He was Looking for the Local, But He Got the Express - Railroad Based Sayings, Figures of Speech, and Jargon

"Sorry, that train has left the station."

Alan

Alan, that's a good one. 

Ron, thanks for the visual.  Do you know which railroads used the ball signaling system?

Here's another off the top of my head, "all the bells and whistles."

JD

"Getting off the track":  Pretty obvious.

"Off your trolley":  When the trolley pole leaves the wire.

"Deadhead":  Traveling without generating revenue.  

Mitch 

"You're on the right track" - good idea, you're forming a correct conclusion

"I'm losing steam" - I'm exhausted after a long and tiresome day

"I've lost steam" - momentum on a project is slowing

"Thomas, your wheels have fallen off, you'll have to go back to the shop......"  - something I say when something breaks around the house.

"You've fallen off the track" - completely derailed, idea failed, nothing came out right.

"That was a train wreck" - something that seemed to be a good idea but turned into a complete failure

"She's a train wreck" - an incorrigible woman 

"Riding the gravy train" - lucrative endeavor while putting forth little effort. Anyone know the backstory? Is it rooted in real railroading?

"Blow off steam" get rid of built up energy and emotion. 

JD

Another word is the term "railroaded", which is used to mean 1) pushed into a situation not of your choosing, or 2) hastily convicted without proper evidence. I found one source that says it has its origins in the way railroads were initially built by taking land from private owners.

Google search turns up:

GRAVY TRAIN - In the 1920's, railroad men invented the expression to 'ride the gravy train' to describe a run on which there was good pay and little work. The words were quickly adopted into general speech, meaning to have an easy job that pays well, or, more commonly, to be prosperous. 'Gravy,' however, had been slang for easy money since the early 1900's.

From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

"Balls to the wall":  Not what you might think:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_governor  

When the weights are flung out to their maximum speed, they're closest to whatever wall is nearby.  

Mitch 

JD2035RR posted:

Ron, thanks for the visual.  Do you know which railroads used the ball signaling system?

Kind of off topic, but there is an old ball signal on display in Delmar, DE, not too far from me.  History says the New York and New Haven RR first used these to direct train movement in 1852 although they were around earlier to pass messages.  The semaphore was also developed around the same time so they were competing with each other, with the semaphore winning out.  Probably many railroads used ball signals in the late 1800s with some still in use into the early 1900s.

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

"Balls to the wall":  Not what you might think:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_governor  

When the weights are flung out to their maximum speed, they're closest to whatever wall is nearby.  

Mitch 

When I flew EC-121s (yes I'm that old), the flight engineer had his own set of throttles.  When I asked for max power one of our FEs would always say "balls to the wall, sir".  Had to have him explain it to me.  Plus it made since for those old R-3350s because the engine's speed was controlled by the prop centrifugal governor; he really was putting balls to the wall.

 I believe the the term Full steam ahead is a maritime term. 

Full steam ahead - may be a "misstated" version of the quote attributed to Admiral Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay: "'Darn' the torpedoes, full speed ahead."

Had to edit since the site censor didn't like the wording in the original quote.  Guess it doesn't let you by even if quoting heroes in  historical events.

CAPPilot posted:

M. Mitchell Marmel posted:

"Balls to the wall":  Not what you might think:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_governor  

When the weights are flung out to their maximum speed, they're closest to whatever wall is nearby.  

Mitch 

When I flew EC-121s (yes I'm that old), the flight engineer had his own set of throttles.  When I asked for max power one of our FEs would always say "balls to the wall, sir".  Had to have him explain it to me.  Plus it made since for those old R-3350s because the engine's speed was controlled by the prop centrifugal governor; he really was putting balls to the wall.

I was told that "Balls to the wall" is NOT actually fromt he centrifugal governor as most assume.  I was taught it was from an aircraft whose throttle had knobs on top of each handle (one for each engine?).  When you pushed them all the way forward, they'd hit the wall of the console.

Google gave me this:

http://www.slate.com/articles/...alls_in_the_air.html

which is similar to what I said, but not throttle but control (nose dive).

I agree with John D on "Balls to the walls"

A google search showed most word origin sites (if not all - didn't check every one of them) attribute the saying to aviation - pushing the handles with round "ball" nobs all the way forward.

One site even had this:

There are two common misconceptions about the phrase. The first is that it is a reference to a part of the male anatomy.

The second is that it arose in railroad work. A speed governor on train engines would have round, metal weights at the end of arms. As the speed increased, the spinning balls would rise--being perpendicular to the walls at maximum speed. But there is no evidence to support either of these two stories. No use of the phrase is known to exist prior to the mid-1960's, and all the early cites are from military aviation.

Retlaw posted:

I agree with John D on "Balls to the walls"

A google search showed most word origin sites (if not all - didn't check every one of them) attribute the saying to aviation - pushing the handles with round "ball" nobs all the way forward.

One site even had this:

There are two common misconceptions about the phrase. The first is that it is a reference to a part of the male anatomy.

The second is that it arose in railroad work. A speed governor on train engines would have round, metal weights at the end of arms. As the speed increased, the spinning balls would rise--being perpendicular to the walls at maximum speed. But there is no evidence to support either of these two stories. No use of the phrase is known to exist prior to the mid-1960's, and all the early cites are from military aviation.

 

I believe the centrifugal governor would be running "balls out" at top speed. Now that's a different phrase I've heard. 

I have heard the term, "By the seat of your pants" is a term which began with the railroad.

Asleep at the switch.

Wrong side of the tracks.

Hotbox.

Railroad "Bull".

Hog and hogger.

Go into the hole.

John D. posted:

I believe the centrifugal governor would be running "balls out" at top speed. Now that's a different phrase I've heard. 

And, of course,  "Full Throttle" would be train related as well. 

CAPPilot posted:

When I flew EC-121s (yes I'm that old), the flight engineer had his own set of throttles.  When I asked for max power one of our FEs would always say "balls to the wall, sir".  Had to have him explain it to me.  Plus it made since for those old R-3350s because the engine's speed was controlled by the prop centrifugal governor; he really was putting balls to the wall.

Loverly planes, the Connies.   My uncle flew 'em for the IAF during "Operation Magic Carpet" after WWII...  

Mitch