Old Uncle Crow

[The following English railways text features over three hundred specific technical terms for the parts of the steam locomotive.

[OUC]

From Railway Technical Web Pages, at:

http://www.railway-technical.com/

comes this English Steam Locomotive Glossary:
 
http://www.railway-technical.com/st-glos.shtml

[posted by tio cuervo     all rights revert to holders     August 3oth, 2009]

[For the sake of online information redundancy, I have taken the liberty of of reproducing the following LIONEL train lexicon, from:

http://www.lionel.com/

[The original may be viewed at:

http://www.lionel.com/ForTheHobbyist/Findex.cfm

[ -- OUC]

LIONEL TRAIN LINGO

Letters A-F

A.A.R.
Association of American Railroads. Trade association that represents the common interests of the railroad industry in the United States.

Abutment
A foundation which anchors and supports lateral pressure or thrust, such as the weight-bearing piers at the ends of a bridge which hold back solid ground.

AC (Alternating Current)
Electric current which repeatedly alternates (Cycles) from positive to negative a specified number of times per second (usually 60 in the U.S.). Toy train transformers typically operate on, and output, AC current to run the trains. See also, DC.

Accommodation
A local train which makes all stops along its intended route.

Alco
American Locomotive Company. Manufacturer of steam and diesel-electric locomotives.

Alley
A clear track, usually (more…)

by Freeman H Hubbard, B W Allen, F W Smoter etal

[For the sake of online information redundancy, I have taken the liberty of reproducing the following 1945 RR lexicon from the end of the last steam age -- the original may be viewed at:

http://catskillarchive.com/rrextra/glossry1.Html

[ -- OUC]

This Glossary of Railroad Lingo is from:
Railroad Avenue, by Freeman H. Hubbard, 1945
* Designates Contributed by BW Allen…BNSF Locomotive Engineer
# Designates Contributed by FW Smoter…Web Master Johnstown Flood Page

AGE—Seniority, length of service

AIR MONKEY—Air-brake repairman

* ALL DARKIE, NO SPARKY—(Hi-Ball on a roll by)

ALLEY—Clear track in railroad yard

ANCHOR THEM—Set hand brakes on still cars; the opposite is (more…)

by Old Uncle Crow

Our divorced and widowed mother was an anxious parent.  “Don’t come crawling back here with your (more…)

by Old Uncle Crow

The correct form in rural Eagle Lake, MN, in the 1950s among male members of the so-called “Greatest Generation” was:

Up your hole!

There is none of the subjunctive about it; it is not on all fours with other declarations of wish, such as long live, or God save, the king.  The intent is imprecatory, not exhortatory, the application expletive and the mood, precisely, imperative.

On car trips into Mankato, MN, as a small boy from the Summer of 1956 onward, I heard on different occasions both my late maternal uncle (more…)

by Judson Andersen

Now that we get word that Minnesota is in the shit and needs a whopping tax increase, word comes that in England “they” are planning to soak the top income sonsobitches 50P on the quid!  Naturally as far as a Hell of a lot of ‘em are concerned, “Prime Minister” Gordon Brown The Sonofabitch is the most evil bastard on the face of the Earth….

But just take a look at this, OK…the lustreless eyes, the slack lip and jowls, the half a day’s growth of whiskers…Christ Almighty, this asshole is (more…)

by Old Uncle Crow

Here’s a nice sample for you:

Station Cat: Officer who preens themselves and finds every excuse possible not to leave the factory, work shy, a borderline shiny arse. Not to be confused with Station Cat: a nice, friendly, fluffy whiskered feline whom keeps itself busy by sorting the rodent population at the nick and living on tidbits thrown to it at refs time.

As you will note both UK and US police cant is listed, and more (more…)

by Old Uncle Crow

Anybody in the know and who’s been following (more…)

by Old Uncle Crow

This entry in a UK web log today, The Landed Underclass, has (more…)

by Old Uncle Crow

(With a big hat-tip to Mr Ghostly Gardens!  OUC)

A recent Italian immigrant comes to New York and applies for a job.  However, the foreman at the job site won’t hire him until he passes a little math test.

“Here’s yer first question,” the foreman says. “Widout using no numbers, make me the number 9.”

“Widout-a no numbers?” the Italian man says, “Dat’s-a EASY!”  And he proceeds to (more…)