Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
yellow sign in a rail yard that reads DERAIL. Near it you will
see a device attached to the rail that will derail—in other words,
stop—an unattended car that may be rolling toward a main track
where a collision could occur.
diaphragm:
The ribbed fabric shield stretched between passenger
cars, protecting you from the weather as you pass from one car
to another.
diesel-electric locomotive:
This is the most common kind of loco-
motive and the one most of us mistakenly refer to as a “diesel”
engine. The locomotive does indeed have a diesel motor—a very
powerful one—but it doesn't actually move the train in the same
way, for instance, that a diesel motor moves a bus. Instead, the
diesel motor powers a generator, which, in turn, produces elec-
tricity that powers traction motors on each axle.
dispatcher:
The person who works in a central location and directs
and is responsible for the movements of all trains within a spe-
cific area. The aviation equivalent is an air traffic controller.
dome:
The round, raised object that covers the opening on the top
of a tanker car through which the car is filled. The dome also
provides an area for the liquid in the tanker car to expand if it
heats up.
dome car:
A passenger car with a glass-enclosed upper-level view-
ing area. None is left in the Amtrak system, but these cars are still
found in VIA Rail consists and on many of the private excursion
trains.
driving wheel:
Any of the locomotive's wheels that is turned by
power from diesel or electric motors to move the train.
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