Just exactly how is a Train defined, is it an engine, cars, or just what, we are always going to the train tracks, the train station, Im sure somebody can come up with something.
The Operating Rules define a train as “An engine, with or without cars, displaying a marker.” Furthermore, a marker is defined as “An illuminated red or orange-amber lamp, red flag or reflector, or dimmed rear locomotive headlight.”
Nick
…Powered vehicles and or vehicle designed to transport people and or products from one location to another using tracks of some sort.
The classic definition (most pre-1985 rule books) is:
“An engine or engines coupled, with or without cars, displaying markers.”
The modern definition (i.e. GCOR) is :
“An engine or engines coupled, with or without cars, displaying a marker and authorized to operate on a main track.”
Or (NORAC):
“An engine with or without cars.”
(the exact verbage will vary from rule book to rule book).
Dave H.
From the perspective of the vernacular, I suppose one definition in my desk dictionary: “A string of connected railroad cars,” would fit most folks tastes.
I would suppose the rule book definition is more oriented to controlling movements, where it doesn’t matter if it’s one locomotive or a consist including a hundred cars - it’s still one unit under sole control of one crew.
Keeping in mind that I work exclusively in a yard nowadays, one of the last trains I had anything to do with was in 2005. It didn’t have a marker, but it had a caboose. My daughter was very happy to attach a brass caboose at the end of the train on her bridal gown!
since this is a Trains magazine website we should mention long ago Trains magazine collumnist John Kneiling’s idea of true, or integral trains: semi permantently coupled units with power distributed through the entire set, as opposed to the locomotive and trailer consists that most of us associate with trains.
His collumn was calle “The Professional Iconoclast”, and I must admit that it took me about 10 years before I finally got around to looking up the definition of iconoclast.
Many people use the term train to differentiate between streetcar and railroad. I was giving a tour of the trolley museum, one car was a classic interurban trolley: communicating end doors for access from car to car, traps over the steps for high level platforms, clerestory roof. When I said “Here’s another car in our collection” often some of the visitors would comment, “but that’s not a trolley, that’s a train”.
Newark New Jersey city subway had just recently replaced its double truck single ended PCC streetcars with 3 section, 3 truck articulated LRV’s. I went for a ride, the operator chatted with me when we got to the end of the line and I stayed on the car for the return trip, I told him I was a trolley fan, he said “this isn’t a trolley, it’s a train”.
In what context? To me. when I see a semi cab pulling three trailers on the Indiana Turnpike that has 9 axles with 42 tires and lights at the front and rear its a train. Its just not on flanged wheels as you can quickly tell as it wanders all over its lane.
I would think the operative word “train” includes the fact it functions on some sort of rails.
…Although many years ago a TV program using wagons that was called “Mule Train”…Song too.
During a visit to the Mile-Hi Railfair sometime in the mid-1980s, I met a grizzled old hoghead who worked Southern Pacific’s Oakland-Salinas (?) freight pool. He told me that the Espee Rule Book defined a train thusly: “An engine, or more than one engine, coupled with or without cars, displaying markers.”
The Espee Rule Book also had a definition of a conductor, and that definition read as follows: “A conductor is a brakeman, with or without brains, displaying pencils.” That little piece of nonsense sounded reasonable to me!
That was amusin, unless you’re a conductor I guess.
I have read the basic definitions of a train, but lets take it one step farther, or more confusing as it may turn out… While we think of a train as those big things on the tracks we all go running to see, most of us wouldn’t be so excited to see a roller coaster. But it is a connected line of cars, and it often is a steel wheel on a steel track. I mention this because I remember reading the rules for tallying up or what is considered to be rail mileage, and it stated a coaster that was made up this way could be counted as rail mileage. Go figure. Maybe doesn’t technically make it a train but it counts for something.
…I wonder if it’s not powerd by engines or motors of it’s own whether it might not be a train…?
My definition of a train, which also happens to be the Canadian Rail Operating Rules definition. An engine or more than one engine coupled, with or without cars, or a track unit(s) so designated by its operating authority, displaying a marker(s).
See official definition, not a train without engines.
It ain’t Wendell Willkie…
…I know who Wendell Wilkie was…but the connection here, goes over my head…zoooom…