Way

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Could someone please tell me the origin (how and why) of the railroad term/word “WAY” ?

Thanks,

John

2

Well the Oxford dictionary indicates that “way” is a noun for “road or track for passing along” and “course or route for reaching a place – especially the best one”.

Just about sums it up for me, anyway.

3

Old english common law term for corridor defining road, passage or channel. Early railroad surveyors and engineers used the term because most were formally trained by the military engineers, Army Corps, and field artillery surveyors that preceded them up through the civil war who had always used the term in a classical sense. [Generals Dodge, Palmer, Anderson and a herd of others from the Union Army Transportation Corps]… The Civil War unintentionally fueled the post war railroad design and construction boom in the Western US…Those early surveyors and engineers in turn were trained by the British & French military engineers and surveyors who located, established and built many of the early roads here. (Just one of many terms used by railroads to manage and build their physical plant and manage their endeavors that are military in their origin like Trainmaster/Roadmaster/Superintendent/Paymaster/Headquarters and so on…The Army was the best proven management model to use at the time using the West pointers and the folks trained at Jefferson Barracks - St. Louis)

4

To add to Mudchicken’s post, we could recall the term “right of way” which, before its use by the railroad/railway, was meant a right of the Crown to take passage unencumbered. Generally, that meant the route was to be clear and sufficiently large for that purpose. Mustn’t keep her Majesty from her afternoon tea. [:D]

5

The BNSF, former SF yd @ Hutchinson, KS that was built over the underground salt deposits in 1926, is called Way yd and was named after a ATSF official–Mr. Way.

6

First, thanks to all four members who replied.

Although I knew the basic use/definition of way, the answers were more than thorough as they always are. I should have asked why Way freight instead of simply freight train and Way car instead of caboose?

Thanks,

John