Rant

NW Mailing List nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Wed Apr 8 15:07:09 EDT 2015


Perhaps not so much of a curmudgeon as desirous of clarity and precision in
speech.  Uncle Ed King has repeatedly reminded us that although electric
locomotives and diesels are "units", steam locomotives are not.

If one is tired of starting arguments over color, one could always start a
discussion about the use of "mallet" when talking about a simple
articulated.

Now that said, we all know that sometimes local usage may vary.  And may
vary over time.  There are people here in Cleveland that still refer to
"The Big Four Line".  And there was an issue of Vintage Rails that referred
to the C&O's streamlined hudsons as "yellowbellies"--a term that no one in
the COHS including retired C&O employees ever admitted to having heard
before.

If someone really wants to continue terminology discussions, we can chat
about this, "battleship gons", and even pronunciation over beverages and
steakburgers at the convention in Marion in June.  [subtle product
placement]

Frank Bongiovanni
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