Glossary - 4

INDIAN VALLEY RAILROAD The legendary haven of all good railroaders. Even the bindlestiffs (tramps) could ride this line all day free of charge or fear of bulls
IRON SKULL Boilermaker
JANNEY The coupling device on trains. Named for E. H. Janney, who invented it in 1870. Now common drawbar of all railroad cars
JANNEY, TO To couple cars together
JAY ROD Clinker hook
JERK WATER To fill a locomotive tender with water from a track pan without stopping
JERKWATER TOWN Any small inactive town. In the old days any town a train would not stop at was considered to be of no importance, hence the name
GOAT Switch engine
JERRY Section foreman
JOHNSON BAR The large hand operated reverse lever of a steam engine
JOINT, MAKE A To couple up cars and/or engines
KETTLE Locomotive
KICK* To shove cars, letting them go in singles or groups into the various tracks by their own momentum
KING SNIPE Track gang foreman
LACE UP To couple up the air hoses
LIGHTNING SLINGER Telegrapher
LINK AND PIN The first and very dangerous type of coupler, also any thing that is old fashioned
LUNG Drawbar
MARKER Rear signal lights or flags of a train
MILL Locomotive
MODOK A train for employes only
NIGGER HEAD The "T" pipe that divides the steam for the cylinders. It is located in the smokebox. Also failure to couple
NO BILL Non union worker. Also a car without a waybill
NOSE ON To couple to the front end of a locomotive
NUT BUSTER Mechanic
OP Telegrapher

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