This is 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 communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a partic ...

commonly used by railfans and railway employees in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

B

; Blue Rattlers : ADK class on the Auckland suburban network ; Blue Streaks : Three

NZR RM class The RM class was the classification used by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) and its successors gave to most railcars and railbuses that have operated on New Zealand's national rail network. "RM" stands for Rail Motor which was the comm ...

88 seater

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a dri ...

s renovated for a fast service between

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

and

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

David Jones, ''Where Railcars Roamed: The Railcars Which Have Served New Zealand Railways'' (Wellington: Wellington Tramway Museum, 1997), 22. NZR DX class coal

; Bumble-Bee : Yellow and black

Tranz Rail Tranz Rail, formally Tranz Rail Holdings Limited (New Zealand Rail Limited until 1995), was the main rail operator in New Zealand from 1991 until it was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2003. History The New Zealand railway network was initially ...

livery. Introduced on DC 4323 in 2001 after the Makihi collision, and officially named 'Hi-Viz'. Originally all locos were to have the Tranz Rail winged logo, but most carried 'TR' block letters on the long hood and several locos did not carry any branding (No Name). Bumble-bee livery was a term promoted by the past editor of NZ Railfan magazine. ; Bobtails : A nickname mostly used for the W^W class but according to Nelson section crew the W^F class was also called such name. ; Bush tramway : New Zealand term for an Industrial tramway.

C

; Carvan : Passenger carriage with a guard's compartment at one end, classes A^F (wooden body) and A^L (steel body). Originally built to relieve a shortage of guard's vans and used on rural branch lines in place of a separate carriage and guard's van, the later A^L carvans were used in suburban service only. Tranz alpine

; Clockwork Orange : 1970s orange and yellow livery used on DX class Tollnz DAR

; Corn-cob : Toll Rail yellow and aquamarine liveryTimotheus Frank
"Canterbury Railscene"
accessed 26 May 2008. ; Cyclops : A restored

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

EMU set including DM 556

D

; Drewry : A

88 seater

;

Dora the Explorer ''Dora the Explorer'' is an American children's animated television series and multimedia franchise created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner that premiered on Nickelodeon on August 14, 2000, went on hiatus on June 5, 20 ...

(frequently referred to as just 'Dora') :

Northern Explorer The ''Northern Explorer'' is a long-distance passenger train operated by The Great Journeys of New Zealand division of KiwiRail between Auckland and Wellington in the North Island of New Zealand, along the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT). Thre ...

E

; 'En and chicken : N and M class

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

s coupled together. 'En, an abbreviation of 'hen', refers to the larger N class locomotive, and chicken refers to its underpowered M class assistant.

F

; Fiat : A

88 seater

; Flying Tomato : A simplified version of the Fruit Salad livery, with the grey replaced with red. Applied to members of the DC, DF, DSC, and TR class locomotives in the 1980s as a cheaper alternative to the full Fruit Salad livery. ; Fruit Salad : NZR red and grey livery with yellow highlights, also known as International Orange ; Foamer : A

railfan 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. Rai ...

—particularly one whose enthusiasm appears excessiveMarcus Lush, "The Grand Finale", ''Off the Rails: A Love Story'' (New Zealand: Television New Zealand and Jam TV, 2005), DVD.

G

; Grass Grub : A 88 seater railcar converted to carriages for locomotive haulage, from their green livery ; Gull Roost : The

Onerahi Branch The Onerahi Branch, sometimes known as the Grahamstown Railway, was a branch line railway in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It operated from 1911 until 1933 and linked the city of Whangārei to the nearby harbour in Onerahi. History ...

's 323-metre-long bridge across the harbour in Whangarei, because of the large number of

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century ...

s that roosted there. The branch closed in 1933 and the bridge no longer exists.

H

; The Hill : The

Johnsonville Line The Johnsonville Branch, also known as the Johnsonville Line, is a commuter branch line railway from the main Railway Station of Wellington, New Zealand to the northern suburb of Johnsonville via Ngaio and Khandallah. Transdev Wellington ...

out of

, or the steep section of the

North Auckland Line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, we ...

between Newmarket and

Remuera Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" sub ...

in Auckland. See Over the hill. ; Hot water bottle : A F^S class steam heating van used to warm the carriages of passenger trains following the withdrawal of steam traction in 1968 (North Island) and 1971 (South Island) ; Hot water boy : A member of a heritage railway, or a number of heritage railways, who only volunteers on days where engines are in steam. Will go out of their way to try and fire and drive the locomotive, and when successful will boast and be photographed beside the engine. ; Highsider : The L, L^A, L^B, and L^C wagons—so called for their high metal (L^A, L^C) or wooden (L, L^B) sides

I

EF30163+Overlander NearWaiouru 22March2003 JChristianson

; International Orange : The NZR livery of yellow, orange-red and grey, more popularly known as

Fruit Salad Fruit salad is a dish consisting of various kinds of fruit, sometimes served in a liquid, either their juices or a syrup. In different forms, fruit salad can be served as an appetizer or a side salad. When served as an appetizer, a fruit sala ...

J

; Jigger : A track inspection vehicle

K

; K^B country : The section of the Midland Line between Springfield and

Arthur's Pass Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explorin ...

famous for the use of K^B class

s between 1939 and 1968 ;

Kingston Flyer The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train in the South Island of New Zealand at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. It used 14 kilometres of preserved track that once formed a part of the Kingston Branch. Originally, Kingston Flyer was a passe ...

: Heritage passenger train instituted in 1972 using steam locomotives A^B 778 and A^B 795, originally between Lumsden and Kingston and later truncated to the 14 km between Fairlight and Kingston

L

; Longest xylophone in the world : Former road and rail bridge on the now-closed portion of the Ross Branch south of

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

—named for the loud rattling its planks made ; Lowsiders : The M, M^A, M^B, M^C, and M^CC wagons, so called for their low sides. These wagons had lower sides than the L-series 'highsider' wagons, and were often used for loads that could not fit into a highsider or did not warrant the use of one. ; Lokey : Locomotive on a bush tramway. Abbreviation of the term 'locomotive', but shortened by bush workers and adopted by railway enthusiasts.

M

; Matangi : FT/FT class electric multiple unit used on the Wellington suburban network, chosen in 2008 in a public competition run by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and comes from the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

word ''matangi'', meaning wind or breeze (in reference to Wellington's windy reputation) DC4369atNewmarket

; MAXX Blue : Livery on

rolling stock operated by

Transdev Auckland Transdev Auckland, formerly Veolia Transport Auckland, and Connex Auckland was a subsidiary of Transdev Australasia that ran Auckland's urban passenger trains under contract from Auckland Transport on infrastructure owned and managed by KiwiRail ...

; Midland Red : Livery used in the 1920s and 1990s on passenger carriages, DM/D class

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...

s and some other

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles ca ...

. It was first trialled on the carriages of the Parnassus Express, the predecessor of the

Picton Express The ''Picton Express'' was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) between Christchurch and Picton. It ran from December 1945 until February 1956, and was thus the shortest-lived provincial express in New Z ...

. Its name derives from the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...

, from whom the colour was originally sourced.

N

; No Name : Several Tranz Rail locomotives received the 'Bumble Bee' paint scheme without any signwriting on the long hood. Mostly applied to members of the DC and DX classes.

O

; Old reds : DM/D class

s in their traditional red livery ; Over the hill : The southern approach to Auckland from the North Island Main Trunk Railway at Westfield via the

and Newmarket Line. See

The Hill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

P

; Pearson's Dream : E 66, nicknamed after its designer, G. A. Pearson, as it did not fulfill his ambitionsW. N. Cameron, ''Rimutaka Incline: Extracts from "A Line of Railway"'' (Wellington: New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society, 1992)'', 83. ; Pie Cart : 1. Ford Model T railcars RM 4 and RM 5 : 2. Overhead inspection vehicle PW 2 ; The Pig : DXR class locomotive 8007 and 8022 ; The Phoenix : The DM 216 set, stored at Hutt Workshops out of service prior to its return to service in late 2008 or early 2009 ; Pig Dog : DAR 517 ; Pimple face : New cabs fitted to ten of the DG class locomotives starting with D^G 761 (TMS DG 2111) in late 1979 and ending in 1980 ; Popsicle : 1970s orange and yellow DX class livery ; Pullet : M class—named for their lack of pulling power in comparison to other classes

R

; The racetrack : The

Main South Line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...

near

Rakaia Rakaia is a town seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, approximately 57 km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the ...

, where steam-hauled passenger express trains attained high speeds ; Red Terror : A Leyland Cub car converted to run on rails for inspection use by the Railways Department General Manager Garnet Mackley in 1933. It was converted for uses associated with electrified lines in 1941, and after spending a few years in the

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zeala ...

, it was transferred to

Otira Otira is a small township fifteen kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the northern approach to the pass, a saddle between the Otira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps. A possible meanin ...

and remained there until the

Otira Tunnel The Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand, between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira – a length of over . The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, an ...

was de-electrified in 1997. It is now owned by the

Ferrymead Railway The Ferrymead Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway built upon the track formation of New Zealand's first public railway, from Ferrymead to Christchurch, which opened on 1 December 1863. On the opening of the line to Lyttelton on 9 December 1 ...

. ; Roadsider : A Z-class bogie van, so called as they could be unloaded (supposedly) onto the roadside. Often used for parcels traffic, especially by Railfreight, and as luggage vans on express passenger trains, for which they were fitted with x-25330 'Timken' bogies to run at 80 km/h.

S

; The Sergeant : ED electric locomotive 101, so called because of the three stripes on the body ; Super Ganz : The refurbished Ganz Mavag EMU EM 1373

T

; Tin Hare : A

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

;

Tonka Tonka is an American producer of toy trucks. The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes diecast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of ...

Toy : The preserved TR class locomotive ; Tropical : 1970s orange and yellow livery; used on the DX class ; The Twins : DBR class Wellington-based locomotives 1200 and 1267, commonly paired for purposes such as

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

south of Paekakariki. Because of this nickname, paired DBRs in Auckland are occasionally referred to as "non-identical twins", depending on their liveries. ; Thoroughbred : A

NZR JA class The NZR JA class were a type of 4-8-2 steam locomotive used on the New Zealand railway network. The class was built in two batches, the first batch was built at Dunedin's Hillside Workshops between 1946 and 1956 and the second batch by the No ...

locomotive, in reference to their high speed and smooth ride, typical of thoroughbred race horses ; Trams : The EO class (1923) used in the

; a term carried over to the 1967 Toshiba replacements, the EA class locomotive. ; Twinset : A

88 seater

References

External links

''Glossary of Terms'' from KiwiRail

Rail transport in New Zealand

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

See also

References

Further reading

External links