Why do the brits call switches " points ? and rolling stock is called " wagons ' ? and cars are called " carriages " ?
Why do they call elevators lifts? Or the bathroom the loo? Who knows why they do the things they do. Just kidding ;)
Dialect is influenced by environment and history. I grew up in Ohio where we called Pepsi, Coke, Mt. Dew, etc "pop". When I moved to San Diego, Ca I had to start calling it soda.
Whatever you do, just don't ask them about haggis. Trust me. :o
keep in mind the british were pionerers
in railroading
carriages from horse and carriage
wagons from wagons that pulled frieight by horses
as far as the bathroom goes loo not sure
but sir thomas crapper invented the flushing overhead pull
pull chain toilet
thus we have the crapper or craphouse
now can we get back to railroading
good luck john t brooklyn ny
According to Lloyd and Mitchinson in their book, "the Book of General Ignorance" Crapper invented and patented the ballcock and held a royal Warrant to install them in the various royal palaces. There were toilets in use in China 2000 years ago. He just improved upon the idea.
As for British usage: what we call trucks they call lorries. And we spell "labor" differently; it is labour in British spelling. Their cars have windscreens and bonnets and luggage goes into the boot. How heavy is the car? Find its KERB weight. (We use curb for that.)
Listen - they have first claim on the language and railway terminology. Some of the earliest American railroads used locomotives made in England. The English were first with railroads and they have developed their own nomenclature. Hip, hip and Cheerio! (I'd love a pint of bitter right now!)
thank you for that update woody
also lets not forget
british and euro trains are driven on the left side
ours on the right side
there autos are right side drive
ours on the left side
not to mention they lost the greatest parcel of land
on earth when they finally left brooklyn in 1776
all kidding aside not to mention there great contributions
to literature and the movie industry
and the railways has they call it
good luck john t brooklyn ny
p.s. going to read my 2008 bachmann catalog
and harry potter
This really a HO trend?
BTW The spare tyre is in the boot.
Comes in handy to know this stuff when you buy rolling stock on ebay and you have to figure out what all this means.
Quote from: john tricarico on June 11, 2008, 10:02:51 PM
not to mention they lost the greatest parcel of land
on earth when they finally left brooklyn in 1776
The greatest parcel of land on Earth is the country to your North.
We are not only bigger, the second largest country in the world, but we are also the best. :-)
In modern times locos are left hand drive but prior to the modernisation plan of 1950 the locos of the big four, LMS,LNER, SR and GWR were driven right, left, left and right. The BR transport commision decided on left hand drive in 1949 when they displayed the cab mockup ofnumber 70000 "Britannia" . This was little strange as the CME of BR, R.A.Riddles, was an LMS man and their locos were right hand drive. Points are easy as it just comes from the point rails which 'point' the loco to the right track. Other differences are vacum brakes as opposed to air brakes though two companys LNER and SR used air brakes. The LMS inheritated many air braked locos in the almagamation of 1923. Where sleepers(ties), or fishplates ( jointbars) came from I don't know. Another unknown may be the use of buckeye couplers on express coaching stock . This was used on at least three of the big four, LMS,LNER and Southern and was adopted by BR though much local coaching stock still used screw couplers.
Charles Emerson
Queensland
Australia
Quote from: john tricarico on June 11, 2008, 10:02:51 PM
thank you for that update woody
also lets not forget
british and euro trains are driven on the left side
ours on the right side
there autos are right side drive
ours on the left side
not to mention they lost the greatest parcel of land
on earth when they finally left brooklyn in 1776
all kidding aside not to mention there great contributions
to literature and the movie industry
and the railways has they call it
good luck john t brooklyn ny
p.s. going to read my 2008 bachmann catalog
and harry potter
"Sleeper" is an old term for any timber laying on a surface to support anything placed upon it.
"Fish Plate". Is simply derived from the the word "Fish". To "Fish" something is to use it as a splint. You "fish" a mast or a yard arm that has broken by strapping another yard to the broken yard or mast.
Remember.
The Brits invented the "modern" railway, therefore, whatever thay call something is the "correct" name, all other names for the same things are mearly words created by other nations who don't like to use any British terms.
Not mentioning any names here but you know who you are. :)
And when you're looking for that spare tyre in the boot at night, you use a torch.
Some years ago, I bought a Jaguar XJS, and got a chuckle whilst reading the manual. Yep; tyre, bonnet, boot are real Brit terms. I love my little kitty car-with its twelve-cyl engine and all. Some what of a chick magnet too. That is good, because I am not anymore...
However, the Brits do not have the market cornered on spelling; the Canadians do...(ha ha).
I'll never forget taking my brand new MG-B's top down for the first time with the warning to "not bend the rear quarter light." And many an American GI got in trouble during WWII when and English girl told him to "Come knock me up some time."
BTW, one can find some strange terms in the U.S. Wisconsin has "stop and go lights" and "bubblers" while New England has "round abouts."
Gene
Wasn't it George Bernard Shaw who said that America and England were two countries separated by a common language?
I often went to college in a friend's Jaguar XKE. It was a great car but had a lot of down time - wire wheels were a pain and the 6 carburetors were a challenge during a tune up. One British item that we were spared over here were gauges and switches made by Lucas!
My buddy liked to show off and go on road rallies. Once he took a girl along as his navigator. She wasn't good at reading the rally directions and my buddy wound up driving over a rock, tearing open the sump (oil pan) and loosing something like 12 quarts of oil. He wasn't happy!
as long as I can find the carriage with a loo ;D
Quote from: ta152h0 on June 14, 2008, 04:49:34 PM
as long as I can find the carriage with a loo ;D
Most do, especially the Pendilinos.
British Stock is fun. You can model a 100 year old Terrier Tank Engine next to a brand new English Electric Type 2. All in 1967.
British Modellers know what I mean
Quote from: StanierJack on June 14, 2008, 05:07:22 PM
Quote from: ta152h0 on June 14, 2008, 04:49:34 PM
as long as I can find the carriage with a loo ;D
British Stock is fun. You can model a 100 year old Terrier Tank Engine next to a brand new English Electric Type 2. All in 1967.
British Modellers know what I mean
I think not, at least not under British Railways auspices. The last Terriers were withdawn. I believe. in 1963 shortly after the close of my local branchline on November 03, 1963, the Hayling Branch, that ran from Havant, my home town, to Hayling Island.
Half a dozen or thereabouts have been preserved, one even in Canada at the Canadian Railway Musuem/Expo Rail.
Well in theory you could conceveably have type A and type B diesels in consort with a Stroudly Terrier. As Roger wrote the last Terriers operated on the Hayling island branch till November 1963. The type A and type B diesels were introduced in 1957 and 1958. Bachman make a couple of these, Class 20, class 24, Hornby make a Class 30/31, and Bachmann also make a couple of the bigger type C like the WR Warship or class 42, the class 40 and the class 44 or type D. you can also pick up a class 26 or type B from Heljan.. All these locos wer introduced between 1957 and 1960 so with a little bit of imagination it's not hard to place a Terrier beside a class 44 even if they never met in real life. BR went to great lengths to publicise the new traction showing diesels passing steam locos, usually slow moving goods trains, or passing steam engines sitting in the dead rows at various depots. Decrees were issued that certain services like the Master Cutler, the Edinburgh/ Glasgow fast expresses were to be diesel hauled their full journey. But diesels were fragile things and failed a lot so locos like the A1's A3, A4 continued on longer than was planned. Some of the diesel classes had a fairly short life as they weren't up to the challenge so locos like the 8F, Black 5, 4 and 5MT , 7MT and 9F continued right up to that bitter weekend of August 3/4 1968. Yep thats right a year before the US put two blokes on the moon steam was still running in the UK. The final steam hauled train was the 15guinea special. This was ran the weekend after the official end of steam.
Charles Emerson
Queensland
Australia
Quote from: rogertra on June 15, 2008, 02:17:40 AM
Quote from: StanierJack on June 14, 2008, 05:07:22 PM
Quote from: ta152h0 on June 14, 2008, 04:49:34 PM
as long as I can find the carriage with a loo ;D
British Stock is fun. You can model a 100 year old Terrier Tank Engine next to a brand new English Electric Type 2. All in 1967.
British Modellers know what I mean
I think not, at least not under British Railways auspices. The last Terriers were withdawn. I believe. in 1963 shortly after the close of my local branchline on November 03, 1963, the Hayling Branch, that ran from Havant, my home town, to Hayling Island.
Half a dozen or thereabouts have been preserved, one even in Canada at the Canadian Railway Musuem/Expo Rail.