Enthusiast terminology: The Basics...

[ehc]

Hi,
To delve right in; I'm currently working on a film project and part of the script involves a phone conversation between two young rail enthusiasts planning a journey. Basically, I want this to be as realistic and natural as possible, and so I thought I'd just ask on here for someone to furnish me with some basic terms/ background information just to aid the writing. (This whole project was pretty much sparked by me overhearing a conversation some guy was having whilst I was travelling home, but obviously, I wasn't going to sit there transcribing what I was essentially eavesdropping on – bit rude to do that I reckon :P)
I hope I'm not asking something stupid, but I thought starting by asking here might be better than just trying blindly to write something I'm hardly knowledgable about and ending up resting on clunky and inaccurate misconceptions. Any advice would be appreciated (just treat me like a total beginner!). If what I'm asking needs clarifying, let me know.
Apologies too if I've posted this is in the wrong forum or it's something of a repeated thread – I had a quick search.
Thanks!
Ellie

 

[telstarbox]

Could you give us some context to the conversation Ellie?

 

[yorkie]

You want 'basic terms' used by 'young rail enthusiasts' for 'journey planning'?

 

[LE Greys]

I've faced a similar problem with trying to make dialogue sound natural (how exactly would two Army officers speak to each other in 2048?). Firstly, think about their backgrounds. There's a broad spectrum of society interested in railways, for various different reasons. Where do they live? What is the purpose of their journey? What is their destination? How well do they know each other? Are they at school/college/university? The same one or different ones? Then write some basic dialogue.

Two useful links - although some of the terms might be a bit dated:
http://ukrailwayfaq.wikispaces.com/Basher+Speak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_United_Kingdom_railway_terms

Read up on some of the old threads here as well.

 

[yorkie]

Though you won't get many younger enthusiasts using most of those terms!

I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to a normal HST as a "Flying banana" (though I have heard people refer specifically to the Network Rail NMT HST with that term), and some news reporter deciding to call an A Sock train a "bone shaker" does not in any way make that a nickname! As for "MTVal", the only people who'd use that are the sort that you'd not want to be associated with (ie spend hours encroaching beyond the yellow line at places like Hadley Wood and Northallerton). As for "happy train" I bet you could count the number of people who say that on one hand. I've certainly never heard it.

 

[LE Greys]

Though you won't get many younger enthusiasts using most of those terms!

I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to a normal HST as a "Flying banana" (though I have heard people refer specifically to the Network Rail NMT HST with that term), and some news reporter deciding to call an A Sock train a "bone shaker" does not in any way make that a nickname! As for "MTVal", the only people who'd use that are the sort that you'd not want to be associated with (ie spend hours encroaching beyond the yellow line at places like Hadley Wood and Northallerton). As for "happy train" I bet you could count the number of people who say that on one hand. I've certainly never heard it.

Oh I quite agree, but it's always worth having somewhere to start, and I am a fellow scribbler after all. I nearly wrote two complete passages of dialogue as examples of context, but it's not good to rely on others too much, it stifles the imagination (although it doesn't stop me pinching snatches of conversation overheard on trains).

As for the 'happy train', it will always be a Networker Express, or just a Networker. The 'smiley face' is more of an evil sneer anyway. That was probably put in as a joke, I nearly removed it.

 

[Manchester77]

Frequently Used Manchester Metrolink Abbriviations:-
SML - South Manchester Line (From Firswood Junction to St Werbugh's Road)
ORL - Oldham/Rochdale Line (From Irk Valley Junction to Rochdale Town Centre)
EML - East Manchester Line (From Piccadilly to Ashton-Under-Lyne)
TMS - Tram Management System (Line of Sight based new system)
ATS - Automatic Tram Stop (In use on Bury & Altrincham Lines)
VRS - Vehicle Recognition System (Predecessor to TMS used when the Eccles Line first opened)
PID - Passenger Information Display
CC - City Centre Routes (From Deansgate-Castelfield to Victoria via Piccadilly)
1CC - First City Crossing (via Market Street)
2CC - Second City Crossing (via Exchange Square)
ALT - Altrincham / Altrincham Line
BUR - Bury / Bury Line
M5000 - New Metrolink trams (Numbered 3XXX)
T68 - Origanal Metrolink Trams (Numbered 1XXX)
T68A - Second type of Metrolink Trams (Numbered 2XXX)
Met - Abbriviated 'Metrolink'
RRS - Rochdale Railway Station
RTC - Rochdale Town Centre
OTC - Oldham Town Centre
SWR - St Werbugh's Road
QRD - Queens Road Depot
OTD - Old Trafford Depot
CBK - Cornbrook Station
POM - Pomona Station
VIC - Victoria Metrolink
CPK - Central Park Station
ECC - Eccles / Eccles Line
PIC - Piccadilly Metrolink
MCUK - MediaCityUK


Other Railway Abbriviations:-
ECML - East Coast Main Line (from London Kings Cross)
WCML - West Coast Main Line (from London Euston)
GWML - Great Western Main Line (From London Paddington)
MML - Midland Main Line (from St Pancras)
HS1 - High Speed 1 (From St Pancras International to the Channel Tunnel)
HS2 - High Speed 2 (Preposed Line to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds from London Euston)
APT - Advanced Passnger Train (tilting train developed by British Rail in the 70s/80s, the class 370)
IC125 - InterCity 125 (brand name used by British Rail for their HST)
HST - High Speed Train (125 mph caipable diesel train developed by British Rail at the same time as the APT)
IC225 - InterCity 225 (project name for the Class 91s and Mark IV Coaches on the ECML)
LMS - London Midland and Scottish Railway
LNER - London, North Eastern Railway
SR - Southern Railway
GWR - Great Western Railway
BR - British Rail (nationalised rail operator from 1948 to 1994)
NSE - Network South East (Sector of BR from 1986 to 1994)
RR - Regional Railways (Sector of BR from 1983 to 1994)
TOC - Train Operating Company
SWT - South West Trains (TOC operating South Western Franchise

When referring to the class of a train (for example a class 170) it may be referred to as a 170 or in plural 170s. That's applicable for all trains.


There's loadss more but I could go on forever.....

 

[Techniquest]

Some older terms live on but in limited useage. I don't consider myself old, but I certainly like keeping the nickname the 323s earned in the Midlands going. Before you ask, it's Starships. So next time you see me mention Starship mileage or whatever in trip reports, you'll know what I mean now.

However, that's definitely not a commonly used nickname. When I found it out I loved it and always use it now. As for 'happy train' I've never heard of that one. Boneshaker, well that's one that, to me, will always be used as a fond reminder of a Basingstoke to Barnham trip on 29th December 2003 aboard a 'slammer', as we belted it along between Eastleigh and Fareham my Mum refers to the motion of the train and called it a boneshaker. A stock, definitely was deserving of that nickname too! As for Flying Banana, I don't use it often but I think the majority of people know what it refers to.

That said, as per my anecdote above, different terms will mean different things to different people.

Finally, I wish the best of luck to the OP, as a very much part-time creative writer I know too well the perils of trying to make conversation sound natural, not mixing first-person with first-person and, just as bad, the notorious Writer's Block. If I can think of anything useful to add, I'll get back to you.

 

[Giugiaro]

Just for the curiosity, this is what I got from my country:

My way is complete:

The 9630 (The Nine thousand six hundred and thirty)

When is a single one, for example 9633, I say the 33 (thirty three)

The 1413 (The thirteen)

Alfa Pendular are only 400#


With DMU's I say the 0 (zero) and the three digit numbering:

The 0600 (The zero six hundred)
The 0450 (The zero four hundred and fifty)

Tender steam locomotives the same:

0186 (Zero one hundred eighty-six)

E200 ("É" 200)


In terms of wagons it depends:

Sggrmss (spelled)
Uacs (Read)
Ealos (Read)
Rlps (spelled)

And passenger cars are named after their builder:

Sorefames
Schindlers
Corails
Carel et Fauchés
Dietrichs
Except: B600 (AKA Metalizadas do Barreiro)

However when it comes to trains with names given by enthusiasts, I call them like this:

Some will be a topic of laughter.

0100 - Nohab / Ladybugs / Olive
0350 - Lettuce / Watermelons (Depending on the time of year)
0450 - Blues / UDD / Dromedaries
0500 - Rocket (Foguete) / Leeward (Sotavento) / FIAT 500
Renfe 592 - Camels
0600 - Cans / UTDs
1150 - Sentinels / Vacuum Cleaners
1200 - Flausinas
1300 - Cubes
1320 - Smokers
1400 - English Electric 1400s / Pointer dogs
1500 - Alcos
1550 - Americans
1800 - English Electric 1800s
1900/1930 - Alston / Alsthom / Big Francesinhas
1960 - Earthquakes
2240 - Lilis / Lili Caneças
2300/2400 - UBE's (For Noisy Multiple Units)
2500/2550 - Short Circuits
2600 - Francesinhas
3150/3250 - Carts
3400 - Yellows / UME / Martas
Fertagus 3500 - Fertagus
CP 3500 - Two Floors / DB's (For Deutsch Banh, because of their new livery)
4000 - Alfa Pendular / Alfa / Pendolinos / FIAT
4700 - Siemens 4700 / Perna-de-Pau (Stilt) / "Here she comes screaming around!"
5600 - Siemens
9500 - Buses
9600 - Póvoas
9630 - Vouginhas

6000 - Takargo

Metro do Porto:
MP 000 - Eurotrams
MP 100 - Flexitys / Foreheads

Metro de Lisboa:
ML # # # - Guillotines