i was just sitting here musing to myself and was thinking back to the earlier days when modelers ran “pikes”. now became layouts. does anyone use this term anymore? and where did it originate. sounds more like a fish to me! oh well, mike.
The word “pike” when referring to a layout or road, or a railroad, comes from the practice in the 18th century and earlier of nobles and kings creating a toll road by blocking the road with guardsmen carrying pikes (a long sort of spear). The guards would collect the payment, then turn their pikes aside to let the travelers pass. Thus, “turn-pike” for a toll road, shortened to “pike” for any road or railway. Modelers picked up the term back in the 50s. Like all fads, it eventually went out of fashion…
I did not know that.[:)]
“Turnpyke” in Middle English (from the Middle Ages) meant a spiked road barrier. Probably less soldiers carrying spears than something similar to the current barriers used at toll booths or when leaving parking ramps, where stakes come up from below - you know, the ones with the “BACKING UP MAY CAUSE SEVERE TIRE DAMAGE” signs.
Actually, there is historical record of both, guards with spears or “pikes” and then later poles or gates called pikes which where “turned” out of the way (but no doubt the guards/toll takers still had weapons of some sort).
In fact those early gates might well have been a simple set of resting posts for the pike carried by the guard, and used to block the way as sat and waited for his next “customer”.
And so, in earlier forms of our language, a turnpike came to refer to a private road built specificly for commercial gain, a discription that fits a railway, and latter railroad or rail road, to a tee.
And as noted, the term “pike” is a common abbreviation of turnpike. When I started in the hobby in the late 60’s it was still a commonly used term, but the term layout was gaining ground quickly.
Sheldon
I still prefer the word “pike” when I am talking about the entire minature railroad. I use the word “layout” when I refer to the arrangement of the track of that minature railroad. Layout is only a part of a complete picture.
Thanks for posting this question, I read a book from the 60’s and wondered where it come from, of coarse I knew it was the layout, but thanks anyway!
Atlas track planning books call layouts Pikes.
Dennis San Fernando Valley CA.
[:-^]
I’m like T.Z. and find myself using “PIKE” occasionally but not always. I sometimes get some funny looks.
Old habits die hard. But this is definitely a “50s” term, that faded in the late “60s”
Johnboy out…and back to reminising
Because my HO layout is very small {3.5 feet x 5.1 feet} I refer to it as my “pike” because it is small and “cute” is not a word I’d like to use.
In 1965, I purchased a dozen+ MR back issues, with paper route savings at 50 cents per issue. One of the gems was March 1963 Model Railroader highlighting John Allen’s “Gorre & Daphitid” – also reprinted in Classic Articles from Model Railroader.
The lead article was “This Could be Your Pike” with a 2-page picture at Port expanding to 10-pages including a 4-page fold-out panarama picture of the entire Gorre & Daphatid – A timeless article.
Also see the popular series – Pike-size passenger trains.
In the model railroading press – “pike” – is quite accepted.
I thought a pike was a fish…
It is, and is like musky, if you know what that is. There are some in Cameron Lake where we go camping in the summer. Taste pretty good in Old Ed’s beer badder…[swg]
Thanks for ‘splainin’ that one, guys. I figured it derived from turnpike, but didn’t know the origin of that word.
Here’s something along similar lines: Why did early railroads frequently have the term “Air Line” in their names? That one has me stumped.
(And as long as we’re on the subject of etymology, anyone wanna know how the terms “dead ringer” and “graveyard shift” originated?)
Jim
Early in my model railroading experience I picked up the work pike referring to what has become more commonly called a layout; I frequently refer to a model railroader as a rail and the owner of a layout as a brass hat, both terms being (somewhat) common in the early '60s…
Huh. See, I always thought Pike as more a word for freelancers, I’d never seen it really used along with protoype layouts. Like the word, but I mised te 50s by 40 years, so getting me to use it may be tricky.
That’s a great question, I’m so glad you asked…
In the olden days, before the invention of the modern day traffic light, Model Railroads were seen as a novelty, and the public proved hungry for flanged entertainment. Layout showings, in those days were typically wild and raucous affairs, nothing like the calm, tranquil, civil events that they are today. News of a new layout to view-- any layout, regardless of size, theme or scale-- would tend to arouse the passions of otherwise sensible people and whip them into a veritable frenzy whereupon they would rush headlong, en masse to the home of the poor hapless modeler to see it. The crowd would often stand for hours watching the trains as if mesmerized-- no doubt due to the efforts of one Franz Mesmer, who often appeared at these events himself and utilized certain of his techniques to gain a better look.
There was usually a lot of cheering and wild applause as trains would enter one tunnel portal and emerge from another moments later seemingly at random-- it was as if the crowds could not get enough of the trains making their rounds! When things got out of hand, as they inevitably would, young women for instance, would often swoon upon the entrance of the modeler into the layout room. Some of the more brazen ones would even sometimes toss their pantaloons or other undergarments onto the layout in vain hope of securing a moment alone with the builder. And it was not unheard of for fisticuffs to break out amongst the young men assembled as they pushed and vied their way through for a better look at the layout.
Now as it happens, most model railroaders are rather stout fellows-- excepting of
John, I’ll have some of what you’re having.
“Flanged entertainment.” I love that one.
Jim
“Air Line” was a term often used by early railroads to indicate a more direct route between cities than one’s competitors. Much like the term “as the crow flies”. Adding that to a railroad’s name was intended to remind the travelling public that they would get where they were going faster by taking the more direct “Air Line”.
Sometimes, a railroad would build a new “Air Line” to bypass its own existing, circuitous route. One example of this is when the Northern Indiana Air Line was built in 1858 by an NYC predecessor railroad between Elkhart IN and Toledo OH to bypass their line that curved up into southern Michigan to connect those same cities. The new route became the “Air Line” and the bypassed route became the “Old Road”.
Tom
Thanks, Tom.
Another mystery solved!