Rail Jargon

What was called Rail Language back in the days of steam were terms generally used to identify or describe a trade, a Tradesman, or a piece of equipment. They could either be lovingly or hatefully derogatory. Usually the latter. Around the coal docks, water tanks, roundhouses, car repair shops,stations, bunkhouses, switching yards.... and of course, where all the fast runs were .... in the bars. Anywhere the Rail's congregated you could pick up these strange terms:

B.O. Not the usual kind, Bad Order card placed on boxcars when defects were found ( e.g. switch out to the Rip Track ).

Ballast Scorcher: A very fast Engineer, as in "Casey Jones".

Banjo: The locomotive coal shovel, the firecat's friend....ugh!

Beanery: A 24 hour restaurant for train crews and passengers ( Located in the Station at terminals ).

Beanery Queen: The Station restaurant waitresses we all loved.

Bearer: Hostlers helper or roundhouse labourer.

Big Hook: The railroad wrecking crane.

Brass Button Con: Passenger train conductor.

Bull Cook: Cooks helper on a work train or gang.

Cab Hop: A locomotive and caboose alone.

Car Knockers or Car Toads: Boxcar and Coach inspectors/repairmen.

Con: Freight train conductor.

Crum-Bums: The crew who rode (lived) in Crummys.

Crummy or Crumbox/ Shack or Van: Caboose at the end of a freight train.

Drag: Long, heavy, slow freight train.

Drummer: The yard switching foreman.

Firecat: Locomotive fireman.

Flimsies: Train orders typed or handwritten on transparent paper by the operator or station agent, then delivered to train and engine crews.

Footboards: The wooden platform on the front and rear of moving switch engines that switch men stood on to relay signals, pull the pin or make couplings.

Freight Hogs: Heavy, slow freight locomotive.

Gandy Dancer: A Section man who maintained and repaired track.

Goat: A yard switching locomotive that kicked and shunted box cars.

Graveyard Stew: Porridge served in the 24 hr. beaneries.

Hand Bommer: A hand fired locomotive... with Banjo.

Head-End or Tail End Shack: Brakemen.

High Iron: The Main Line track.

High Pockets: Any young guy just hired on. Usually had outgrown his trousers.

High Wheeler: Very fast locomotive designed for fast freight or passenger.

Hogger or Hoghead: Locomotive engineer. The stubborn ones got "pighead".

Hostler: Hostlers herded locomotives around shop tracks and in/out of roundhouses.

Lightning Slinger/ Sparks or Sparkies: Train order Operator using Morse Code.

Mile Hogs: Greedy Rails who would steal a blind man for more miles.

Nut Splitter: Locomotive Machinist.

Pig: Same as Hog, but it wouldn't be Steam.

Rail: Anyone who worked on the railroad.

Rat Hole: The low deck on hand fired locomotives where the Firecat laboured long and hard.

Rip Track: Car repair track area.

Roundhouse: Semi circular building housing locomotives to be serviced.

Snakes: Snakes pulled the pin, uncoupled boxcars or engines, also Switch Foreman's helpers in terminal yards.

Tallow Pot: Slang for fireman or oiler.

The Hat: Yardmaster in charge of a switching yard.

The Hole: The side of a passing track - " Take the hole for a meet".

The Table: Steel turntable that locomotives were run onto when being housed in or moved out of roundhouses.

The Varnish: Fast passenger train.

Turkey Trail: Slow track, usually a meandering branch line on the prairies.

Wipe The Clock or Dynamite Her: Place the brake valve in the emergency position.

Work Train: Just as it sounds - As long as you could stand it.


The above was taken from a list sent to my father while corresponding to a fellow ex CNR employee - Robert M. Weafer. Times certainly have changed!