In Australia, New Zealand, UK, etc. the person who operates a railroad locomotive is called a driver. In the U.S. he or she is the engineer.
What is the orgin of calling the operating of a locomotive in the U.S. the engineer? Why not the driver?
Very early on he was the mechanical “engineer” who knew how the engine worked and was thus the one most qualified to operate it. The title stuck when others were trained to do the job.
Always find it ironic that in Britian he’s the driver, in America he’s the engineer. There: guard, here: conductor. There: engineer, here: mechanic or machinist. What we have here are two peoples separated by a common language.
In the fire service, the guy behind the wheel is sometimes called the engineer, and sometimes the chauffeur. And in some places, what we now call the fire chief was known as the chief engineer.
Considering the steam engines used for pumping at one period, it’s possible the term “engineer” made the jump from the railroads. I haven’t researched it.
The folks who work on fixed power equipment are often known as stationary engineers, and at see, the power people on ships are often known as marine engineers.
Makes sense! Thanks!
What about the term, engineman?
“Driver” is the more etymologically “correct” term, by analogy from stagecoaching (where, for example, we get “hostler”) if the person concerned is primarily operating the locomotive to get over the road, do the usual ‘maintenance things’ needed to run it safely, pull the analogue of the kingpin trick as Mr. Robinson did, etc.
As soon as more complex operations are required, like taking down a bad main rod and blocking the valves to get the train over the road, you get into a different category… BUT I have long been of the opinion that “engineer” is a euphemism for a higher class of achievement; making out that operating a steam engine is more complicated and professional than ‘just’ driving a coach (having been to school at Farmington I can tell you it’s as complicated or more to actually drive four-in-hand well with an inexperienced team as it is to operate the most complex road locomotive.) There is a not-quite-false analogy to terms like ‘sanitary engineer’ that give you a sense of the professionalistic inflation.
Interesting that the term for a freight ‘driver’ – “teamster” – survives for trucker’s unions, but never applied to freight-locomotive operators.
Indeed it is two peoples divided by a common language … but, perhaps even more than that, it’s drift in the ‘commonly accepted’ term used for something in a society. We don’t call music cassettes “compact cassettes” but we call the follow-on optical storage “compact discs” … and then the fixed version of magnetic computer storage is called a hard disk with the “K”.
Uh-oh. I never did learn how to extract cube roots. All the roots I extracted were either square or round.
Looking at the description printed in that handbook, I thought of how this famous author (and mathematics teacher) might have ‘elucidated’ it:
In base eight, of course, the second time around.
This is the railroad. Just use a 32 oz ball peen hammer and a cold chisel. That’ll extract anything.
That’s fascinating - three separate terms, including ‘driver’ in an unguarded moment!
Now find and post the Franklin Institute’s report on the Richmond explosion, which did not let the Norris firm off the hook quite as easily…
Thank you!
I believe that term was used by, and probably not eclusively by, the Pennsylvania Railroad. Most likely to differentiate between a man who ran a locomotive and a civil engineer who built the 'road or a mechanical engineer who designed the equipment.
Going off topic[#offtopic]. Page 47 of the Engineers handbook has a questions concerning the Great Lakes. Interesting to see that Lake St. Clair is listed as one of the Great Lakes.
Or the locating engineer who laid out the line and did the initial surveys.
In addition to engineer, engineman, and driver, don’t forget the popular use of the word motorman for the engineer/driver of a rapid transit train, and operator, for a streetcar motorman.
Montreal Tramways motorman had caps labeled “Guard du Motour.”
In Israel, legacy of the British Mandate means engineers are drivers or each one is a Nahag, pluril Nahagim. Feminin, Naheget or Nahaga, plurel Nahagot.
It must be because we add ‘er/ier’ to anyone doing anything. Engineer, Mountaineer, Rocketeer (saw it in a movie so it must be true), Bombardier, etc. So it makes sence that the dude driving the Engine would be the Engineer. Don’t ya just love the logic, or lack of I suppose.