Today we talk about engine servicing facilities.  First, a quick history lesson.  Back when steam engines were the backbone of railroad ho...

First of all, for those of you who were expecting a post last Saturday, I apologize for missing it.  I thought I had written one and sched...

There are a couple of slang terms that come to mind for emergency braking, whether intentional or not.  I know other railroads may use other...

Several weeks ago, we talked about headlight meets , which are a favorite among train crews.  Just to review, a headlight meet is a perfectl...

Today we talk about hot  trains.  There are a few ways to use this term, but they all have a sense of urgency about them. A hot train is a...

A foamer is what most railroaders call people who have an strange, inexplicable attraction to anything on rails.  Being a foamer  is not a ...

To pull the pin  has a couple of meanings on the railroad.  The most common usage is actually not the slang term. Railroad couplers are ma...

Today we talk about a necessity to run the railroad, but exactly what most railroaders hope to avoid.  It is called the railroad brass , or ...

A headlight meet is a railroader's favorite type of meet. A meet is when two trains, moving in opposite directions, meet each other. ...

Today we talk about a kick.  A common railroad practice is to kick railroad cars.  Don't try what it sound like, you'll just hurt yo...

Today's phrase has a couple of meanings, although none of them have anything to do with going underground.  Every day, train crews ...

Time for another slanguage lesson, this time about dog catching .  You might be surprised to learn that dog catching  actually happens quite...

Once again, it is time for another railroad language lesson.  Today we talk about a grip. A grip is what railroaders call their bag of tri...

At least once on almost every trip, the train dispatcher will ask the train crew to "roll up some track" for him.  Sometimes he as...

A deadhead is not something that is unique to the railroad, although the railroad uses deadheads frequently.  While the specifics of a deadh...

Today we will talk about bad orders.  Bad orders have nothing to do with work orders.  While a bad order is generally something that does no...

Steven and I have been talking about starting a new weekly series about railroading language.  Railroads and railroaders tend to have some u...