Glossary of rail transport terms
Rail transport terms are a form of technical terminology applied to railways. Although many terms are uniform across different nations and companies, they are by no means universal, with differences often originating from parallel development of rail transport systems in different parts of the world, and in the national origins of the engineers and managers who built the inaugural rail infrastructure. An example is the term railroad, used in North America, and railway, generally used in English-speaking countries outside North America and by the International Union of Railways. In English-speaking countries outside the United Kingdom, a mixture of US and UK terms may exist.
Various terms, both global and specific to individual countries, are listed here. The abbreviation "UIC" refers to terminology adopted by the International Union of Railways in its official publications and thesaurus.
0–9
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
; Harmonic rock or harmonic rock and roll; Head-End Power
; Headboard
; Headstock
; Heavy haul
; High rail
; Hole
; Home signal
; Horn blocks
; Hostling
; Hotbox
; Hotbox detector
; Hudson type
; Hump
; Hunting
I
; Independent brake or locomotive brake; Infill station or in-fill station
; Injector
; Insulated rail joint or insulated block joint
; Interchange
; Interlocking
; Intermodal freight transport
; Intermodal passenger transport
; Interoperability
; Island platform
; Island railway station
J
; Jacobs Bogie; Joint bar or rail joiner
; Jointed track
; Journal bearing
; Journal box
; Jubilee type
; Junction
K
; Keeper; Kick
; Kicker
; Kinematic envelope
; Knuckle
L
; Lead track; Level crossing, railroad crossing, railway crossing, train crossing, or grade crossing
; Light engine
; Light rail
; Link and pin
; Local train
; Lunar
M
; Maglev; Main generator
; Main reservoir
; Mallet
; Manifest
; Mars Light
; Mechanical semaphore signal
; Meet
; Mikado type
;
; Modalohr
; Mogul type
;
; Mountain type
; Mud ring
; Multiple aspect signalling
; Multiple unit
; Multiple-unit train control
N
; Narrow gauge; Northern type
; or run 8
O
; Open wagon; Out to foul
P
; Pacific type; Pannier tank
; Pantograph
; Paperwork
; Pennsy
; Per diem
; Permissive signal
; Pilot
; Pilot engine
; Pilot man
; Piston
; Piston travel
; Platform screen doors
; Pony truck
; Porch
; Porter
; Portion working
; Position light signal
; Positive train control
; Possession
; Pound
; Power
; Power braking
; Prairie type
; Prime mover
; Pull apart
; Push pole
; Push–pull train
R
; Rack railway, rack-and-pinion railway, or cog railway; Railbus
; Railcar
; Rail crossing
; Railfan
; Rail grinder
; Rail profile
; Rail squeal
; Rail tractor
; Railroad car
; Railroadiana
;, railroad line, rail line, or train line
; Railway station
; Railway terminal
; Red
; Red zone
; Reefer
;
; Reporting mark
; Rerail frog or rerailer
A metal casting incorporating a slot that allows the casting to fit over the rail near the wheel of a derailed car. The locomotive then pushes or pulls the car so that the derailed wheel runs up the rerailer and back on to the track.
; Retarder
; Reverser or reverser handle
; Ribbon rail
; Right-side failure
; Roadrailer
; Rolling stock
; Rookie
; Rotary
; Roundhouse
;, punch box, or train-identification pushbuttons
; Ruling gradient
; Run
; Runaway
; Running track
; Run-round
; Run-through power
S
; Saddle tank; Safe place
; Safeworking
; Sandbox
; Sandite
; Santa Fe type
; Saturated locomotive
; Scale
; Schnabel car
; Searchlight
; Section
; Semaphore signal
; Shay locomotive
; Shunt
; Shoofly
; Shuttle train
; Side tank
; Siding
; Signal
; Signal box
; Signal passed at danger
; Signaller or signalman
; Slippery rail
; Slow order
; Slug
; Smokebox
; Snowplow, snow plow, snowplough, or snow plough
; Snow shed
; Span bolster
; Spike
; Spiral easement
; Spreader
; Spur line
; Self-propelled ultrasonic rail testing
; Staff and ticket
; Standard gauge
; Station master
; Steam generator
; Steam reverser
; Stop signal overrun
; Subdivision
; Supercharger
; Superelevation
; Superheater
; Survey
; Surveyor
; Switchback or zig zag
; Switchman
T
; Tamping machine; Tank car
; Tank locomotive or Tank engine
; Team track
; Tender
; Terminal railroad
; Texas type
; Third rail
; Through coach
; Through platform
; Tie plate
; Trailer on flat car
; Token
; Track bed or trackbed
; Track bulletin
; Track circuit
; Track transition curve
; Track Warrant Control
; Trackside objects
; Traction current pylon
; Traction motor
; Tractive effort
; Trailing
; Train bell
; Train coupler
; Train horn
; Trainman
; Train inauguration
; Train operation and management
;, terminal manager, or road manager
; Train order
; Train set
; Trainset
; Tram
; Tram-train
; Treadle
; Turnout or points
; Turntable
U
; Unit train; Underbridge
; Underframe
A framework of wood or metal carrying the main body structure of a railway vehicle, such as a locomotive, carriage or wagon.
V
; Vactrain; Vacuum brake
; Valve gear