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Glossary
of common railroad terms
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Ballast
- Gravel, slag or other heavy material used as a road bed to support cross
ties and rails.
Boxcar - An enclosed car used for general service and especially
for lading which must be protected from weather.
Bulk transfer - The transfer of bulk products, such as plastic
pellets or liquid sweeteners, from one mode of transportation to another.
Bulk transfer permits off-rail shippers and receivers of varied commodities
to combine rail's long-haul efficiencies with truck's convenient door-to-door
delivery.
Carload - A shipment of not fewer than five tons of one commodity.
Consist - The make-up of a freight train by types of cars and their
contents.
Container - A large, weatherproof box designed for shipping freight
in bulk by rail, truck or steamship.
Demurrage - Tariff charges assessed against consigned for detaining
freight cars beyond their specified time limit.
Double-stack containers - Containers that can be stacked atop one
another on a flatcar.
Dynamite - The emergency application of the train air brakes to
stop the railcar consist
Engineer - The individual responsible for the movement of the train.
Flatcar - An open car without sides or roof.
Frog - The "X" shaped plate of a cross-over rail; also
an implement to rerail car wheels.
Gladhand - The metal attachments to which train line air hoses
connect
Gondola - A freight car with sides but without a roof.
Grade crossing - The point at which a roadway intersects a rail
line.
Grade Resistance - Resistance that results from the energy you
must put into a train to lift it vertically.
Hopper - An open-top car with pockets, or hoppers, opening on the
underside of the car for unloading bulk commodities.
Interchange - A track on which various cars are delivered or received
from one railroad to another.
Intermodal service - Freight moving via at least two different
modes of transport. Intermodal service generally involves the shipment
of containers and trailers by rail, truck, barge, or ship.
Lading - Freight or cargo making up a shipment.
Main Line - That part of a railroad exclusive of switch tracks,
branches, yards and terminals.
Multilevel car - A long flatcar designed with one or more deck
levels in addition to the car's main deck; used to haul new automobiles
and trucks.
Put it on the ground - Derail
Reefer - A refrigerator car, sometimes known as a freezer.
Right-of-way - The property owned by a railroad over which tracks
have been laid.
Road Bed - The foundation on which the rails and ties of a railroad
are placed.
Rolling Resistance - Resistance that is made up of wheel friction,
journal friction, and wind resistance. It is non recoverable.
Siding - An auxiliary track along the main line which is used to
permit other trains to pass.
Spotting Cars - Switching freight cars to a specified location for loading
and unloading.
Spur - Short, usually dead-end section of track used to access
a facility or loading/unloading ramp. It can also be used to temporarily
store equipment.
Switch - A movable section of track used to re-direct the train’s
movement from one track to another.
Tariff - A published schedule showing rates, fares, charges, classification
of freight, rules, and regulations applying to various kinds of transportation
and incidental services.
Terminal - A railroad facility used for handling freight and the
receiving, classifying, assembling and dispatching of trains.
Throw it in the hole - Apply emergency brakes.
Track Gauge - The distance between the inner faces of the track
heads. Nominally, 4' 8.5".
Waybill - A document for handling and accounting for a shipment
of freight.
Welded rail - The standard unit of track structure providing safer,
seamless service.
Yard - A system of tracks within defined area limits for the making
up of trains, storing of cars, and for other purposes.
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