I’ve heard this used before and I’m wondering where did this term come from? Anyone know when it started being used?
Because there were and are a lot of fans who seem rabid about their hobby, to the point their excitement has them “foaming” at the mouth, hence they are “foamers”
Only met a few of them, and the term fits that kinda fan. When they talk about trains, their eyes glaze over, and they go off into another world. Almost scares you.
Ed
I knew it as “foamer” evolving from FOMITE…
F=Fraternal
O=Order (of)
M=Mindless
I=Incessant
T=Train
E=Enthusiasts
How about:
F= fanatical
O= obsessed
A= absent
M= minded
E= eccentric
R= railfan
BTW,
Back when I was railroading, we used the term FRN instead of Foamer.
F= f***ing
R= rail
N= nuts
When FRN’s were spotted, we would advise other trains via radio, “FRN alert at ____ location”. That way, if anyone on another train was not being exactly a poster-child for railroad operations, the warning would give them time to get their act together (i.e. wake up).
Ed, it’s good to see you with the right answer - again. Not that I’m envious. It’s just good to see someone talking about railroads that has his head screwed on correctly - no crossthreading.
But then you’re a snake. All snakes I know have their heads on correctly. They have to.
(For those who do not know what a snake is, it’s a switchman, because they keep handling long cuts of cars snaking their way through the yard.)
Good thing you explained what a “snake” was. [:)]
I began wondering why you were calling him a snake right after you said good things about him. Now it’s all so clear.
Thanks for thinking of people like me who aren’t familiar with this stuff!!
What if he had called me a yard dog?
Or a driller?
The terminology can be confusing at times.
Lets see what the fans thinks these mean.
I really want to know, not picking fun at all.
Shall we let the fans answer, then the railroaders can fill in the blanks.?
And remember, the same term may have a different meaning from road to road.
Hoe handle
Ground air.
Joint.
Tie down.
Tie up. (no Kev)
A Swing.
Couple and spot.(see ground air)
Light rip
Heavy rip.
Cut
Drop
Dutch Drop.
Pin. (as in give me the…)
Knockers
Piglet
Lace
Bleed rod
Frog
Grab air
Plug it
Pump it up
MU
BO
Slider
Dead head
We will start with these, and if you guys get them quick, then kennoe and others will surly come up with more.
Stay Frosty,
Ed[8D]
C’mon Ed. You forgot the most important one of all…BEANS!
I give it a shot
joint-cars coulpled together kabam
tie down tie up-shut her down for the night I think down is for cars and up is for locos
cut-a group of cars
drop-set out a car
dutch drop(illegal I think)engine goes over the swich then switch is thrown for car to go on.very dangerous
knockers-couplers or people who check connections
lace-brake line?
frog switch
mu -hook up all power together
dead head-engine quit working pull it like a railcar
bo-what you have after a hard days work hit the showers
stay safe
joe
No Joe - BO is a bad order car.
I think lace up is to hook up the air hoses and I know when you “spot” cars, you set them on a separate track, like at an elevator - you spot cars for the elevator on it’s siding. And people can deadheaded - they used to ride in coach cars in comfort when passenger trains ran!
Jen
hoe handle - switch
ground air- is ground air air from the shop for brake test
joint - is a couple
tie down set the hand brakes
tie up go home
cut means pull the pin seperate
drop we call that kicking them
dutch in yarding setting a cut in the middle out recouple pull up and set next block out not nessesary the head cut.
pin we call it slack so you can pull the pin to uncouple.
piglet its been so long i dont remeber.
knocker. as car knocker car inspector cant tell them apart from a conductor they move so slow
lace couple air hoses
bleed rod draining air from brake chamber to kick cars
frog is the center of the switching lead wear the raails meet. and cross. it looks like a frog squished dead.
grab air. tells the engineer to set the brakes
plug it. may mean 2 things close the angle **** or emergency applacation.
pump it up. air them up shoot the air to them all mean release the brakes
mu multiple units
bo is bad order
slider never heard this one.
deadhead . get a ride in a cab or engine with out performing service to go to reporting point.
Might be from bad water sources such as Northern Pacific in N Dakota or on the old ATSF for the steamers.
Ed …
Can we speak yet?
These guys are doing pretty good. It is going to be fun explaining such things as the differances between - drop - dutch drop - kick - roller - boost - cut - standing cut - and why would being called a snake/yard dog/driller be a compliment. And then the differences in roads terminology.
I think we got something going here!
JohnHHill got it. Water with high mineral content would cause a locomotive boiler to actually foam. It wasn’t practical to bring water in from elsewhere, so the RR would install water treatment facilties to romove the minerals. Some roads used a high tower constructed by the water treatment people; other roads required the fireman to dump a sack of treatment in the tender tank. Now that’s the original “foamer”. The modern railfan foamer might be a bit of all written above…
Ed & Kenneo:
The operating guys have one set of slang, the maintenance guys another and the mechanical guys yet a third. We just had to explain shoving in a related post. Still amused that you two didn’t pick up on “the evils of” shoving blind.
-mudchicken (btw…an operating guy’s slang term)
[quote]
Originally posted by edblysard
What if he had called me a yard dog?
Or a driller?
The terminology can be confusing at times.
Lets see what the fans thinks these mean.
I really want to know, not picking fun at all.
Shall we let the fans answer, then the railroaders can fill in the blanks.?
And remember, the same term may have a different meaning from road to road.
Hoe handle
Ground air. -Airline provided in yard to keep cars charged and this avoid new brake test
Joint. -Coupling
Tie down. -set a brake on
Tie up. -put ones self off duty
A Swing - the job that works anothers jobs rest day
Couple and spot.(see ground air)
Light rip
Heavy rip.
Cut- uncouple
Drop put a piece of equipemtn into another track
Dutch Drop- running drop…dangerous
Pin. (as in give me the…) the gadget that keep a coupler locked
Knockers–Car insepctor
Piglet- A trainee Engineer (promoted one being a Hogger)
Lace- make up air hoses
Bleed rod-- device to for evacuating air from a car thus freeing the brakes
Frog- the part of a switch that has guideway grooves
Grab air
Plug it
Pump it up- charge the train with air
MU- Multi-Unit—as a verb means to hook up the MU hoses
BO- Bad order
Slider–car or engine with locked brake/frozen axle
Dead head–ride to a terminal some way other than a train
Ed, I got two, MU= Multiple Units
BO=Bad Order
The rest, I have no Idea.
Foamer Tim