Railroad Terms Used in Common Speech

R

RobertInOntario

Active Member
Mar 22, 2006
1,384
0
36
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
There are many railway terms or slang that have been adapted into current common speech. I find it amusing that many of these date way back to the steam days and people are still using them but probably don't realize their railway connection at all!

So I thought this would be a good question for The Gauge -- I just thought of it today when I heard one of these phrases used on the radio.

Here are a few railway terms/slang that many "non-train" people often use in conversation:

-- "fire up" (as in, "I'll fire up the car" or "fire up the computer" meaning to start the car or computer)
-- "full steam ahead"
-- "steam up"
-- "railroaded" as in "he was railroaded into something"
-- "highball"
-- "on the right track"

Can anyone think of others? I'm sure there are lots!

Rob
 
McGilliCutty

McGilliCutty

New Member
Feb 12, 2008
21
0
1
Although it's not a railroad term so to speak, it still has to do with steam engines... Grease monkey.
From Wikipedia... "during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain when children were used to grease the large rotating axles which were used to transfer power from one centralized steam engine to all of the machines on the factory floor. These children, covered in grease and crawling in the tight spaces in the ceilings, were equated with monkeys."
And another stretch is... Train of thought.
 
M

MCL_RDG

Member
Dec 8, 2002
851
0
16
S.E.PA.
Visit site
Not to be a...

...rivet counter but I think, "Full steam ahead." is a steamship era phrase. That doesn't mean this thread will "run out of track".

Mark:mrgreen:
 
N

N Gauger

1:20.3 Train Addict
Dec 20, 2000
6,732
0
36
South Eastern, PA
mywebpages.comcast.net
The real McCoy

From wikipedia:
Elijah McCoy (1844–1929), Black Canadian inventor of a lubrication system for steam engines. Supposedly, after failed attempts by competitors to make counterfeits of his lubricant, the phrase "real McCoy" was used to refer to his authentic product.
 
brakie

brakie

Active Member
Nov 8, 2001
2,827
0
36
76
Bucyrus,Ohio
Visit site
Jerk water town.
Whistle stop campaigning
A truck line named:Red Ball Freight.That was a hot shot freight train.
Boxcars-2 sixes showing on dice after the throw.
 
I

iis612

Member
Dec 26, 2006
485
0
16
50
Chicago Burbs
"Wrong side of the tracks."
It used to be that hand signals were used between the crew on the ground and the engineer. If you were on the wrong side of the tracks you could not be seen and were in danger.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom