Transit

News of the transit stirke in the Philadelphia area reminds me of something interesting in our American idiom.  In Philly a streetcar is a "trolley";  in the Bay Area a commuter train was a "commute" on the SP; etc.   Can you think of any others?

NJT's Princeton "Dinky" comes to mind; a two car MU from the Corridor at Princeton Jct. to Princeton hailing back to the PRR days.  "Scoot" is a term that has been applied to single trains or groups in several areas, the LIRR and DL&W both were so afflicted.  The "el" in Chicago and at one time in NYC in reference to elevated rails.  In London the subway is the "underground".  Also in the Bay Area is the BART, not Bee Ay Ar Tee but Bart as in Simpson, instead of subway or underground.  Look at all the names for the RDC cars on different roads from shore to shore and into Canada, too.  Dig deeper and you'll find different monickers, nicknames, marketing names, use names, geographical names, insulting names, affectionate names, and acronym pronounciations for just about everything.

In Chicago, it's the "L", even when it's underground or in a median strip.  An "el" operates in some city on the East Coast that has terrible hot dogs and worse pizza.  C&NW suburban trains are "scoots", CB&Q and MILW suburban trains are "dinkies", although these are more railroad slang than terms used by the public.

Gotcha about the "L" and "el".  And likewise in NYC everything is the subway even above ground and on viaducts like the "elevated".  Boston has the "el" too.  And the pizza is great in both towns!

Henry:

I've heard the London subway called "the tube".

Phoebe Vet:

Henry:

I've heard the London subway called "the tube".

Yes!  And how could I forget that plus the Hudson and Manhatten Railorad being called, first, The Tubes and now PATH, ronounced "path"?  In Philly there is the Lindenwold High Speed Rail LIne, referred to as PATCO and prounounced as the acronym is spelled, too. 

henry6:

PATH, ronounced "path"?  In Philly there is the Lindenwold High Speed Rail LIne, referred to as PATCO and prounounced as the acronym is spelled, too. 

Don't forget SEPTA.

As far as equipment goes, there are so many names. For example NJT calls their MUs Arrows and their single level cars Comets. Metro-North calls their single level cars Shoreliners (some of which are identical to NJT Comets), although one series is the Comet Vs (same as NJT). SEPTA calls their MUs Silverliners. PATH's cars are the PA- series.
The list goes on and on and on and on and on...

Before the State purchase of the Boston Elevated Railway, the BER ran almost all transit in Boston, exceptions being the narrow gauge BRB&L, plus the Eastern Mass buses and streetcars that shared some streets and even some streetcar tracks with the BER. even running into the orginal subway from the ramp south of North Station to the loop at Scolley Square and over the Fellsway line to Sullevan Sq. El Station and in from Quincy to the Fields Corner "Tunnel" station.

So, a ditty began "The Elevated runs on the surface, and the surface cars run underground..."   Can someone finish it?

The Cambridg - Dorchester line, now the Red Line, was called the Cambridge Dorchester Tunnel, not subway, but Tunnel.

The we had the East Boston Tunnel. Bowdoin-Maverick, now the Bowdoin-Revere Blue Line.

 Washington Street was always called the Elevated, except specifically downtown, the Wshington Street Tunnel.

But the Green Line subway was always called The Subway.   Generally, though, Bostonians called streetcars/trolley-cars just cars or "cahhs"    I took the "caahhh" here.   Even when they ran in three-car trains in the Subway.   Tem subway car also just not used.   Tunnel Caah or Elevated Caah or just plain Caah.   Bostonians. still true?

But then as late as 14 years ago, people living near the present B, D, F, N, and Q routes in Brooklyn" would say, "I took the train to the city yesterday,"  not "I took the subway to Manhattan, yesterday.    Reflection on the origin of all these routes as steam railroads connecting to ferries to Manhattan and to horsecar lines to downtown Brooklyn.   Even though electrified first as elevated trains reaching Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge over a century ago and then gradually converted to subways trains reaching Manhattan over the Manhattan Bridfge and Montague Street Tunnel starting in 1916 and ending in 1940.    Brooklyinites:  Is this still true?

Trolley car was a misnomer for Manhatten streetcars, since they picked up their current from positive and negative rails on each side of slot, the conduit system.  Streetcar was correct.  Fans talk of Manhattan trolleys, but real New Yorkers do not.

El and L were both used as abbreviations in New York City, but only L in Chicago from what I remember.  

The finest hot dogs are sold by "Sabrett" push-cart vendors on the streets of New York, complete with umbrellas!  I'll have mine with onions and sauerkraut!  I'm not a fan of Brooklyn's "Nathan's Famous", but do like the ones sold in Shea Stadium.  As far as pizza's go, stuff your silly deep-dish.  The best in the world are served in the Bronx, "Anchovies, please!".  Even the "by-the-slice" stuff in Penn Station is better than anything in Chicago!

In NYC, an "El" was an "El", and the subway was just that.  The moniker changed with the topography and exposure to daylight.  Ever heard of the "Dyre Avenue Subway"?  Negative, on that.  The "Lexington Avenue El"?  Doubt it.

BNSFwatcher has obviously never been to Geno's East or Portillo's.

Most people I've heard talking about the Green Line have called the LRV's trolleys, which seems to imply the use of trolley pole,rather than the pantograph currently in use.

Moving from Cahh to trolley represents progress in my book.   Possibly more people finishing high school and going to college.

 in london, the underground is not the same as the tube;  the underground's cars won't fit through the much smaller tube line tunnels, and i believe the third-rail shoes are not compatible either.  so there are two different networks, like NYC has the IRT and the BMT/IND systems.  big duke

CSSHEGEWISCH:

BNSFwatcher has obviously never been to Geno's East or Portillo's.

True.  Perhaps he's still eating at Shea Stadium (torn down after the 2008 season)?

bigduke76:

in london, the underground is not the same as the tube;  the underground's cars won't fit through the much smaller tube line tunnels, and i believe the third-rail shoes are not compatible either.  so there are two different networks, like NYC has the IRT and the BMT/IND systems.  big duke

In general useage, the terms Underground and Tube are both used for the LUL (London Underground Ltd), former LT (London Transport), system - as distinct from the National Rail (former BR - now Network Rail) suburban lines - part of which are now worked as 'London Overground', as part of the TfL (Transport for London) system.

As stated, the Underground/Tube system can be divided into two groups - the 'Tube' lines - using small (about 12 feet diameter), mainly bored at deep level, tunnels - with trains to suit (about 9 feet 6 inches high) - and the 'Sub-Surface' or Surface lines, which have more 'mainline' sized trains (about 12 feet high) and generally 'cut and cover' shallow tunnels.  Both use the same track (including conductor rail) and signalling standards - there are areas of inter-running, with compromise height platforms; and both have substantial open air stretches (on the surface, sometimes on (mainly brick) viaducts), sometimes ex national system lines.

The LU uses 3rd and 4th rail, NR does not use the 4th (centre) rail - but 3rd rail position is standard, again, there are areas of inter-running.