The Term "Motormen"

[Anonymous]

Why are engineers that operate interburbans called "motormen" and not engineers? Is it because they operate lighter trains?

[DSchmitt]

Because interurbans do not have engines, they have motors[:)]

[athelney]

Not sure of the origin of the term Motorman -- however back in UK , they operated the electric mu's , while drivers & firemen operated steam loco's.

[daveklepper]

I recall the caps on the operators of Montreal streetcars (le tramvvays) had the badges: "Le Guard du Moteur" or something close. Today, most transit systems call both light rail and bus drivers "operators." Why? Because in addition to being hogheads they also collect fares and sometimes make announcement on PA systems also. Does anyone know what horsecar drivers were called? I didn't enquire when i visited Douglass, Isle of Man, with its operating horse-powered streetcar line. And enjoyable ride, by the way, and the steady clop - clop - clop - clop of the horses hooves stays in my memory. Of course USA horsecar drivers may have used a different title than British.

On the New York subway system both Motorman and Engineer were used at various times, engineer being used more frequenty on the BMT, which inhereted steam railroad lines. Indeed, most Brooklynites when I was a kid would refer to "taking the train to the city" and not "going by subway to Manhattan." All four of the lines now converging on Coney Island were steam railroads at one time or another. I think the British refer to Tram Drivers and even the Underground uses "Driver."

[Anonymous]

Update to that terminogy Dave. The New York City's transit authority doesn't refer to the operators as "motomen" anymore. They are simply called "train operators". I think it was changed because of its sexist overtones (lawyers [banghead][censored][:o)][:P]).


Glenn
A R E A L RAILROADER...A TRUE AMERICAN!!!!

[Anonymous]

A practical, but not all-encompassing, definition that I've seen around the engineering world for my entire career is that an engine directly converts the energy in a fuel that it carries with it, while a motor does not (that conversion would occur elsewhere, if at all). Hence, an internal-combustion engine (Diesel) or external combustion engine (steam), can stand alone and do the job as long as it has a tank of fuel. But an electric motor cannot do that - it carries and burns no fuel - the involvement of a fuel in the process occurs somewhere else and the motor has to be connected to it with wires.

Under this definition, a Diesel-electric locomotive (power unit, including a D-E DMU car) has an engine or engines and electric traction motors; a straight Diesel locomotive (Diesel-hydraulic or other direct drive, like an RDC) has an engine or engines but no traction motors; an electric locomotive (power unit, including EMUs, interurbans and trolley/LRT cars) has electric traction motors but no engine.

Hence, when the two were differentiated, engines were operated by engineers or engine-drivers (the older Briti***erm supplanted by just "drivers") and motors were operated by motormen.

Webster's, by the way, blurs any difference and uses the terms virtually synonymously, as do almost everybody else.

So much for antiquities. We all know what we mean when we use the terms in everyday, non-technical language.

Hope this is useful.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE:
Does anyone know what horsecar drivers were called?

Most of the time they were refered to as "Teamsters" which of course is where the name for the teamsters union came from.

And they were called Teamsters because they drove a team of horses.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

QUOTE:
Does anyone know what horsecar drivers were called?

Most of the time they were refered to as "Teamsters" which of course is where the name for the teamsters union came from.

And they were called Teamsters because they drove a team of horses.

And driving that team of horses was a pretty tough job if the car only had one horse![(-D][(-D][(-D]