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A system of railway traction in which a toothed wheel which is part of a locomotive's transmission, engages with a rack laid between or alongside the running rails.
See also: Fell System, Funicular Railway.
A single-axle truck in which axle side-play is imparted by curved guides in such a way that the axle is always normal to the curve which the vehicle is traversing.
An oscillating link in the Walschaerts valve-gear.
A rod in the Walschaerts, Gooch and Allan straight-link valve-gears.
A self-propelled railway coach. This term is sometimes used to refer to an auto-train.
Another name for a rail car.
Long flat-headed nails which are driven into sleepers each side of a flat-bottomed rail to secure the rail to the sleeper.
A longitudinal or transverse strip attached to a railway-vehicle roof for deflecting the flow of rain water away from doors or windows.
The sloping end of a station platform.
A boiler safety-valve characterised by two vertical outlet tubes, which are capped by inverted cones. A single coil spring between the two outlet tubes loads down a bar onto which the cones are attached.
Another term for a reversing rod.
Backwards from the location, with respect to the normal direction of travel for the line in question.
A steam reservoir in between the high- and low-pressure cylinders of a compound engine.
A siding into which a goods train is routed while waiting for its train to be taken into a marshalling yard for sorting.
A siding into which a goods train is routed while waiting for its train to be taken into a marshalling yard for sorting.
A siding or loop which is used to store a train for a short period so that it can be overtaken by a more important train.
A small recess in a wall inside a railway tunnel into which a person can stand when a train is passing.
A system of braking used on electrically-powered vehicles where the control system is such that the traction motors can also act as generators. Thus, when decelerating, the motors feed current back into the electrical system; or, in the case of diesel-electric trains, dissipate the generated power in resistors.
The lateral displacement of the contact wire in railway overhead electrification.
A horizontal rod which is used to fix a contact wire at the required registration.
Regulates the flow of steam to the cylinders from the boiler of a steam locomotive. In other words it is the accelerator.
Another term for an escape road.
The tracks used by the slowest moving or least important trains of a railway route where more than one set of tracks is provided for each direction of travel.
An unscheduled train, which is arranged, at short notice, to precede or follow on the same route as a scheduled train when the latter has been booked beyond its capacity.
A railway signal which duplicates a signal indication at another location.
A device which is laid close to the running rails of certain tracks in a hump yard, and when operated applies a retarding force to slow the speed of passing wagons.
A subsidiary crank secured at one end to the crank pin of a main crank, and then returns back approximately along the axis of the main crank.
Another term for the eccentric rod in the Walschaerts valve-gear.
A piece of track which curves in one direction and then changes direction without any appreciable length of straight track between the two curves.
The position of signal or points levers when they are pulled backwards in the frame. The reversed position indicates that the signal is off or that the points are set for the less commonly used route.
See also: Normal.
Device for changing a locomotives direction of travel.
Also known as the reversing lever on steam locomotives, smaller adjustments could be used control the usage of steam in the cylinders. See cut-off for details.
On diesel electric or electric locomotives the reverser is a large multi-way electro-pneumatic or electro-mechanical switch which changes over the direction of the field current in the traction motors. This reverses the direction of rotation of the motors and hence the locomotive.
An early-type of bull-head rail in which the head and base had the same cross-sectional shape.
A running line which is signalled for trains to run in either direction according to requirements.
A bell crank which transfers movement from a reversing rod to a reversing link on a valve-gear.
A lever inside the cab of a steam locomotive which actuates the reversing of the valve-gear.
A link between the reversing crank and the valve gear of a steam locomotive.
A length of track which turns back to join itself again at a set of points.
A rod which couples the reverse actuating-mechanism of a steam locomotive with the valve-gear.
Three lengths of track which join each other in a triangular configuration in such a way that a train can be turned around by travelling round the triangle.
A term used in most English-speaking countries for the signal given by a guard to a driver that he is permitted to depart.
Designed by Robert Stephenson in 1829 and worked on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
A grate consisting of small sections which can be rocked to shake the remains of the fire through into the ash pan after the finish of a days work. Most steam locomotives have a flat grate which has to be raked out by hand via the fire-hole. Rocking grates require much less effort.
A set of levers which transfer the oscillating movement of one rod to that of another rod moving in the opposite direction.
Railway vehicles which are not self-propelled.
Where part of a railway route is so steep that a normal locomotive is unable to pull a train up the incline, a system is sometimes used where a continuous loop of rope or steel cable, running from the top to the bottom of the incline, is driven by a stationary engine. At the bottom of the incline, a connection is made between the rope and the front of the train which is thus helped up the incline.
See also: Funicular Railway.
A railway locomotive shed covering tracks which are grouped radially from a turntable.
A locomotive firebox, the upper part of which is round in section
See also: Belpaire firebox.
A board, positioned close to a signal arm, on which is indicated by numbers or letters, the route set for the approaching train.
Unit of measure between two places regardless of the number of tracks.
eg. Ten route miles of single track would be the same as 10 route miles of quadruple (4 lines) track, although one would be 10 miles of track and the quadruple track would be 40 miles of track).
Another term for an escape road.
A foot step which runs the length of a railway vehicle. The locomotive equivalent is generally referred to as the running plate.
Another term for brake gear.
A railway track which is part of a continuous route, as opposed to sidings, loops, etc.
A foot ledge running the length of a locomotive at the approximate height of the foot-plate.
Rails upon which wheels roll, as opposed to check rails which are for guiding only, or conductor rails which are used for electrical pick- up only.
A motive-power depot with only limited repair and maintenance facilities. A locomotive requiring major repairs would be sent off to a larger motive-power depot.