ADHESION The frictional grip between the wheel of a train and the rail of a track.
AIR CUSHION A “spring” of air used in modern suspension systems.
AIR BRAKE A braking system that uses compressed air as its operating medium.
AMERICAN A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 4-4-0.
ATLANTIC A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 4-4-2.
BALDWIN A US locomotive manufacturer that was in business from 1825 to 1971.
BALLAST The bed of stone, gravel, or cinders on which a rail track is laid.
BANK A steep section of a track that a train requires additional engines to climb.
BERKSHIRE A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 2-8-4.
BLASTPIPE The exhaust pipe of a steam locomotive that diverts steam from the cylinders into the smokebox beneath the smokestack to increase the draft through the fire.
BOGIE See truck
BOILER Cylindrical chamber in which steam is produced to drive a steam locomotive.
BOXCAR An enclosed rectangular freight car that has doors and is used for general service and especially for lading that must be protected from the weather. Called a van in the UK.
BRANCH LINE A secondary railroad line that branches off a main line.
BROAD GAUGE Rails spaced more widely than the standard gauge of 4ft 8½ in (1,435mm).
BUMPING POST / BUMPER The post at the end of a track that halts a train from traveling any further.
CAB The control room of a locomotive, providing shelter and seats for the engine crew.
CABOOSE A car attached to the end of a freight train and used as an office and headquarters for the conductor and brakeman while in transit.
CANT The difference of elevation of a rail relative to its partner rail.
CHALLENGER A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 4-6-6-4.
CHIMNEY See smokestack
COMPOUND LOCOMOTIVE A steam locomotive that uses two sets of cylinders, the second powered by exhaust steam from the first.
COUPLER A device located at both ends of rail cars in a standard location to provide a means for connecting one rail car to another. Called a coupling in the UK.
COUPLING ROD A rod that connects driving wheels on a steam locomotive.
COWCATCHER A metal frame projecting from the front of a steam locomotive designed to clear the track of obstructions.
CUTTING / CUT A channel dug through the hillside to enable a rail track to maintain a shallow gradient.
CYLINDER The core of a steam engine in which a piston moves back and forth under the pressure of expanding and condensing steam.
DRAFT GEAR A term used to describe the shock absorbing unit that forms the connection between the coupler and the center sill.
EMBANKMENT A raised pathway across a depression in the landscape that enables a rail track to maintain a shallow gradient.
ENGINE The power source of a locomotive, driven by steam, electricity, or diesel.
EXPRESS TRAIN A train that passes certain stations on its route without stopping, to arrive at its final destination faster, as opposed to a local train, which makes all stops along its route.
FIREBOX The compartment within a steam engine where fuel is burned to provide heat.
FIREMAN / STOKER / BOILERMAN A worker responsible for keeping the firebox of an engine fed with coal.
FREIGHT / GOODS Materials or products transported for commercial gain.
GANDY DANCER An early term for a track maintenance worker.
GAUGE The width between the inner faces of the rails.
GONDOLA An open-top piece of rolling stock that has straight sides and ends and a level floor; used for bulk freight, such as steel pipes and rolls of cable.
GRADE CROSSING A location where a railroad crosses a road or path at the same elevation.
HANDCAR A small, open railroad car propelled by its passengers, often by means of a hand pump. Known as a pump trolley in Britain.
HUDSON A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 4-6-4.
INTERCHANGE The transfer of cars from one railroad to another at a common junction point.
INTERLOCKING TOWER A control room in which the movement of trains is controlled by means of signals and blocks, ensuring trains travel safely and on schedule. The UK term is signal box.
INTERMODAL A flexible way of transporting freight over water, highway, and rail without it being removed from the original transportation equipment, namely a container trailer.
JUBILEE A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 4-6-4.
JUNCTION A place where multiple train lines split or converge.
LANTERN A portable lamp with a fuel source. Used by early railroad workers to provide light and to signal to other workers at night.
LIGHT RAIL Small, fixed railroads, typically operating within urban environments e.g. streetcars and trolleys.
LOCOMOTIVE The engine-powered vehicle that either pulls or pushes a train along the tracks.
LOOP A railroad formation where tracks cross over themselves as they ascend a mountain.
MAIN LINE The primary line between major towns or cities, exclusive of branch lines.
MARCHALING YARD See yard
MIKADO A steam locomotive with the wheel arrangement 2-8-2.
MONORAIL A railroad system based on a single rail. Often elevated, and built in urban environments.
NARROW GAUGE A railroad with a gauge narrower than the standard 4ft 8½ in (1,435mm).
NAVVIES A British term for specialized manual laborers who constructed the majority of the railroads in the 19th century.
PACIFIC A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 4-6-2.
PANTOGRAPH A metal arm that slides underneath an overhad electric line, providing power to an electric train.
PASSENGER TRAIN A train with passenger cars intended to transport people.
PASSING LOOP See siding
PASSING SIDING A position on a single-track railroad, where trains traveling in opposite directions can pass each other. Called a passing loop in the UK.
PISTON A component of an internal-combustion engine which moves up and down against a liquid or gas to provide motion.
POINTS / RAILROAD SWITCH A movable section of a railroad that allows a train to move from one track to another.
PRAIRIE A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 2-6-2.
RAILROAD CAR A covered railroad vehicle used for carrying passengers or cargo.
ROLLING STOCK Used by railroad companies to refer to the entire collection of equipment that runs run on their railroad.
ROUNDHOUSE Buildings used to service and store locomotives. Many used to be arranged around a turntable.
SIDING A section of track off the main line used for passing trains or for storing rolling stock.
SIGNAL BOX See interlocking tower
SLEEPER A train that can provide beds for its passengers, particularly for overnight or long-distance journeys.
SMOKEBOX A component of a steam engine. The smokebox would collect smoke from the firebox, after it had heated water to provide steam, and release it though the smokestack or chimney.
SMOKESTACK The vertical exhaust funnel of a train. Called a chimney in the UK.
STANDARD GAUGE Rails spaced 4ft 8½ in (1,435mm) apart.
STATION MASTER The individual in charge of running a station.
STEAM ENGINE An engine that uses steam, produced by heating water with burning fuel, to perform mechanical work.
SUBWAY A railroad that operates primarily underground, typically in a major city. Known as the underground in the UK.
TENDER The car attached immediately behind a steam locomotive containing the necessary fuel and water needed to power a steam locomotive.
THROUGH COACH A passenger car that switches locomotives mid-journey, removing the need for passengers to switch trains. Used particularly on long-haul journeys.
TRACK The permanent fixtures of rails, ballast, fastenings, and underlying substrate that provide a runway for the wheels of a train.
TRACTION The act of drawing or pulling a load. Can also refer to the adhesive friction of a train to a track.
TRUCK The undercarriage assembly of a train, incorporating the wheels, suspension, and brakes. Called a bogie in the UK.
TURNTABLE A device for rotating rail vehicles so they can travel back in the direction they came from. Largely obsolete today.
UNDERGROUND See subway
UNIT TRAIN A train that carries only one type of good or commodity, e.g., coal.
VAN See boxcar
WATER CRANE See water tower
WATER TOWER A track-side device for quickly refilling the water tank of a steam locomotive. Known in the UK as a water crane.
WHEEL The wheels of trains are typically cast or forged from hardened steel.
WHEEL ARRANGEMENT A system for classifying how wheels are placed under a locomotive, such as the Whyte notation.
WHEEL FLANGE A component of a train wheel. The flange extends the wheels to the interior of the train track, preventing the train from running off the rails.
WHYTE NOTATION A system classifying wheel arrangment by counting first leading wheels, then driving wheels, then trailing wheels (e.g., 0-2-2).
YARD An area with multiple tracks, other than main tracks, and sidings for the storage, maintenance, and loading and unloading of rolling stock, and where freight cars are organized into trains.
YELLOWSTONE A steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 2-8-8-4.
ZIGZAG / SWITCHBACK A method of track construction on steep inclines. A train ascends and descends the track in a zigzag fashion.