that contains a physical stoker to break up and deliver the coal to the firebox for you. (take the really huge engines, such as the Big Boy, for example). In terms of fuel responsibility, it's the fireman's job to operate this stoker and deliver the fuel, usually coal, to where it needs to be. 2:40 Rolling stock is also a term that is used by Americans as a general term for rail equipment that isn't a locomotive or maintenance of way equipment. But it's correct to say that the term "cars" is more well known to the general public so they're more often referred to this way. 4:55 British vans are boxy, but they're much more curvy in appearance than a lot of American box cars. American box cars are literal borg cubes. (well they're actually rectangular but it's fine) 5:20 These are more generally known as stock cars, from the word livestock. Since they would haul a lot more types of livestock than just cattle. 6:00 I've always just heard these referred to as well cars. 6:43 One thing that sets brake vans apart from cabooses is that brake vans almost always had bay windows instead of cupolas (the box on top where the crew would ride to survey the train). Some American cabooses had bay windows but most of them had cupolas. I'm not sure about the UK, but US cabooses are really fascinating to me because of how many purposes they served and thus the huge combination of factors that stopped them from being used all the time. 7:25 Station master is also a term that is used. 8:12 These are still referred to as a timetable. What's strange to me is that employees of the railroad will be given a booklet called a "time table" that contains a timetable, but also the map, rulebook, etc, of the area where they're working (also side note, our pronunciation of schedule makes a lot more sense to me. We pronounce it the same way we would pronounce "school" or "scheme" but whatever) 9:28 More commonly called an interlocking tower because a lot of the levers are interlocked together. 10:44 also known as a sidetrack 14:10 This is also a light engine in America. If you have an empty train, it's simply called an empty train. "Deadheading" is something that also happens with aircraft, where someone can basically hitch a ride on another train as a passenger and ride it back home or wherever when they're off the clock and not getting paid. 15:14 called a Johnson bar because unlike a reverser, a johnson bar allows you to make individual minute adjustments in the valve gear as opposed to simply forwards or backwards. 15:17 I would assume this is UK only, you guys love your bacon slicer style reversers. American locomotives had the more traditional design of the Johnson bar all the way until steam locomotives stopped being produced. 16:07. No. Americans call this a brake pipe. Also we use air brakes instead of vaccum brakes. I've heard british people called this a train pipe. 17:35 "janney" is a particular type of knuckle coupler, which was the original design of the knuckle coupler. Janney couplers had a lever extending from either side with a thick end and a thin end, which you would either push or pull. Doing so would unlock the knuckle, but wouldn't kick the knuckle open; you had to do that part yourself as a brakeman. Needless to say, they were nice for their time, (compare them to link and pin or miller hook couplers) but they still sucked. More modern couplers like the AAR Type E's on the Big Boy have a lifting pin that is connected via chain to the cut lever, which means that when you pull up on the cut lever, it automatically kicks the knuckle open. This design has been around since at least the early 1900's with Sharon couplers. 17:46 I wonder if this has to do with Ohio State University's mascot being the buckeyes. 18:07 If it's electrically powered, it is a street car, however, the one in the picture is a cable car because it grips a cable instead of being powered by overhead wires. A San Francisco street car looks completely different from the SF Cable Car pictured here. 18:38 everyone in the industry calls this a pilot because while it is designed to nudge things off the tracks that shouldn't be there, it can't really do so with any type of speed. Old style cowcatchers were wood and would most likely break upon impact, newer high speed locomotives had metal cowcatchers that would do a lot more damage to the cow at speed than simply nudging it off the tracks. I personally like the term cowcatcher better, but in the industry it's called a pilot. 19:32 yeah I agree, that's weird. 20:06 this is a water tower. 20:32 These were a really good idea, mostly for busy areas that wanted to maximize efficiency by letting the engineer pick up water at speed. But they sucked to maintain.

@russellgxy2905 7 месяцев назад

I think sometimes we call engines “pilots” but usually the term is “Front-End Helper,” while bankers are “Rear-End Helpers.” The size of trains and the steepness (and length) of many grades also means “Mid-Train” helpers are common, so Middle Engines are actually a thing for us. The length of trains also factors into the role of cabooses. While they, and brake vans, serve to house the conductor, only the brakevans do anything to help stop the train. Continuous brakes in the US caught on a lot earlier, but before that you had brakemen walking along the cars (even open ones) and applying the brakes manually. I know this was often done in the UK by lineside “shunters” to so engines had better downhill control without stopping to pin down the brakes. In the US, several brakemen rode on the cars, and tenders on freight engines often had “Doghouse” huts for the Head End brakeman, sorta aiding the conductor in looking along the train to check for anything wrong. This was common on some railroads right till the end of the steam era

@Gearz-365 7 месяцев назад

As an American, I tend to fluctuate with what I call locomotives. I would either call them locomotives, or I'd call them engines

@Wemfsh 7 месяцев назад

5:10 the term stock car is also used in the US

@davidstecchi9501 7 месяцев назад

's and In the US, a locomotive(s) traveling but not coupled to other (unpowered) cars are said to be "light power" and when pulling empty rolling stock are said to be "dead-heading". Also, caboose's have not been required by law since the 1980's and have been replaced by a train end device(TED) sometimes referred to as a FRED(flashing rear end device).

@JohnReall 7 месяцев назад

Quite often over here in the US the locomotives are called the power. As in how is your power today.

@bodacious4398 7 месяцев назад

Light engine is commonly used here as well.

@DavidScholz-bu1ix 7 месяцев назад

MY OWN OFFICIAL THOUGHTS EXACTLY!!!

@vincentmorris8431 6 месяцев назад

I may be American, but with how often I watched Thomas, some UK terminology like points, sleepers and mobile phone have kinda grown on me.

@nostalgiccameralife 7 месяцев назад

Having read plenty of 19th century literature on railways from the 19th century, the very specific term "steam locomotive engine" or "locomotive steam engine" seems to have been preferred in the 1830s. Obviously at the time most "steam engines" would've been stationary, and the "locomotive engine" was still something of a novelty. I suppose the English decided to grab the "engine" part, with the idea that it would obviously be steam powered and locomotive if discussed in the context of railways, whereas Americans grabbed the "locomotive" part. Interestingly, the Brits use the word "railroad" instead of "railway" in a lot of early literature. Nicholas Wood's treatise on "rail-roads", published in 1825 was widely read in the states and informed many of the early engineers working in the U.S. and I would guess probably popularized the term "rail road" by the time Americans began building their own rail lines in the 1830s. For reasons not clear to me, the Brits shifted away from "rail road" in the 1830s, but Americans largely kept on using the term. One of the more obscure differences is the term "tramway" which is almost never used in the U.S. to refer to anything not related to mining, and the term "tram" for a streetcar is also never used. Except, perhaps somewhat famously, by The Denver Tramway, which so far as I know was the only U.S. streetcar system to use the term in the company name. Still, they referred to streetcars as "trollies" and not trams, and when they tore of the tracks in the 1950s, it was something of a joke that The Denver Tramway was the only Tramway without any trams (if this was true in worldwide context, I have no idea).

@elsbridgestudios1885 7 месяцев назад

You learn something new everyday!

@BlockedUser1 2 месяца назад

I think one thing that should also be mentioned is how engine numbers are pronounced, americans do it as double digits while we do single digits. I've noticed, for example: Fourty-Four Seventy-Two (American) Four-Four-Seven-Two (British)

@meepthegreat 7 месяцев назад

14:07 for just moving around locos, in the US one might also have a "power move". Though this ususally refers to several locomotives moving together (without cars). Generally, the term dead-head is reserved for what in Britain would be referred to as "empty stock"

@neiloflongbeck5705 7 месяцев назад

1 plank, 3 plank and 5+ plank wagons are referred to as low, medium or high general merchandise open wagons. There were also metal bodied versions of these wagons. Mineral wagons are those specifically intended to carry coal and can be wooden or metal bodied.

@SplendidRedHead5 7 месяцев назад

Thank you! This is very helpful

@rambling_railfan 7 месяцев назад

Well, er, I think we call them firemen too. Never heard anyone call it a 'Stoker'.

@jjthesheep 7 месяцев назад

I like the Polar Express Whistle in the Intro.

@yugioht42 7 месяцев назад

Locomotive refers to specific types of trains mostly 19th century steam engines or coal powered trains. It’s a term not commonly used anymore. The exact reason is because of their fuel type being more primitive to provide locomotion.

@neiloflongbeck5705 7 месяцев назад

ASLEF would like to have a word with you, as do the pioneers of the railways in the UK. ASLEF, of the Associated Society of Locomotive Drivers and Firemen, is one of the major railway trade unions in the UK. It was sometime in the late 1800s that we switched from using the term engineer and started calling these men drivers.

@richardjayroe8922 7 месяцев назад

Some us companies did call themselves a railway. We also agree with the term fireman, a stocker is the automatic coal or oil feeder for the firebox. Caboose were just used to hold the conductor and rear break man, they had nothing to do with additional breaking. The US also uses the term timetables we also ocationally use the term signalman. In the US a passing track is called a double ended siding. We also agree in the usage of what a siding means, we don't call it a dead end. We also no longer have specific people to prep the engines, that is the job of the engineer and conductor, but the term hostling still remains. We also don't really have designated switchers as any of our smaller GP locomotives and our SD40s are more than capable of doing that task though smaller short lines may still use them. We don't call it a barn, nor engine shed, nor round house we keep our locomotives outside on what we call engine tracks/ready tracks (those terms being a carry over from the age of steam). A round house is used in the US ONLY for maintenance in addition to shops and maintenance facility. Some companies in the US do use the term light headed or light engine. A train of empties is called well an empty train not mutch to it there in the US with that one. We call it a break pipe or break hose not a train line. The first set of wheels on a steam engine is called a pilot truck with the last set being called a trailing truck. The image shown for the trolly and tram section is a cable car. For the bonus here, our mail cars in the US were known as RPOs meaning Railway/Railroad (depending on the company) Post Office

@729MendicantTide 7 месяцев назад

Honestly, in the US, "timetable" nowadays refers to the document carried by railroad personnel that details track specifications and any sort operating restrictions along that line, rather than the brief detailing what trains will run when.

@jeremybarker7577 7 месяцев назад

@@729MendicantTide It's more like what in Britain is called the Sectional Appendix.

@MagnusTheGreat 7 месяцев назад

As a life long Thomas fan i use all of these terms interchangeably

@TheSilverShadow17 7 месяцев назад

Either way it's the same thing because if they had consciousness and the ability of speech they'd tell us otherwise. Honestly both names are in context to the machine and the power source that make the things move around.

@Pyrotrainthing 7 месяцев назад

Some clarifications and corrections, I'm no Railroader so I don't use these terms regularly and my knowledge is second hand so take everything with a grain of salt: Some places in the US did use the term "Railway" (examples off the top of my head are the Uintah Railway and Sumpter Valley Railway), it is just more common to call them Railroads. Cabooses are more for carrying people and tools that may be necessary, rather than for braking power like in the UK. I have also heard people call them Firemen in America, Switchers were also sometimes called "Yard Goats". Janney couplers are a specific type of knuckle coupler, most knuckle couplers vary because there were differences in how they would operate to open and close the "knuckle" for coupling/uncoupling.

@CaseyJonesNumber1 7 месяцев назад

Some early railways in the UK were called ''Rail Road" (usually two words), and the term was often seen on the plans before lines were built, but changed to "Railway" when completed.

@Wemfsh 7 месяцев назад

in terms of signalboxes and men we call these switchman shacks and switchmen

@vegtamthewanderer1516 7 месяцев назад

@6:41 its also called in some railroads a Waycar.

@lavaboyoh1893 7 месяцев назад

I remember more of the British terms, even though I’m American

@crocowithaglocko5876 7 месяцев назад

I’ve noticed in my experience that a lot a Brits don’t know why Americans call things a certain name As an American, on some of them, I’m just as unsure

@Oliver_11_the_little_western 7 месяцев назад

Norfolk and western railway and southern railway are in the us wich formed the norfolk southern railway we still sometimes call rail companies railways

@Oliver_11_the_little_western 7 месяцев назад

Also 99.9% of the time we call the stoker fireman here in america

@Eddy2730 7 месяцев назад

As a British railway enthusiast, I believe it doesn't matter at all whether the British or the Americans use the word 'engine' or 'locomotive'.

@harryjohnson9215 7 месяцев назад

Consist is used in the uk as well Most when regarding coaches

@blaazer9473 7 месяцев назад

19:09 Most cities in America call their metro in their respective name. The subway may seem like the standard name for all systems, but it is only used for New York City, and most New Yorkers like me would go around calling other systems "subways" out of habit. In Boston they call their metro the "T", in San Francisco "Bart", and in DC "Metro." So, if you hear an American call a metro the "Subway" they are probably from NYC, but most of America calls it the metro outside of their home cities.

@rockyroller7624 7 месяцев назад

16:29 I’m pretty sure in the U.S. the front wheels that articulate were considered part of the pilot.

@BlooMonkiMan 7 месяцев назад

If y'all need excuses for having a language barrier between Hank and the NWR engines, I'd say this will do nicely.

@strobx1 7 месяцев назад

Train brakes either "blow"= Air brake in the US or "suck" Vacuum Brakes in the UK. In the US the brakes are set by letting the air out. IN the UK the brakes are set by letting the air in. In the US, the brakes are released by putting the air back in. In the UK, the brakes are released by sucking the air out. Also, here in the US, the box car cut in half lengthwise is pronounced "Gone Dole La" and a Hustler, moves the locomotive off the train and into the engine house. Wheel sets in the US are Trucks, UK= bogies

@jacknedry3925 7 месяцев назад

17:40, Wat? I did not expect my state to be on here but ok...

@BattleshipOrion 7 месяцев назад

A couple things, firstly in regards to crew, in steam engines, the engineer is also called an operator, though this depends on the locomotive in question. Diesels, and what few electrics actively in use/preservation have "operators", note how I left out steam engines. The Fireman is also refereed to as the fireman here in the States more often than "stoker". Consist also refers to a group of locomotives, or cars with locomotive attached, what you're looking for is a "cut" if you mean a group of cars without an engine. Rolling Stock is a generic term used for locomotives, and wagons (sorry, y'all, I collect HO German equipment from "that era"/ww2). Cars are specifically American, where as I've heard Wagon, and Carriage used interchangeably in videos made by those in the UK. At least it aint Battleships and Warships...those words ARE NOT interchangeable...anyways. Coaches come in so many types it's honestly more worthwhile to mention the ones in use here in the US, here we go: *RPO (Railway Post Office) *Baggage *Combine (Baggage-_____ (Coach, Lounge, etc. depending on the car, and railroad)) *Coach/chaircar) *Observation *Dome *Sleeper *Buffet *Cafe *Open air (tourist trains only) *Cab-car *Cab-control-car (High Speed Rail (Acela's) exclusively) We have boxcars, yes, but we also have hopper cars. These come in various types, such as buffer cars, 2, 3, and 4 bay covered hoppers for grain, plastic pellets, etc, and open top hoppers for coal. Stock cars are is more common here in the US. Any model or refference to a "cattle-car" is refered to as a "stock-car" because of the various types of animals these hauled. Ight, BIG gripe time, Well cars only have ONE, sometimes TWO uses, hauling intermodal containers, or (in some cases) semi-trailers. We have "depressed flatcars", or "lowboy" cars. Well cars come in a variety, from 3 unit 53ft (that's the inside of the well for the lower container btw) wellcars, to 5 unit 48ft wellcars. They do come as stand alone, and can be semi-permanently coupled via either a draw-bar in place of knuckles, or interconnection truck/bogey, the common sizes for the containers moved by these cars are 20ft, 40ft, 45ft, and 53ft. You note that I said "48'" earlier. That's not a mistake, we don't use 48ft containers anymore, but the equipment is still around, though rare as most have been rebuilt for be 40ft wellcars. Wellcars are not solid in the middle like normal depressed flatcars, as containers only need 4 points of contact. So you can't use a wellcar to haul electrical transformers, and visa versa As far a tank cars, go, we call 'em tank cars. Usually by load, or shape. My favorite type of tank car are specifically blue Anhydrous Ammonia/LPG tank cars. Note how I denoted the common loads with that. I don't like just any blue tank car, I specifically like Anhydrous Ammonia/LPG tank cars. I'll be adding on to this later, so here is where I'll leave off. I'll ad a reply adding to this.

@BattleshipOrion 7 месяцев назад

Ight, I'm back, so the Caboose fell out of favor in the 80's for this computer on the back of the train called either a Fred, or EOT, either way you want to choose, it's an device that measures air pressure in the air line, and relays that to the cab. These devises also have a flashing red light. Here in the US, it's not unheard of to have engines that'd be on the "head" (front) of the train be on the back for freight, or even in the middle of a train. It was common practice to have manned "helpers" on the back aswell, though I don't think that's a thing now. The conductor now is in the cab of the locomotive with the operator on modern diesel locomotives. This is excluding Amtrak, BrightLine, or any of the tourist railroads, where the engineer of the diesel is usually alone (tourist railroads may have a paying guest in the cab aswell, but NOT for this purpose). For road-rail crossings, we call 'em many things, railroad crossing is the most common followed by grade crossing, road rail grade crossing, road-rail crossing, etc. All crossings in North America are automatic. The building that allows this is called either a "Shanty", "Bungalow", or "relay box", the most common crossing signal is a mast, with 4 lights (2 facing each direction of travel) laid out left-right, with a sign (called a cross-buck), and a bell up top. The second most common has a gate, usually the length of a lane, and both types will often have another set of lights (2-4 depending on the intersection) for lanes of travel that will interfere with the crossing. The most complex crossings I've seen are at busy intersections, and involve multiple road movements, the track(s) them selves, and have traffic signals integrated into the crossing. Signal towers here in the US generally controlled railroad junctions, and are also called "switch towers". Not once (that I'm aware of) was one responsible for railroad crossings, as most were usually marked with signs, and/or had a station nearby, plus, add in bells, whistles/horns, and chuffing (if applicable), and you have ALOT of awareness, and warning. Trains in the US after a certain point blew there horn/whistle like this: - - . - The above line is Morse code for "Q". Two longs, a short, and a long, with the long having to be as the engine is passing over the road. As far as spurs, sidings, and the whole lot, sidings are interchangeable. They can allow for the passage of trains, the storage of rolling stock, or be spurs into industries, or the "mouths" of long-gone branch-lines. "Switching" is also the act of shunting cars, the Switcher is the name of the role. A famous example is the SW1500, as it's a switcher. You cant use a modern ES44 for shunting as easily, and these are called "road-engines". A road-switcher would be your SD40's, and GP38's. In steam engines, the Daylight, or Big Boy are road-engines, 2-6-0's are your road-swtichers, and your 0-6-0 and smaller is your dedicated switcher. It's always been either switcher, road-switcher, or hustler, never once "switcher loco" as that's it's job. Like battleships, which are built to slug it out (with naval guns that can launch a Volkswagen 30 miles) with other contemporary ships...no the Arleigh-Burkes or other ships are Battleships. Ya wanna see a battleship, Mikasa is in Japan, all 4 completed Iowa's can be visited, Alabama, Massachusetts North Carolina and Texas (not at the time of writing unless you sign waivers) are visit-able. Tangent aside...We only use "helper(s)" here. We never once (maybe in the past, but that's not a thing anymore) called engines back aft "bankers". Shed/barn/engine house are interchangeable. As far as stacks, they're interchangeable. As I talk about many things that are motorized, I usually refer to ships' exhaust ports as funnels, trains have chimneys if it's steam, and stacks if it's diesel or hydrogen and trucks/agricultural tractors, and construction equipment have stacks. Cars, tanks, planes, have pipes. As far as coupling devises, as far as I'm aware, y'all call the attchment devise "coupling" because it is hook, and chain, here we had loop-and-pin, and the knuckle, thus a coupler was either the devise the loop and pin went into, or the knuckle proper. We never once refered (to my knowledge) to the knuckle as "Janney" though, unless it's the knuckle that allowed the use of the older loop-and-pin system, while still being able to couple up to newer knuckle equipped stock. And ACTIVELY living in Ohio, I've never heard any railroad employee, railfan, or ANYONE refer to the knuckle as a "Buckeye coupler". Funnily enough (this is a fun fact, not a critique), water-pans were so uncommon, and water sources so plentiful that only a couple hundred miles of water-pan existed. This may help some of y'all understand way we barely had any under-body water refueling systems. These water pans mainly existed in the populous North East Corridor, mostly by the New York Central, not the Desert Southwest or Great Plains as most would expect as underground aquifer's, and extinct volcanic's out west, and shallow water tables made water acquisition easy, plus in the Plains, the weather helped resupply the water used. Hopefully this helps with a future corrections video, or something. Honestly, I expect to not get so much as a like because of the amount of critique in my comment. If you do see this, thanks for taking the time to consider my impromptu essay.

@kevink2986 6 месяцев назад

I always called the thing at the front of the train an engine, and I’m from the US.

@IndustrialParrot2816 7 месяцев назад

Actually rolling stock is a term in the US but its much broader it includes cars and locomotives as well as things like multiple units Vacuum brakes are also non existent in the US instead we have Westinghouse airbrakes we work the opposite way be maintaining high pressure air in the air line and apply when the pressure is lost A Janney coupler is only the original design the modern ones are AAR knuckles Streetcars are not locomotives they are self propelled passenger cars powered by either 600, 700, 750, or 1200 Volts DC Third rail is quite uncommon only being used on Subways and two commuter railroads in New York being the Long Island Railroad and the Metro North Railroad into Grand Central Terminal

@sengajermyn9914 7 месяцев назад

I DONT MEAN TO BE OFFENSIVE. I REPEAT, I DO NOT MEAN TO BE OFFENSIVE. bro imagine saying "thomas the locomotive"

@Old_Glory 7 месяцев назад

Hey, american loco engineer here. Just noticed you misidentified many jointly used terms as british only. I'd list them but I've contracted this horrible disease called Laziness, it's quite serious

@neiloflongbeck5705 7 месяцев назад

Being English I also use locomotive or loco. And as for your synonyms for train in the UK, I don't think they are synoyms a rake is a collection of vehicles without a locomotive.

@chrisamies2141 7 месяцев назад

That's how I remembered it. The rake is a train, minus the engine/locomotive.

@bethmotgomery2662 7 месяцев назад

❤💛💚💙💜💗💓💕💖💞. Thanks for the terms!

@BrennerEraFan 7 месяцев назад

Interesting

@meepthegreat 7 месяцев назад

16:18 the US term is almost always "smokestack". Otherwise an excellent video by the way.

@Wemfsh 7 месяцев назад

6:36 in some cases these are referred to as waycars

@BriceGum138 7 месяцев назад

As an American, I'd rather call an "engineer" as a driver (unless if the driver is driving a diesel engine) and a stoker a fireman. If anything, I never thought some of these American railway terms are stupid or completely inferior to how the rest of the world (UK included) calls them with some exceptions.

@neiloflongbeck5705 7 месяцев назад

Locomotives are also rolling stock.