Seemingly immortal railway expressions

[InkyScrolls]

A dozen - 12 hour shift
Book you a dozen - The bribe to do a bit extra as a favour
A favour - Something you exchanged with mates or supervisors
Fiddle - Usually something that got you an early finish
Cutting out - Getting relieved early for an early finish
Martini men - “Anytime, any place, anywhere…”
Swinger - An unbraked vehicle on the rear of a train
Blow through - Wagon with pipes but no brakes
Knocking out - Train out of section or removing a defective vehicle
On the drag - Running slowly/late
Hanging the pot out - Deliberate slow running
On the blocks - A traffic queue
Give it a go - Signallers request when letting you out before a faster train
Pilot - Various! A local shunt/ECS engine, An engine coupled ahead of the train engine, A route conductor
350 - Yard shunter (08/09)
Four and a half - A 47 to those raised only on 2000s before them
2000 - Class 40
Tripper - Holidaymakers or a local yard to yard movement
First on the graph - How InterCity services used to be planned
Sundays sheet - Record of fair share of Sunday turns
Hook off, book off, …k off - Shifts end.

Some excellent ones there!

'On the blocks' my way means 'you've got a long walk back (from the sidings)'!

Flyer: An early finish

 

[Harpo]

Or ‘On the blocks’ - By the buffer stops on a given road or platform for a loco or vehicle(s)

 

[D6130]

Saltley Seagulls (see 'Martini Men' in post #90!)

 

[contrex]

Does anyone say/give 'right away' any more? I treasure the moment in the 1968 BBC documentary about 4472's record attempt, when Alan Pegler, leaning out of the cab relays it to the driver. Pegler was shamefully late being honoured, and many people who have done much less that was worthwhile have been knighted.

 

[WAB]

Plenty of these are decidedly mortal, particularly those linked to freight...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Aug 2024 ==

Does anyone say/give 'right away' any more? I treasure the moment in the 1968 BBC documentary about 4472's record attempt, when Alan Pegler, leaning out of the cab relays it to the driver.

Yes, and I suspect the RA indicators have contributed to its continued use.

 

[midland1]

Does anyone say/give 'right away' any more? I treasure the moment in the 1968 BBC documentary about 4472's record attempt, when Alan Pegler, leaning out of the cab relays it to the driver. Pegler was shamefully late being honoured, and many people who have done much less that was worthwhile have been knighted.

View attachment 164323

They have RA (right away) lights on signals, worked by platform staff, but will not clear if the signal is red.

 

[D6130]

'Ease up!'

 

[Harvester]

'Ease up!'

As told to Bill Hoole when driving 60007 at 112mph on 23 May 1959.

 

[contrex]

As told to Bill Hoole when driving 60007 at 112mph on 23 May 1959.

Love it! I guess 'get it down' (reduce speed) must be pretty universal - I once read of a Southern Railway driver doing a test run in one of the first 4-COR units with a bunch of SR bigwigs on board, and several of them rushing forward to shout that phrase at him as they drew near to Waterloo. They needn't have worried, apparently, he had it well in hand. Also someone told me that the the driver of 50 041 Bulwark on 23 Nov 1983 had been 'trying to get it down since Ealing Broadway'. The DOT Inspector, Major Rose, thought otherwise, I think.

 

[Harpo]

‘Get hold of them’ & ‘use both brakes’.

 

[contrex]

‘Get hold of them’ & ‘use both brakes’.

Chuck it all in...

 

[Western 52]

Have we had "on the cushions " yet?

 

[Rescars]

Do catering staff still "work the alley" with a trolley?

 

[D6130]

Chuck it all in...

Give it the full fifty!....referring to a full service air brake application (50 psi brake cylinder pressure).

Have we had "on the cushions " yet?

Yes....post #87.

 

[Romsey]

Job and finish. Borrowed from road haulage and years ago frequently observed on overnight block trains. ( Buying staff goodwill - they got home early and the train was there ready for the next working.)

I was once chided by a new wave manager for retiming a set of stone empties 30 minutes early to avoid congestion at a junction. I said nothing and called up the TRUST running for the train in the early hours of that morning - 63 minutes early passing my home location. Then I asked her if she had ever been out on the railway working after 1900 at night. No answer and I was left to continue, working on the 9 to 5 railway but having been part of the 5pm to 9am railway.

By the way, one of my colleagues referred to inexperienced managers with a degree as having the qualification in "Origami and Yoghurt weaving."