Fireman – Manage the energy needs of diesel trains and the few steam engines still left in existence. Historically, they shoveled coal to keep steam engines running.
Freight train – Dedicated to the transport of non-human cargo from one point to another.
Guards – Name for conductors in India.
Hang test – Requires conductor trainees to hang onto the side of a rail car while signaling or performing some other action with their free hand.
International Association of Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) – The modern iteration of the conductor union. It serves other railroad jobs as well.
Locomotive – The front car of a train that contains the engine and powers the rest of the vehicle.
On-call – A work situation where employees must await phone calls to tell them when and where to show up for shifts.
On-the-job training – Training, typically paid, that involves working in the desired position as you learn more about it.
Order of Railway Conductors – The original conductor’s union. It was established in 1868 and has since merged with other rail unions and its constituents represented by SMART.
Pacific Railroad Act – An 1862 act that offered funding to build a railroad clear across the country to the Pacific Ocean. This resulted in the Transcontinental Railroad.
Passenger train – Dedicated to the transport of people from one location to another.
Pre-employment exams – Various tests required by railroad companies before they will consider applicants for employment.
Rail line – A specific track connecting two destinations.
Railroad – A set of tracks along which trains run. This is the American version of railway.
Railway – A set of tracks along which trains run. This term is the international version of railroad.
Reciprocating engine – Also called a piston engine. This type of engine uses a repetitive motion to create pressure which is then translated into movement.
Route – The schedule of locations that a conductor must direct a train through.
Shift work – Work that doesn’t adhere to traditional daytime schedules and often results in inconsistent and inconvenient hours.
Shinkansen – Japanese high speed rail lines.
Shisa kanko – A communication system used by train crew in Japan.
Shunting – Shifting and switching of train cars. In America this is called switching.
Signals – Nonverbal forms of communication utilized by train crew (primarily conductors and engineers).
Station – Ports that trains drive in and out of to deposit or pick up goods or passengers.
Steam engine – An engine that runs off of steam, the invention of which help give birth to locomotives.
Subway – Trains that operate within urban centers, typically underground.
Switches – Located where tracks split, these devices switch which track the main one is leading to, sending trains either left or right.
Switching – Shifting and switching of train cars. In Europe this is called shunting.
Switch list – Keeps track of changing cars on a train. It is a small pocket document that is used in lieu of bringing a stack of waybills out of the train.
Timetables – A schedule of departures and arrivals for the train.
Tour of duty – More than just a shift, this term encompasses a shift, an overnight stay in a motel, and the trip home.
Track obstruction – Anything located on the tracks that might threaten to damage or derail the train.
Tracks – Steel rails upon which trains run.
Train – A large collection of cars containing goods or passengers with a locomotive or train engine at the front and, historically, a caboose at the back.
Transcontinental – Traversing an entire continent. The transcontinental railroad went from the west coast nearly to the east coast.
Trolley – A small car that runs on tracks and is connected to an overhead wire. These are typically found in cities.
Uncoupling – Detaching rail cars.
Union Pacific Route - One of the two transcontinental railroad routes. This one stretched from Bluffs, IA to Promontory Summit, Utah.
Union Pacific Railroad – Largest freight railroad company in North America.
Unions – an organized collection of workers within a specific industry that works to protect their rights, safety, and other interests.
United Transportation Union – A large union that represents railroad, bus, airline, and other workers.
Wagonways – Predecessors to the modern railroad, these grooves in stone paths helped ancient Greeks move carts.
Waybill – Paperwork that deals with the contents of various train cars. Each car will have its own waybill.
Wayside signal – A signal (like a traffic light) along the train tracks that helps direct train movement.
Work orders – Provides overall information about the current tour of duty.
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