This article contains a list of

jargon Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The conte ...

used to varying degrees by

railway enthusiasts A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rail ...

, trainspotters, and railway employees in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, including nicknames for various locomotives and multiple units. Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. There may be significant regional variation in usage; state variances may be indicated by the state abbreviation (e.g. VIC, NSW).

B

; Bandicoot (QLD) : An

EMU The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

with a distinctive grey band painted across the cab wind shields ; BETY : QR pacific type BB18¼ 4-6-2 steam locomotive used on express passenger and freight trains—named after the telegraphic code ; Blue babies : QR DD17 class suburban tank engine, in a blue midway between navy and sky blue ; Broad gauge : as used in the states of Victoria and South Australia. Standard gauge of exists nationwide except for the state of Tasmania, Queensland runs some narrower lines as do the states of West Australia and South Australia. The island state of Tasmania is exclusively . ; Brown bomber : A QR C17 4-8-0 (2D) steam engine, typically painted brown ;Blue Goose :Nickname for a livery used by the PTC in

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Found on B, S, V and W sets as well as Tulloch trailers ;Blood and Bone :Nickname for a livery used by

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...

C

;

Centralized traffic control Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system con ...

(CTC) : A system in which signals and switches for a given area of track are controlled from a centralized location ; Conductor : The person checking tickets on a tram or train ; Creamy Kate : Colloquial name for NSW Rail Motor No.38 ; Cyclops : An

with one cab modified to only have one central wind shield, which can then only be used as a guard's cab in the middle of a six-car set ;Candy :Nickname for livery used by the

State Rail Authority The State Rail Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, operated and maintained railways in the Australian state of New South Wales from July 1980 until December 2003. History The ''Transport Authorities Ac ...

;Cheeseburger :Nickname for the

Mk 3 Livery (2008-2017), which features the colours red, white and yellow.

D

;

DERM The Diesel Electric Rail Motor (DERM) was a railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways of Australia. History Originally built as a petrol electric rail motor (PERM), they were the longest-lived rail motor on the Victorian Railways, wi ...

: Victorian diesel electric rail motor ;

Detonator A detonator, frequently a blasting cap, is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the last two being the most common. The commercial use of explosives uses electri ...

(DET) (Railway Track Signal) : An explosive device placed on rail and triggered by wheel pressure—used to warn of hazard ahead ; Dog or dogspike : A

spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

with a slightly altered head shape for easier extraction when the spike has become too loose in the sleeper ; Doggies (VIC) : Former "dog box" type red suburban trains ; Dolly : A shunting signal

E

; Electric staff : System of safeworking used on single track to allow the movement of trains ; Electric multiple unit (EMU) (QLD) : A specific class of suburban train ; Evans set (QLD) : Brisbane wooden suburban set

F

Foamer A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rail ...

Slang for a rather obsessive rail or tramway enthusiast

G

; Gabby : A rail enthusiast or train spotter who photographs Hitachi suburban electric trains in particular ;

Guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

: The person in charge of the train ;

Gunzel A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rail ...

: A rail or tramway enthusiast

H

;

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...

(VIC) : Former Harris type (or Blue) electric suburban train. ; High Flyer : nickname given to the NSWGR Z15 & Z16 class locomotives

K

;Katie :NSWGR D55 class locomotive – most likely derived from original class numbering KT

L

; Lamp : A portable (often handheld) light source that is used to signal train crews ; Light-headed guard : See Battery-operated guard.

N

; Nanny : NSW C.35 Class locomotive – probably derived from original class numbers NN ; Number nicker or number shark : A rail fan who writes down numbers of trains they have seen

O

; OSCAR (Outer Suburban Carriage) :

NSW TrainLink H set The NSW TrainLink H sets, also referred to as the OSCAR (Outer Suburban CAR) trains, are a class of electric multiple units currently operated by NSW TrainLink. Built by UGL Rail in Broadmeadow, the H sets first entered service under the CityRa ...

, a class of electric train operated in New South Wales

P

; PawPaw : QR class 1170 diesel ; Peg : Colloquial term for train staff (token) ; Petrol electric rail motor (PERM) : A

railmotor Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it. Steam railcars Overview In th ...

operated by the

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

, later called the Diesel Electric Rail Motor ; Pig : Colloquial name for NSW C.36 Class locomotive ; Plastic Fantastic : Colloquial name for NSW XPT (Express Passenger Train)

R

;

Rail motor stopping place A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...

(RMSP) : A short platform on a country line specifically for picking up and setting down of passengers of a rail motor ; Rattler (Qld) : Colloquial term for former Evans sets in Brisbane ; Red Rattler (NSW) : A colloquial term for the first-generation single-deck suburban trains from Sydney which operated from 1926 to 1993 ; Red Rattler (Vic.) : A slang term for a Tait train, a vintage suburban train from Melbourne

S

; Silver (Vic) : Colloquial term for the Hitachi suburban trains. ; Six-volt guard : See Battery-operated guard. ; Snapper (Qld) : Roaming staff who check tickets on trains or at stations ; Spark : A suburban electric train ; Standard gauge (Qld) : , as opposed to the 1435mm

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

used in other states ; Steel set : QR suburban passenger sets from 1960s, replacing the Evans sets ; Stick : Colloquial term for ''signal'' ; Sweat Set : Colloquial term for Sydney Trains S sets ; Ridgy : Colloquial term for the Sydney trains S, C and K sets. ;Silver Stripes/Silver ribbons :Nickname for a livery

used in their formation years, original livery was from VicRail

T

; Tangara : Also Known As

Sydney Trains T set The T sets, also referred to as the Tangara trains, are a class of electric multiple units that currently operate on the Sydney Trains network. Built by A Goninan & Co, the sets entered service between 1988 and 1995, initially under the State ...

, a class of electric suburban train in Sydney ; Tin Hare : The NSW 42-foot or CPH class rail motor ; Twix : Two trains on the same mainline ;Teacup :Nickname for a livery used by VicRail, also known as Silver ribbons (and other names)

U

; Uniform gauge (QLD) :

Standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

W

; White set : A Queensland Railways long-distance train sporting their livery from the 1950s ; Waratah : Sydney Trains A and B sets, also known as Waratahs, are electric passenger trains in Sydney

X

Xtrap (VIC) Short for

X'Trapolis 100 The X'Trapolis 100 is a class of single deck electric multiple units part of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of trains, operated in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Valparaíso, Chile. Melbourne In service When originally introduced to the su ...

, electric passenger trains in Melbourne.

References

{{Reflist

Rail transport in Australia Wikipedia glossaries using description lists

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

K

L

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

W

X

See also

References