Train Slangs

Daly Express

How much Railroad Slang do you know?

  • Ash Cat: Slang term for locomotive fireman.
  • Baby Lifter: Passenger Train Brakeman
  • Bake Head: Locomotive Fireman
  • Bake a Cake: To build up steam
  • Bait Can: Lunch Bucket
  • Banjo: A fireman's shovel
  • Battleship: A Large Locomotive
  • Bending Rail: Relining a switch
  • Big Hook: Heavy Duty Derrick or Crane Railcar (Wrecking Crane)
  • Big O: Conductor
  • Big Shot: Yardmaster
  • Big Hole : A quick stop.
  • Blowing Smoke: To Brag
  • Bobtail Haul: a short train- Locomotive with only a few cars and a Bobber caboose
  • Boomer: An experienced but transient railroad worker
  • Boss: Conductor
  • Brass Collar: Railroad Official
  • Brass Hat: President or Boss of the railroad line. Also an Advanced Railroad Modeler
  • Brass Buttons: Freight Conductor
  • Buckle the Balonies: Connect the air hose
  • Bull: Railroad policeman
  • Bull Head: Conductor
  • Car Toad: Railroad Car Engineer
  • Car Catcher: Brakeman
  • Car Knocker: Car Inspector (they tap the wheels to test for soundness)
  • Car Whacker: Railroad Car Cleaner
  • Cat's Claw: Spike Puller
  • Clinker Boy: Locomotive Fireman
  • Clown Wagon: Caboose
  • Cow Cage: Stock Car
  • Crowbar Hotels: Jail
  • Crummy: Caboose
  • Cushion Rider: Conductor of a Passenger Train
  • Dancing the Carpet: Explaining to the boss
  • Deadhead: Passenger on a Passenger train
  • Diamond Pusher: Locomotive Fireman
  • Detainer: Train Dispatcher
  • Diamonds: Coal
  • Dinger: Yardmaster
  • Dinky: Any small locomotive
  • Doghouse: Caboose
  • Doubleheader: Train with two engines
  • Eagle Eye: Locomotive Engineer
  • Freezer: Refrigerator car or reefer car
  • Flip: To board a moving train
  • Fresh Fish: A new hand
  • Gaffer: A section boss
  • Gandy Dancer: Section worker
  • Gasket: A doughnut
  • Gay Cat: A hobo willing to work
  • Grass Wagon: A tourist car
  • Grease the Pig: Oil the engine
  • Ground Hog: Switchman
  • Gum Shoe: Railroad detective
  • Ham: Telegraph Operator
  • Hasher: A waitress
  • Hay Burner: Worn out Locomotive
  • Hit the Grit: Fall off or get kicked off car
  • Hog: Railroad locomotive
  • Hogger:Locomotive Engineer
  • Hotbox: Overheated wheel bearing
  • Hotbox Dick: A car inspector
  • Hotshot: A fast train
  • Jailhouse Spuds: Waffled potatoes
  • Jerkwater: Small town or local train
  • Jerry Gang: A section crew
  • Jungle: Hobo camp
  • Junk File: A worn out locomotive
  • Keester: A suitcase or trunk
  • Kettle: A small locomotive
  • King Pin: Conductor
  • Lamb's Tongue: A fifty cent tip
  • Lizard Scorcher: The Cook
  • Main Pin: Railroad Official
  • Make-up: Assemble cars into a train
  • Mountain Pay: Overtime
  • Mud Chicken: A surveyor
  • Mule: A brakeman
  • Muzzle Loader: Any hand fired steam locomotive
  • Nipper: Brakeman
  • Night Owl: A late passenger train
  • Nosebag: A lunch bucket or bag
  • Number Grabber: Car Checker
  • Nut Splitter: Machinist
  • Oil Can: Tank Car
  • Open Top: Tank Car
  • Palace: Caboose
  • Parlor Boy: A flagman
  • Pearl Diver: A dishwasher
  • Pot Walloper: Dishwasher
  • Pig Pen: Roundhouse
  • Plug: Short Passenger Train
  • Possum Belly: Tool box under Caboose
  • Pussyfooter: Railroad policeman
  • Rabbit: Derail
  • Rail: Model Railroader
  • Rail Head: End of a railroad line
  • Rat: A freight train
  • Rattler: A fast freight train
  • Red Ball: Fast Freight train
  • Red Board: Stop signal
  • Red Eye: Stop signal
  • Red Ball: Fast freight train
  • Reefer: Refrigerator car
  • Reefer Block: Freight Train Consisting of Refrigerator cars
  • Ringmaster: Yardmaster
  • Roughneck: A brakeman
  • Rubberneck Car: Observation car
  • Saw 'er Off: To cut a car off a train
  • Shack: A brakeman
  • Shanty: Caboose
  • Shiner: Trainman's Lantern
  • Shiny Pants: A railway clerk
  • Shoofly: A temporary track
  • Shuffle: To switch cars
  • Silk Hat: A railway official
  • Sinker: Doughnut
  • Skunk: Motor Car with Striped end
  • Skipper: Engineer
  • Sleeper: A cross tie
  • Slip Car: A carload of bananas
  • Smooth: A ten cent tip
  • Snoozer: A Pullman car
  • Snozzled: Drunk
  • Soup: Water
  • Spur: A dead end track
  • Stoker: Locomotive Fireman
  • Straw Boss: Section gang foreman
  • Swellhead: Engineer or Conductor
  • Tank: Locomotive Tender
  • Tallow Pot: Locomotive Fireman
  • Tea Kettle: Old leaky steam Locomotive
  • Tin Can: A Tank Car
  • Tin Hat: A railway official
  • Toothpick: A railroad tie
  • Torpedoes: Beans
  • Ukelele: A short-handled shovel
  • Water Bottle: Water Filled tank car behind the tender
  • Whiskers: Seniority
  • Whiskers on the Rail: Frost on the rail
  • Windcutter: Streamliner
  • Wipe the Clock: Emergency Application of Brakes
  • Yard Bull: Railroad Detective
  • Yard Geese: Switchman
  • Yard Goat: Yard switch engine