'Railway' or 'Railroad'?

[rogerfarnworth]

An article in The Railway Magazine, August 1905 discussed the use of 'Railway' and 'Railroad' in different jurisdictions around the world at the turn of the 20th century.

As the linked article suggests, there was considerable uncertainty over the use of the two terms.

‘Railway’ or ‘Railroad’

The featured image for this article is a photograph of Canadian Pacific Railway No. 2816 ‘Empress’ leading an excursion on 10th May 2008. [5] The Canadian Pacific (CP) and the Canadian …

rogerfarnworth.com

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Didn't the word 'wagonway' (or 'waggonway') precede both 'railway' and 'railroad' by maybe a century and a half?

 

[Western 52]

Also the term "tramroad". We have a road near us known by that name. It was once a line to a colliery.

 

[Hadlow Road]

And, of course “railway station“ or “train station”.

 

[Deepgreen]

It's not really a mystery - different countries/languages use slightly different terms for innumerable things, including railWAYS )) .

 

[Rescars]

Nicholas Faith in "The World the Railways Made" refers to the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (published 1884) which notes that railroad was "at one time equally (or more) common in Great Britain and is still usual in America".

To complicate matters a little more, the Surrey Iron Railway (the first public railway) was technically a plateway, as was the Kilmarnock and Troon, amongst others. IIRC, Trevithick's early locomotives ran on plateways.

 

[Western Lord]

Although railroad is associated with the US, many US operators described themselves as "railway", as in Chicago & North Western Railway, Southern Railway. The Athison, Topeka & Santa Fe was a railway and the successor is BNSF Railway. Norfolk & Western Railway merged with Southern Railway to form today's Norfolk Southern Railway.

 

[52290]

Although in English it's a railroad or railway in most of the major European languages it's an iron road or way. For example Chemin de fer, Ferrovia, Ferrocarril, Caminho de Ferro and Eisenbahn. The Dutch Spoorweg does seem to refer to the track or rail though.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

And in the UK an individual track is often referred to as a "road".

In Wikipedia articles about a railway, you might find the term "railroad" used which betrays the article's American origin.
Global translators and AI are tending to spread the US terms rather than the UK ones.
Google Maps hedges its bets by referring to "public transport stop" rather than "railway/railroad station".
Subway, for an underground metro-style railway, is another Americanism that has seeped into international usage.
Switches (for points) is another, and is now in general use in NR and the industry generally (eg "S&C" - switches and crossings).

 

[Rescars]

Two nations divided by a common language.....!

 

[LLivery]

Most countries seem to shun the term 'Railroad', and use UK terminology for a lot (I guess colonial legacy and the fact European countries tend to use British English)

And in the UK an individual track is often referred to as a "road".

In Wikipedia articles about a railway, you might find the term "railroad" used which betrays the article's American origin.
Global translators and AI are tending to spread the US terms rather than the UK ones.
Google Maps hedges its bets by referring to "public transport stop" rather than "railway/railroad station".
Subway, for an underground metro-style railway, is another Americanism that has seeped into international usage.
Switches (for points) is another, and is now in general use in NR and the industry generally (eg "S&C" - switches and crossings).

Switches is a strange one to me. No one ever says 'switch failure' rather than 'points failure'. Yet NR increasingly uses 'switches' in publications.

As for 'Subway', I believe the Glaswegians used the term before Americans, much like London used 'Metropolitan' before the Parisians. But I don't think 'Subway' is used as much as you might think. Even many Americans say 'Metro' as there are many systems use the term over 'Subway', with Baltimore being greedy and using both. But globally, off the top of my head, I think 'Subway' is only used by Glasgow, NYC, Boston, Seoul, Beijing (why?) and some of Tokyo.

 

[Benters]

Although in English it's a railroad or railway in most of the major European languages it's an iron road or way. For example Chemin de fer, Ferrovia, Ferrocarril, Caminho de Ferro and Eisenbahn. The Dutch Spoorweg does seem to refer to the track or rail though.

The Irish also refer to their railways as an 'iron road' in Gaelic-Iarnrod Eirann.

 

[52290]

The Irish also refer to their railways as an 'iron road' in Gaelic-Iarnrod Eirann.

Whereas the Welsh stick with railway or Rheilffordd.

 

[furnessvale]

Although railroad is associated with the US, many US operators described themselves as "railway", as in Chicago & North Western Railway, Southern Railway. The Athison, Topeka & Santa Fe was a railway and the successor is BNSF Railway. Norfolk & Western Railway merged with Southern Railway to form today's Norfolk Southern Railway.

Indeed, The Great Western Railway survives to this day.......but in Colorada, USA!

 

[507 001]

Switches is a strange one to me. No one ever says 'switch failure' rather than 'points failure'. Yet NR increasingly uses 'switches' in publications.

The switches are the blades, the crossings are where the rails cross.

The whole thing is a set of points.

 

[Roilshead]

The Irish also refer to their railways as an 'iron road' in Gaelic-Iarnrod Eirann.

And "Raad Yiarn" in Manx Gaelic - Raad Yiarn Bree Vannin, Raad Yiarn Lectragh Vannin, and Raad Yiarn Sniaul (which I'm sure everyone can work out).

"Iarnrod" is interesting. I'm not a Gaeilgeoir though I do have my "cupla focal", and as I understand it although "iarnrod" is pronounced "yarnroad" it does not translate as "ironroad" but as "ironway" - "ironroad" would be "bothar iarn". (For any Gaeilgeoirs reading, who may wish to comment, I apologise for the lack of fada).

 

[Rescars]

Of course the track is the permanent way. Does anyone know how this translates into Gaelic?

 

[LLivery]

The switches are the blades, the crossings are where the rails cross.

The whole thing is a set of points.

But when NR refer to switches in the public domain they don't only mean the actual blades, right?

 

[krus_aragon]

Whereas the Welsh stick with railway or Rheilffordd.

Back in the Victorian eera, the iron road equivalent "ffordd haearn" (or variant spelling "ffordd haiarn") was fairly common: I've seen it frequently in old newspapers, and I have an old book using that term in the title (Difyrion y Ffordd Haiarn).

 

[takno]

But when NR refer to switches in the public domain they don't only mean the actual blades, right?

That's the bit that usually fails

 

[LLivery]

That's the bit that usually fails

When you put it like that, it seems obvious... I thought using the word 'switches' were just part of the attempt to use normal language like when 'inclement' weather was axed

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Although railroad is associated with the US, many US operators described themselves as "railway", as in Chicago & North Western Railway, Southern Railway. The Athison, Topeka & Santa Fe was a railway and the successor is BNSF Railway. Norfolk & Western Railway merged with Southern Railway to form today's Norfolk Southern Railway.

Many US railroads changed their names after mergers or bankruptcy, and often the simple legal name change was from Railway to Railroad or the reverse.
Union Pacific has been both in its lifetime (originally Union Pacific Rail Road).
In Canada, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National were Railways, although CP is now Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd after the recent merger with the US Kansas City Southern Railway.

 

[OVS Flatbottom]

And "Raad Yiarn" in Manx Gaelic - Raad Yiarn Bree Vannin, Raad Yiarn Lectragh Vannin, and Raad Yiarn Sniaul (which I'm sure everyone can work out).

"Iarnrod" is interesting. I'm not a Gaeilgeoir though I do have my "cupla focal", and as I understand it although "iarnrod" is pronounced "yarnroad" it does not translate as "ironroad" but as "ironway" - "ironroad" would be "bothar iarn". (For any Gaeilgeoirs reading, who may wish to comment, I apologise for the lack of fada).

"Way" would be "slí" or "bealach" ("bealach iarainn" also exists but isn't used much nowadays, likewise "bóthar iarainn"). "Ród" is a synonym for "bóthar", at least in modern usage. (I used to think "ród" was a modern Gaelicisation of the English "road", but apparently it goes back a long way. "Bóthar" may at one stage have meant a road of a certain type; legend has it that it referred to a road wide enough for two cows to pass each other, because "bó-thar" literally means "cow-through", but for all I know this may be a myth.)

BTW apropos of railway vs. railroad, I think I may also have seen some historical use of "ráilród". The Irish term for a railway station is also normally "stáisún traenach", or literally "train station", which of course is generally regarded as an Americanism in English.

 

[miklcct]

Although in English it's a railroad or railway in most of the major European languages it's an iron road or way. For example Chemin de fer, Ferrovia, Ferrocarril, Caminho de Ferro and Eisenbahn. The Dutch Spoorweg does seem to refer to the track or rail though.

It's also an iron road (鐵路) in Chinese.

 

[52290]

It's also an iron road (鐵路) in Chinese.

In Russia it's an Iron Road or as they say a железная дорога.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In Russia it's an Iron Road or as they say a железная дорога.

= "Zheleznaya Doroga". Iron road/way/path/track.

 

[Whisky Papa]

I was slightly surprised to visit a 'railway' museum in the US, the Illinois Railway Museum in Union IL.

 

[MoleStation]

The Stanhope and Tyne Railroad Company, 1834. Though it was a waggonway with rope hauled inclines.

 

[jon0844]

And, of course “railway station“ or “train station”.

I'd like to suggest trainway....

 

[furnessvale]

The switches are the blades, the crossings are where the rails cross.

The whole thing is a set of points.

Except that when I started in the drawing office we called the whole thing a "turnout", and the individual items variously "Switches and Crossings" (S&C), or "Points and Crossings" (P&C).

As people moved areas or regions they seemed to import/export different terminology for the same thing.