Tutorial - Railway slang, abbreviations & jargon

[Admin Team]

Quite a large amount of railway slang and abbreviations appear on this forum, particularly as staff members tend to forget that members with no railway knowledge also visit & read here.

We've come up with a list of the most common ones to help you decode what our railway staff are posting:

ALARP	As Low As Reasonably Practical
ARL	Arriva Rail London (operator of London Overground)
Arrestor	A type of buffer
ATO	Automatic Train Operation
ATP	Automatic Train Protection
AWS	Automatic Warning System (used on Network Rail)
Bang Road	Wrong direction
Blow Up	Blow train Whistle
Block Joint	Insulated rail joiner
Bus Line	Power cable running along full length of train
Butterfly cock	Opens a single door on a car
Cant	Offset rails on a bend
Car	Carriage
CBTC	Communication Based Train Control
Cess	Area between the cable run and the nearest rail
Chair Lock	Type of point machine
Check Rail	Extra rail to ensure wheels stay in gauge
Cherries	Rail Gap Indicator (applies to traction current rails)
CIS	Customer Information System
Clamp Lock	Type of point machine
CLIP	Central Line Improvement Programme
Collar	Device used to prevent a lever being operated in a signal cabin
CRID	Current Rail Indicator Device
CSA	Customer Service Assistant
CSS	Customer Service Supervisor
CSM	Customer Service Manager
CTBC	Combined Traction Brake Controller
CWR	Continuous Welded Rail
Deadman	Monitors the state of a driver
Detonator / Dets	Railway warning device
DOO	Driver Only Operation
Diagram	Signallers train indication panel
Dolly	Shunt signal
Double End	A driver in a cab at each end to facilitate quick turnarounds
Double Man	Two staff in the same cab
Down	Network Rail term - away from London
DSM	Duty Station Manager
DMT	Duty Manager Trains
Dual Aspect	Green and red shown on the same signal
DVA	Digital Voice Announcer
ERU	Emergency Response Unit
Four Foot	Area between two running rails (ie, the wheel gauge)
Gapped	All of a train's power shoes lost contact with power rails
GLU	Geeks Like Us
GSM	Group Station Manager
Handle	Traction and/or Brake controller
Harbor lights	Route indicator on a signal
IBJ	Insulated Block Joint (see block joint, above)
IMR	Interlocking Machine Room (signalling equipment)
I/O	Instructor Operator
Item	Recorded delay
Juice	Traction current rails
Lamp	Torch
LOROL	London Overground Rail Operations Limited (former operator of London Overground)
Mainline air	A trains main air supply
MA	Motor Alternator (part of a trains power circuit)
MG	Motor Generator (part of a trains power circuit)
NCT	Non-Communicating Train - a train operating under SelTrac which has stopped communicating with the VCC
NOC	Network Operations Centre
Off	A signal repeater indicating signal has cleared
Old Man	Line Controller
On	A signal repeater indicating signal is at danger
On the cushions	A train operator travelling as a passenger as part of a booked duty (counted as working time)
One Under	Person under a train
OPO	One Person Operation
OSI	Out of Station Interchange
Overlap	Safety margin added onto a signal's limit of control
Pair	Trains running out of turn
PEA	Passenger Emergency Alarm
Pipe	Tunnel section
PIS	Passenger Information System
Plunge(r)	Button used to tell signalman train is ready to depart
PNR	Physical Needs Relief
Porter Button	Button on car exterior used to close that car's doors
Possession	A form of protection on the track (no trains can run)
Push Out	Assisting driver in rear cab or pushed by another train
P Way	Permanent way; the track
Reform	Train is changed to another working
Regulator	Often means signal operator
RGI	Rail Gap Indicator (applies to traction current rails)
Road	Track
Rolling Stock	A train
SA	Station Assistant
SATS	Station Assistant Train Services
SCAT	Speed Control After Tripping (train borne equipment)
Scanning	A method of multiplexing information carried through wires
SCC	Service Control Centre
SCD	Short Circuiting Device (used on power rails in an emergency)
Scotch & Clip	Used to clamp points in position in an emergency
SCS	Station Controller Subsystem - part of SelTrac. Responsible for the movements of points and other functions
Secure(d)	Driver removes key to prevent movement of train
Service Controller	Line Controller
Service Operator	Signaller
Shed Lead	Power leads connected to trains in depots
SM	Service Manager
SMA	SSR Migration Area (CBTC)
SMC	System Management Centre. SelTrac operator interface, i.e. the control room.
Sit Down	Train unable to move due to defect or no driver
Six Foot	Area between two running lines
SPAD	Signal Passed At Danger without authority
SPT	Signal Post Telephone
SS	Station Supervisor
SSR	Sub-surface Railway - the group of lines that make up the Circle, District, H&C and Metropolitan lines, ie not 'tube' lines
Stable	Driver leaves train umanned (usually in a depot or siding)
Step Back	A driver gets off a train and picks up another, two or more trains behind
Stick	Signal
Stock	A train
Stock & Crew	Drivers swap trains
Target	Used in depots to indicate it's unsafe to move a train
TBTC	Transmission Based Train Control - Moving block signalling system now employed on the Jubilee and Northern lines
TETS	Train Entering Terminal Station
Tip Out	Detrain passengers
TOM	Train Operations Manager
Trainline air	Secondary air pipe on older stock
T/Op or Train Op	Train Operator (driver)
TPWS	Train Protection and Warning System (used on Network Rail)
Tripcock	Train borne equipment - operates if a train passes a red signal
Tripped	Tripcock operated
TRT/TRV	Track Recording Train/Vehicle
TRTS	Train Ready To Start
TSR	Temporary Speed Restriction
Up	Network Rail term - towards London
VCC	Vehicle Control Centre - part of SelTrac. Responsible for the operation of the system within a defined area of control
VOBC	Vehicle On-Board Controller - part of SelTrac. Responsible for the safe movement of the train
Wrong'un	Incorrect route set
WTT	Working Timetable - a train timetable that is used internally only

If you can't find what you're looking for here, please have a look at Tubeprune's comprehensive dictionary:
www.trainweb.org/tubeprune/dictionary.htm

There is also a glossary of terms used on Network Rail, many of which are also used on LU:

orr.gov.uk/glossary

Otherwise - ask for clarification. No-one will think any the worse of you for it!

The National Rail network use a series of three-letter codes for stations, a list of these is available in this .csv file.