What does "Dead Heading" mean?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Ok, I have been trying to figure out what the term means. Been drivng me nuts for awhile and thought I could figure it out on my own but heck if I know…

So ok, what does i mean when they say… “Oh, that train there is deah-heading to Blah, Nowhere.”

Thanks [8)]

Best Regards
John k

2

It means that the engineer is a big Jerry Garcia fan… [8]

3

in catch me if you can, it just meant he was hitchin a ride…the dead head pilot wasent flying, but…Hitching a ride…

4

Would “dead heading” mean going to a Grateful Dead concert or would that be “Dead Dead Heading”?

Jack

5

it simply means that the crew is taking a taxi cab to the desired destination, or around here they also dead head on other trains or amtrak.

6

Dead heading is the term used for crews and crew members moving between terminals and intermediate points without performing service. It is done when there is an imbalance between the number of trains expected and the number of crews available. Sometimes individual crew members deadhead to outlying jobs when someone ther lays off.

Deadheading can be on a train but not as a working crew, public bus like Greyhound, contract van services, taxi cabs, passenger trains, private vehicle, chartered air craft and scheduled air craft.

7

Ah ha… Ok well, I was on the right track. Thanks CPR and ARB. I guess they got name due to the fact that the guy in the back was most likely asleep catching up on Z’s… hence the “deadhead” in the jump seat?

Thanks guys for that.

John k

8

In railroading, DEADHEAD is a multi use term.
In addition to the uses listed above, DEADHEAD can also refer to railroad equipment.
A commuter train operating against the normal commting flow direction, and scheduled NOT to carry passengers is often called a DEADHEAD TRAIN, DEADHEAD MOVE or DEADHEAD EQUIPMENT MOVE. In the UK, this is referred to as an EMPTY COACHING STOCK (ECS) move.
Additionally, a car in a train NOT TO CARRY passengers is sometimes referred to as a DEADHEAD COACH, where also “DEADHEADS” (this time, a NOUN referring to a deadheading employee) may congregate, smoke, swear, and enjoy privacy from the public. Confusing?

9

Would a light engine move also be considered a DEADHEAD?

Thanks,
Terry

10

Never heard of “dead heading” as anything but a non-running locomotive in a train being transported to another location, for repairs or new power needed at another location, it’s simply treated as another car, saves fuel and another crew just to get it there.