| Beginning With: "P" |
| PADDLE |
Semaphore signal |
| PADDLE WHEEL |
Narrow-gauge locomotive with driving boxes outside of the wheels |
| PAIR OF PLIERS |
Conductor's punch |
| PALACE |
Caboose |
| PAPER CAR |
Baggage car for the transportation of newspapers exclusively |
| PAPERWEIGHT |
Railroad clerk, office worker. Also called pencil pusher |
| PARLOR |
Caboose. Parlor man or parlor maid is hind brakeman or flagman on freight train |
| PASSING THE CROAKER |
Being examined by company doctor |
| PEAKED END |
Head end of train. Also pointed or sharp end |
| PEANUT ROASTER |
Any small steam engine |
| PECK |
Twenty minutes allowed for lunch |
| PEDDLE |
To set out freight cars |
| PEDDLER |
Local way-freight train |
| PELICAN POND |
Place outside a roundhouse (down South) where there is much ooze and slime, caused by the fact that many locomotives are run thirty days without the boilers being washed out. The boilers are kept clean by blowing them out with blowoff cocks |
| PENNSYLVANIA |
Coal |
| PERSUADER |
Blower (for locomotive fire) |
| PETTICOAT |
Portion of the exhaust stack that guides exhausted steam into the stack proper. When this becomes displaced, the spent steam goes back through the flues, cutting off the draft from the fire |
| PIE-CARD |
Meal ticket. Also called grazing ticket |
| PIG |
Locomotive. Pig-mauler is locomotive engineer; pigpen locomotive roundhouse. (See hog) |
| PIKE |
Railroad |
| PIN AHEAD AND PICK UP TWO BEHIND ONE |
Cut off the engine, pick up three cars from siding, put two on the train, and set the first one back on the siding |
| PIN FOR HOME |
Go home for the day |
| PINHEAD |
Brakeman. Pin-lifter is yard brakeman. Pinner is a switchman that follows. Pin-puller is a switchman that cuts off cars from a train. The old-style link-and-pin coupler (now rarely used) was called Lincoln pin |
| PINK |
Caution card or rush telegram |
| PLANT |
Interlocking system |
| PLUG |
One-horse passenger train. Also throttle of old-style locomotive; hence engineers were known as plug-pullers. Plugging her means using the reverse lever as a brake instead of the air. Local passenger trains are sometimes referred to as Plug runs |
| PLUSH RUN |
Passenger train |
| POCATELLO YARDMASTER |
Derisive term for boomers, all of whom presumably claimed to have held, at some time, the tough job of night yardmaster at Pocatello, Idaho |
| POLE |
To run light. (See light) |
| POLE PIN |
Superintendent of telegraph |
| POP |
To let safety valve on boiler release, causing waste of steam, making a loud noise, and, when engine is working hard, raising water in boiler, thereby causing locomotive to work water |
| POP CAR |
Gasoline car or speeder, used by section men, linemen, etc.; so called because of the put-put noise of its motor exhaust |
| POPS |
Retainers |
| POSITIVE BLOCK |
Locomotive engineer |
| POSSUM BELLY |
Toolbox under a caboose or under some wrecking cars |
| POUND HER |
Work a locomotive to its full capacity |
| POUNDING THEIR EARS |
Sleeping, making hay |
| PUD |
Pick up and delivery service |
| PULL FREIGHT |
To leave or to give up a job |
| PULL THE AIR |
Set brakes by opening conductor's valve or angle cock |
| PULL THE CALF'S TAIL |
Yank the whistle cord |
| PULL THE PIN |
Uncouple a car by pulling up the coupling pin. A boomer expression meaning to resign or quit a job |
| PULLER |
Switch engine hauling cars from one yard to another at the same terminal. Also the operator of an electric truck that transfers baggage and mail around a terminal |
| PURE-FOOD LAW |
See dogcatchers |
| PUSHER |
Extra engine on rear of train, usually placed there to assist in climbing a grade |
| PUSSYFOOTER |
Railroad policeman |
| PUT 'ER ON |
Make a reduction in air in the train's braking system. Put 'er all on means apply emergency brake, more commonly described as big-holing her |
| PUT ON THE NOSEBAG |
Eat a meal |
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