| Beginning With: "C" |
| CABOOSE BOUNCE, CABOOSE HOP |
Early term for a train composed only of an engine and caboose |
| CAGE |
Caboose |
| CALLER |
One whose duty is to summon train or engine crews or announce trains |
| CALLIOPE |
Steam locomotive |
| CAMEL or CAMELBACK |
Engine with control cab built over middle of boiler, suggesting camel's hump. Also called Mother Hubbard type |
| CAN |
Tank car |
| CANNED |
Taken out of service |
| CAPTAIN |
Conductor; often called skipper. This title dates from Civil War days when some railroads were run by the Army and the conductor was in many cases a captain |
| CAR KNOCKER |
Car inspector or car repairer-from the early custom of tapping the wheels to detect flaws. Also called car whacker; and car toad (because he squats while inspecting), car tink, and car tonk |
| CAR-CATCHER |
Rear brakeman |
| CAR-SEAL HAWK |
Railroad policeman |
| CARD |
Credentials showing Brotherhood or Union membership |
| CARHOUSE CAR |
Covered cement car |
| CARRY A WHITE FEATHER |
Show a plume of steam over the safety valves of the engine |
| CARRYING GREEN |
Train whose engine displays green flags by day or green lights by night to indicate that a second section is following closely. Carrying white in the same manner signifies an extra train |
| CARRYING THE BANNER |
Flagging. Also wearing ostentatious Brotherhood emblems, frequently done by 'bos in working the main stem for a handout |
| CARRYING THE MAIL |
Bringing train orders |
| CASEY JONES |
Any locomotive engineer, especially a fast one. Name derived from John Luther (Casey) Jones |
| CATWALK |
Plank walk on top of boxcars; sometimes called the deck from which comes the word deckorate |
| CHAIN GANG |
Crew assigned to pool service, working first in, first out |
| CHAMBERMAID |
Machinist in roundhouse |
| CHARIOT |
Caboose, or general manager's car |
| CHASING THE RED |
Flagman going back with red flag or light to protect his train |
| CHECKER |
A company spy, particularly one checking up on loss of materials or of the receipts of an agent or conductor |
| CHERRY PICKER |
Switchman, so called because of red lights on switch stands. Also any railroad man who is always figuring on the best jobs and sidestepping undesirable ones (based on the old allusion, "Life is a bowl of cherries") |
| CHEW CINDERS |
Engines do this when reversed while running and while working quite a bit of steam |
| CHIP PIES |
Narrow-gauge cars |
| CINDER CRUNCHER |
Switchman or flagman. Cinder skipper is yard clerk |
| CINDER DICK |
Railroad policeman or detective |
| CINDER SNAPPER |
Passenger who rides open platforms on observation car |
| CIRCUS |
Railroad |
| CLAW |
Clinker hook used by fireman |
| CLEARANCE CARD |
Authority to use main line |
| CLOCK |
Steam gauge. (See wiping the clock; don't confuse with Dutch clock). Also fare register |
| CLOWN |
Switchman or yard brakeman. Clown wagon is caboose |
| CLUB |
Same as brake club. Club winder is switchman or brakeman. A brakeman's club was usually his only weapon of defense against hoboes |
| COAL HEAVER |
Fireman, sometimes called stoker |
| COCK-LOFT |
Cupola of a caboose. Also called crow's nest |
| COFFEE |
Respite period enjoyed by baggagemen while awaiting arrival of the next train. Also called spot |
| COFFEEPOT |
Little, old, steam locomotive |
| COLLAR AND ELBOW JOINT |
Boardinghouse. (There isn't too much room at dinner table) |
| COLOR-BLIND |
Employee who can't distinguish between his own money and the company's |
| COMPANY BIBLE |
Book of rules |
| COMPANY JEWELRY |
Trainman's hat, badge, and switch keys |
| COMPANY NOTCH or WALL STREET NOTCH |
Forward corner of the reverse gear quadrant. It is called the company notch because an engine exerts full pulling power when worked with a full stroke |
| CONDUCER |
Conductor |
| CONSIST |
Contents or equipment of a train. Report form sent ahead so yardmaster can make plans for switching the train. The report is usually dropped off to an operator; this is dropping the consist |
| COOL A SPINDLE |
Cool a hotbox by replacing the brass or putting water on the bearing |
| COON IT |
Crawl |
| CORNERED |
When a car, not in the clear on a siding, is struck by a train or engine |
| CORNFIELD MEET |
Head-on collision or one that is narrowly averted |
| COULDN'T PULL A SETTING HEN OFF HER NEST |
Derogatory description of old-fashioned locomotive |
| COUNTING THE TIES |
Reducing speed |
| COW CAGE |
Stock car. Also called cow crate |
| COWCATCHER |
Pilot. The old term was discarded by railroad officials, probably because it was a butt for jokesters. You've often heard about the passenger on a slow local train complaining to the conductor, "I don't understand why you have the cowcatcher on the front of the engine. This train can never overtake a cow. But if you'd attach it to the rear of the train it might at least discourage cows from climbing into the last car and annoying the passengers" |
| CRADLE |
Gondola or other open-top car |
| CRIB |
Caboose |
| CRIPPLE |
See bad order |
| CROAKER |
Company doctor |
| CROWNING HIM |
Coupling a caboose on a freight train when it is made up |
| CRUMB BOSS |
Man in charge of camp cars |
| CRUMMY |
Caboose. Also called crum box, crib and many other names. Innumerable poems have been written about "the little red caboose behind the train" |
| CUPOLA |
Observation tower on caboose |
| CUSHIONS |
Passenger cars. Cushion rider may be either a passenger or member of passenger-train crew. (See varnished cars) |
| CUT |
Several cars attached to an engine or coupled together by themselves. Also that part of the right-of-way which is excavated out of a hill or mountain instead of running up over it or being tunneled through it |
| CUT THE BOARD |
Lay off the most recently hired men on the extra list. (See board) |
S.C.L.S Facebook Page
Gallery Photos
