Nicknames

B
Baby Deltic
 * D5900 class Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives, constructed by the English Electric company. They used a single Napier Deltic engine/generator combination, as opposed to the two-engines layout and Co-Co wheel arrangement of the much longer Deltic locomotives from the same manufacturer, to which they bore a very strong family resemblance.


 * Baby Warship
 * North British D6300 class locomotives, which used one diesel engine coupled to a hydraulic transmission, making them effectively half a D600 Warship or D800 Warship, each of which had two enginesundefined


 * Bagpipes
 * British Rail Class 33/1 locomotives, specifically those fitted for push-pull working with 4TC stockundefined


 * Blood and Custard
 * The Crimson and Cream livery used on BR's coaches during the 1950s and 60sundefined


 * Bodysnatcher
 * British Rail Class 57 diesel-electric locomotives—made by transplanting a General Motors reconditioned power unit and alternator into a Class 47 bodyshellundefined


 * Bone
 * British Rail Class 58 diesel-electric locomotive—from the shape: the body is narrow with wide cabs. Ironically, one of the final workings of this class was a railfan special called the Bone Breaker which ended in a bufferstop collision and a passenger breaking his leg.undefined


 * Brake van
 * A heavy vehicle with powerful brakes which was attached to the rear of goods trains in the days when most wagons were not fitted with a continuous braking system. Its function was to supplement the locomotive's braking power in slowing and stopping the train and to keep the couplings uniformly tight by selective light braking to avoid snatching and breakages. It also conveyed the train guard, hence its alternative name of "guards van". Partly analogous to caboose and its synonyms.


 * Brush/spoons
 * British Rail Class 47 diesel-electric locomotive, also known as the "Brush Type 4". Followers of this type are often known as "Brush bashers".


 * Bubble car
 * A British Rail Class 121 or 122 single railcar. This name was later made official by Chiltern Railways, the final company to have operated the 121 in mainline service.undefined

C

 * Cape
 * A British Railways telegraphic codeword to note the cancellation of a passenger train serviceundefined


 * Cat
 * The Class 68 diesel electric locomotive built for Direct Rail Services, based at Carlisle Kingmoor yard, totalling 34 in total.


 * Can
 * The Class 86 electric locomotive, the most popular electric locomotive built in the era of Electrification on the West Coast mainline, totally 100 built, the class have also spent time operating on the GEML. Sadly, there are only three in use now, with Railtours operators, LSL (86101), WCRC (86401) and Les Ross (86259). Freightliner still own 16 of the class, but these have been withdrawn from service following acqusition of thirteen Class 90s from GA.


 * Cattle
 * Passengers (particularly commuters, who often complain that they are treated "like cattle")


 * Chopper
 * British Rail Class 20 diesel-electric locomotiveundefined


 * Clag
 * Originally used to describe the exhaust of steam locomotives, "clag" is a term describing the often spectacular (particularly blackened, as in Class 37, or whitesmoked, as in Class 55) exhaust emissions of many older British diesel locomotives, especially, Classes 52 and 55.undefined


 * Coffee pot
 * Applied to the shape of Ex-SR Q1 class steam locomotivesundefined


 * Crompton
 * British Rail Class 33 diesel-electric locomotive (fitted with Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment).undefined

D

 * Deltics
 * British Rail Class 55 diesel-electric locomotives (the "Deltics"), which use twin Napier Deltic power units


 * Doodlebug
 * Waggon und Maschinenbau railbuses E79960-64, introduced 1958undefined


 * Driving trailer
 * A passenger coach which has a full set of train controls at one end, allowing for the use of push-pull train operationundefined


 * Driving Van Trailer (DVT)
 * A class of control car, Mark 3 or Mark 4 based.


 * Dusty Bin
 * British Rail Class 321, from the game show 3-2-1, featuring the animated character "Dusty Bin".undefined


 * Dutch
 * The livery of British Rail Civil Engineers department rolling stock, due to the resemblance of Nederlandse Spoorwegen's corporate liveryundefined


 * Dyson
 * British Rail Class 92 so called because of the sound their traction blowers make as they go past

E

 * Egg Timer
 * British Rail Class 58 diesel-electric locomotiveundefined

F

 * Ferret and Dartboard
 * The second British Railways emblem introduced in 1956, featuring a lion rampant holding a wheel.SAM 0381.JPG From a distance the wheel has a passing resemblance to a dartboard.undefined


 * Flat wagon
 * A type of rolling stock, which can be a flat-bottomed car with no sides on which freight (including intermodal containers) can be stacked. A bulkhead is a flatcar with walls on the front and rear. A center-beam bulkhead is a bulkhead flatcar with an additional wall dividing one side of the flatcar from the other, but still without any sides.undefined

G

 * Goyle
 * A British Rail Class 31 diesel-electric locomotive—from "gargoyle" (after the somewhat ungainly headcode boxes above the driving cabs)undefined


 * Gricer
 * A rail enthusiastundefined


 * Grid or grid iron
 * A British Rail Class 56 diesel-electric locomotive, from the large grillesundefined


 * Gronk
 * A British Rail Class 08 or Class 09 shunterundefined


 * Growler
 * A British Rail Class 37 diesel-electric locomotive (from the engine sound)undefined


 * Gurgler
 * A nickname for the British Rail Class 31, on account of its engine noiseundefined

H

 * Hoover
 * A British Rail Class 50 diesel-electric locomotive—from the sound of the engine cooling fans being similar to a vacuum cleaner, prior to the refurbishment which removed this characteristicundefined


 * Hymek
 * A British Rail Class 35 locomotive using a V16 Maybach diesel engine coupled to a Mekydro hydraulic transmissionundefined


 * Happy Train
 * A British Rail Class 365 because their revised front end resembles a grinning face.undefined

K

 * Kestrel
 * A British Rail HS4000

L

 * Large-logo livery
 * One of the first new British Rail locomotive liveries applied after many years of all-over rail blue. For this livery, the loco cabs were entirely 'warning yellow', with black window surrounds (the yellow usually wrapping round behind the cab doors); the main bodysides were still rail blue but featured very large running numbers with a large white British Rail 'double arrow' logo in the middle, the full height of the body. It was applied to refurbished Class 50 locomotives, among others.undefined

M

 * Merry-go-round (MGR) train
 * Coal train running between a coal mine and a power station, loading and unloading without stopping or shunting


 * Metrovick
 * Locomotives constructed by Metropolitan-Vickers, especially the British Rail Class 28 (D5700 class) Co-Boundefined


 * Mickey Mouse
 * An Ex-LMS Ivatt 2MT class 2-6-0 steam locomotiveundefined

N

 * Normal
 * A non-enthusiastundefined


 * Nodding Donkeys
 * The British Rail Pacer (Classes 142, 143 and 144) Unit because of their bouncing up and down (nodding), and the donkey-like sound such units make on tight corners due to their lack of bogies

P

 * Peak
 * A British Rail Class 44, Class 45, or Class 46 diesel-electric locomotive—so named because the earliest of these loco types, the ten Class 44s, were named after mountains


 * Pendo
 * The Class 390 InterCity Express Train (IET) operating on the West Coast mainline, introduced by Virgin in 2004 and subsequently operated by Avanti West Coast, totalling 57 units in service.


 * Plastic pig
 * A British Rail Class 442, "Wessex Electrics" (electric multiple units)—so-named for being mostly made out of plastics in construction
 * A British Rail Class 442, "Wessex Electrics" (electric multiple units)—so-named for being mostly made out of plastics in construction

Q

 * Quiet Cat
 * Class 88 electric locomotives— known as a last mile bi-modal but have been proven to operate in diesel mode - similar in appearance to the Class 68  cat  - 10 in service with Direct Rail services operating mainly on Intermodal workings on the West Coast mainline based out of Carlisle Kingmoor.



R

 * Rat
 * British Rail Class 25 diesel-electric locomotives—and related classes—reputedly originating from a term used on the LMR of British Rail in the 1960s where 25s were as common as "rats";undefined the Scottish-based Class 26 and 27 were sometimes known as "MacRats".undefined


 * Roarer
 * Early British Rail 25 kV AC electric locomotive of types 'AL1'–'AL5' (later Classes 81, 82, 83, 84, 85), due to the loud whine made by the traction motor cooling fans when the locomotive is at rest. The name originated with the AL3 type. Although the other types exhibit a less noticeable noise, the name is applied equally to any of them.undefined

S

 * Shed
 * The Class 66 locomotive. The most commonly seen railway locomotive on the UK network, Built in America with GM and shipped over to the UK, initially by EWS, who bought 250 examples to replace a number of different traction classes, namely 31, 37, 47, 56, 58, 60, 86 and 92s. Such was their success, other operators followed suit, Colas Rail, DRS, Freightliner and GBRf all have Sheds of their own now.


 * Shunter
 * A small locomotive used for assembling trains and moving railroad cars aroundundefined
 * A person involved in such workundefined


 * Silver bullet
 * China Clay slurry wagonsundefined


 * Skipper
 * Class 142 DMUsundefined


 * Skoda
 * The Class 90 locomotive. Built modelled on the Class 87, initially was to become 87/2 - 50 examples were built at Crewe locomotive works as a mixed traffic locomotive. Went into traffic early 1990s with InterCity and RfD. Fast forwards thirty years and the Class is still going strong, 90s, 001 and 002 are with LSL, 90s 003-016 and 041-049 are with Freightliner and 90s 017-040 are with DB Cargo UK.


 * Slim Jim
 * Narrow-bodied version of the British Rail Class 33 diesel-electric locomotive (identified as sub-class 33/2)—built for the confined loading gauge on the Hastings line.undefined).


 * Splut
 * Another nickname for the British Rail Class 25, referring to their habit of spluttering when their engines cut out and failed, which they often did.undefined

T

 * Tadpole
 * A 3R diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU), named due to having two vehicles 8 ft 2½ in wide and one vehicle 9 ft 3 in wideundefined


 * Tank engine
 * A locomotive that carries its own fuel and water instead of hauling a tender


 * Teddy Bear
 * A British Rail Class 14 diesel-hydraulic locomotive for shunting and trip working. Coined by Swindon Works' foreman George Cole who quipped "We've built the Great Bear, now we're going to build a Teddy Bear!".undefined


 * Terrier
 * The Ex-SR A1 Class 0-6-0 steam locomotive, on account of its distinctive "bark" when runningundefined


 * Thousands
 * Class 52 diesel-hydraulic locomotives (the "Westerns") given the number range beginning with D1000undefined


 * Thumper
 * Southern DEMU (BR Classes 201–207)—unlike conventional DMUs these used a single, comparatively large diesel engine and electric generator mounted immediately behind one driving cab. The power units made a distinctive "thumping" noise when working hard.undefined


 * Thunderbird
 * A locomotive kept on standby at a strategic location, ready to rescue a failed train—from Thunderbirdsundefined

Thrash
When exhaust comes out of a loco in big sizes
 * Toothpaste
 * The livery used by Network SouthEast. So called due to the red, white and blue colours resembling the colours of striped toothpaste.undefined


 * Top and tail
 * A train with locomotives at both ends, for ease of changing direction


 * Tractor
 * A British Rail Class 37 diesel-electric locomotive, possibly from the engine sound, also because they could be found hauling almost anything as a mixed-traffic designundefined


 * Tug
 * A British Rail Class 60 diesel-electric locomotive, as named because of their tremendous pulling power, size and sluggish nature.undefined

U

 * U-Boat
 * A Ex-Southern Railway U class 2-6-0 steam locomotiveundefined

V

 * Van
 * The Class 87 electric locomotive, some 36 units built for the West Coast mainline express passenger services from 1976 - only one example left in service in the UK, with railtours operator LSL, other examples are to be found in Bulgaria.


 * Van
 * A type of rolling stock with a flat bottom enclosed on all sides and top, which is loaded and unloaded from sliding doors on each sideundefined

W

 * Warship
 * A D600 or D800 class diesel-hydraulic locomotives, most of which were named after Royal Navy vesselsundefined


 * Wessie
 * A British Rail Class 442 electric multiple unit—from the "Wessex Electric" brand name used at launchundefined


 * Western
 * A British Rail Class 52 diesel-hydraulic type 4 locomotive, 74 of which ran on BR between 1961 and 1977. All were named in a series beginning "Western...". Seven of the class have been preserved.undefined


 * Whistler
 * A British Rail Class 40 diesel-electric locomotive, from the turbocharger sound; this nickname is also occasionally applied to British Rail Class 20 locomotives.undefined


 * Wizzo
 * A British Rail Class 52 diesel-hydraulic type 4 locomotiveundefined