Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
safeguard to prevent the wheels from slipping off the rails. It also
transfers the weight of the car to the journal bearings.
axle generator: A small generator, run by the revolving axle, that
provides electrical power to the specific car—a refrigerated car,
for example.
ballast: Coarse gravel or crushed rock used to form the roadbed on
which tracks are laid.
blue flag: When this signal (a flag or a solid blue signboard during
the day and a light after dark) is displayed in front of and behind
railcars, it means that people are working on or under that equip-
ment. As a safety measure, a blue flag can only be removed by the
person who put it there.
bogie: The European term for a railcar's wheel assembly, which is
called a truck on this side of the Atlantic.
boxcar: This is what most of us call a “freight car”—a completely
enclosed, box-shaped car with sliding access doors on each side.
It's used for any kind of general cargo that can't be exposed to
the weather.
cab: A compartment in the locomotive where the crew sits and
operates the train.
caboose: This distinctive-looking car was located at the end
of freight trains. Most of us thought crew members used the
caboose for rest or sleep, but its primary function was as a post
from which the train was observed and potential problems spot-
ted—an overheated journal bearing, or hot box , for example.
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