Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT): The average number of vehicles passing a given point on a roadway during a given 24-hour period.

Abandonment: Elimination of a segment of track from a rail network.

Amtrak: Informal name for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation created by the federal government to operate the nation's intercity passenger rail services.

Ballast: Selected material placed on the railroad roadbed for the purpose of holding the track in line.

Branch Line: The track route of a railroad which extends from the principal lines of rail traffic to connect external shipping points.

Car Miles: The measurement of the movement of a rail car one mile.

Class of Track: The relative general condition of a section of track measured in terms of the maximum speed at which trains may be operated safely over that section of track, as follows:

Class of Railroads: The US Federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) classification of railroads based on level of annual operating revenue. The 1998 figure based classifications follow:

Clearance: The maximum limiting dimensions of a rail shipment that would allow or prevent the clearing of tunnels and bridges and other rail system structures.

Commuter Rail: Short-haul rail passenger service operating in metropolitan and suburban areas on track that is most often a part of the general railroad system.

Consignee: The individual or entity to which freight is addressed or shipped. Freight is shipped by a consignor to a consignee.

Consignor: The individual or entity shipping outbound freight to a consignee. Freight is shipped by a consignor to a consignee.

Continuous Welded Rail (CWR): Sometimes referred to as Ribbon Rail, is a form of track where the rails are welded together, end to end, to form one continuous rail that may be several miles in length. Because there are fewer rail joints, this form of track is stronger ,smoother, quieter, and needs less maintenance. Welded track has become common on main lines since the 1950s.

Crane: A large machine that straddles the railroad track for the purpose of loading and unloading rail cars.

Crossover: A connecting intersection of railroad tracks between two adjacent railroad tracks.

Dedicated Train: In Maintenance of Way, a train that transports a MOW Cars, supplies and /or crews.

Density: The measurement reflecting the amount of freight traffic moving over a segment of rail line which is measured in million gross ton-miles per mile.

Derailment: A condition by-where one or more cars or locomotives leave the railroad track.

Doodlebug: A self-propelled self-contained special task railcar, often used for precision testing.

Double Track: Two main railroad tracks, on one of which the current of traffic runs in a specified direction, and on the other the traffic is restricted to the opposite direction.

Dunnage: Material used to protect or support MOW materials and supplies during transport.

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA): A division of the US Department of Transportation responsible for administering all Federal programs related to rail transportation.

FRED - Flashing Rear End Device: The device affixed to an operational train to be used as an end-of-train warning and to transmit train telemetry information to the engineer at the front of the train.

Gauge: The distance between outside rails measured at right angles. In the US, the standard gauge is 4 feet, 8-½ inches (1,435 mm) as are over sixty percent of the world's railways. Please review our following chart for examples of common gauges used around the world.

Geographic Information System (GIS): The computer-based system for mapping and analyzing data and events.

Gross Ton Miles: The movement of one ton of freight a distance of one mile, including train weight of goods, cars and locomotives.

Hazardous Material (HazMat): A substance or combination of substances in close proximity, which, because of quantity, concentration, physical or chemical characteristics, or combination in proximity, may cause or may pose a substantial hazard to health of living things or to the environment, if improperly transported, packaged or stored.

Intermodal: A type of international freight system forwarding and transport  that permits trans-shipping among sea, highway, rail, and air modes of transportation through use of American National Standards Institute and International Organization for Standardization containers, line-haul assets, and handling equipment, using two or more modes to complete the movement, in either passenger or freight.

Ladder Track: A series of turnouts providing access to any or all of several parallel yard tracks.

Light Rail: Most often an urban rail transportation system that uses electric-powered rail cars along exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways, or occasionally on streets.

Linehaul Railroad: A railroad which is principally involved in the movement of freight from one town or city to another, or from one facility to another.

Main Line: A designation by each railroad of its own track system, signifying a line over which through-trains pass with relatively high frequency. Main lines generally have heavier weight rail, more sophisticated signaling systems, and a higher level of maintenance than branch lines. The US Department of Transportation definition is based on gross ton miles per mile passing over a given segment of track. Main lines carry more than 5 million gross ton miles per mile annually.

Maintenance of Way: The process of maintaining railroad roadbed (rail, ties, ballast, bridges, etc.) Materials and supplies for Maintenance of Way are moved in and by specially designed and manufactured Maintenance of Way railcars, etc., which includes railcars that are equipped with heavy equipment, such as cranes and automated maintenance equipment.

Merger: The combination/absorption of two or more railroads through the acquisition or combining of assets, by-where there remains a surviving entity. Examples are: Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and Burlington formed Burlington Northern and Seaboard Air Line merged Atlantic Coast Line and simultaneously adopted the new name, Seaboard Coast Line.

Net Ton-mile: The movement of one ton of freight, one mile.

Paired Track: When two railroads own single track lines, they may reach an agreement whereby track belonging to one railroad services both tracks in one direction and the other railroad services both lines of track in the other direction.

Per Diem: An amount based on a fixed rate per day which is used in calculating time and money.

Performance Measure: A quantitative or qualitative measurement tool to assess progress towards a pre-defined outcome or goal.

Plate: see Tie Plate.

Rail / Highway Crossing: A location either at-grade or grade-separated, where one or more railroad tracks intersect a highway, street or other non-rail intersection.

Rail Weight: The weight of a standard length of common rail, measured in pounds linear per yard. Most commonly, rails are fabricated at 112 to 145 pounds per yard, depending on specification and alloy, however, there is railroad track manufactured weighing as little as 90 pounds per yard..

Railroad Cost Recovery Index (RCR): A measure of railroad inflation indicating the change in the price levels of inputs to railroad operations including wages, fuel, materials and supplies, and other expenses.

Railroad Track: (see Track) Some of the components making up Railroad Track systems include, Elastic Rail Clips (ERC), Rail Anchor, Dog Spike, Lock Spike, Screw Spike, Double Shank Spike, Single Shank Spike, Bolt & Nut, Washer, Fish Plate, Base Plates, Sleepers, Inserts, Rubber Pads, Plastic Pad, Dowels/Ferule, GFN Liner, Plastic Liners and other Rubber, Plastic and Metallic Fasteners.

Recrew: A crew used to man a train or do maintenance when the original crew has insufficient time to complete the designated trip on set of tasks, making a second crew necessary.

Regional Railroad or Carrier: A railroad company earning less than $259.4 million annually and operating more than 100 miles of track. (see Class of Railroads, above)

Ruling Grade: The particular point on a run of railroad at which the combination of grade and curve resistance makes the train pull the hardest and therefore this 'point'number, "rules" how heavy a load can be given to the locomotive.

Shoe Fly Track: A temporary section of railroad track, built around a train wreck or washout, and/or to facilitate longer-term maintenance.

Short-line Railroad: A railroad/company which is typically less than 100 miles in length.

Siding / Side Track: A track auxiliary to the main track for meeting or passing trains and/or to facilitate the safe and convenient maintenance of the main line. Also used to hold and stage trains.

Sleeper: Another term for cross ties, which are embedded in Ballast to form the railroad track bed.

Spur Track: A short track extending from or along side another (main) track that is connected at only one end with that main track.

Surface Transportation Board (STB): The Federal body charged with enforcing acts of Congress affecting interstate rail traffic.

Strategic Rail Corridor Network (STRACNET): A Federally defined, interconnected network of rail corridors important to National defense.

Stub Track: A run of railroad siding track connected to a operational track at one end and protected at the other end by a bumping post or other train-stopping obstruction.

Switching Railroad: A railroad involved in the moving of rail cars between two points, both of which are within the same vicinity, group of industries, station or community.

Tangent Track: Straight railroad track.

Tariff: The legal listing of rates used when moving regulated traffic by rail.

Team Track: A siding section of railroad track on which rail cars are placed for the use, most often by the public, for loading and/or unloading freight to and from rail cars.

Through Traffic: Railroad traffic which originates and terminates on railroad owned by other railroad companies, off-line, or outside of a source state.

Tie Plate: A steel plate, flat on the bottom, placed between flanged rail and the rail ties. The tie plate increases the bearing area, thereby distributing the weight of the passing train across a wider area of the crosstie, holding the rail to the correct gauge. They are fastened to wooden ties by means of spikes or bolts through holes in the plate, and concrete ties by bolts.

Tie Plate Inserter: A machine that slides the plate under the rail in the railroad tie replacement process.

Ties (Crossties): Wood, concrete or steel cross members keeping the two rails in gauge, maintaining correct separation of the parallel tracks.

Track: (Railroad Track) is used on railways to bear the weight of and to guide trains as the move along the rail system, without the need for steering. Railroad tracks consists of two parallel steel rails, laid on ties (sleepers) that are set on and embedded into ballast. Rails vary in length, weight, alloy and profile in different countries around the world. As a rule of thumb, standard rails come in 39' and 33' lengths, however, 30' lengths are common. 

Transload: The physical transfer of a commodity from one transportation vehicle to another.

Turnout: A track structure diverting cars and locomotives from one track to another.

Value Added: A process which transforms a product or service, effecting increased worth.

Warning Devices: Signs, signals, markings, and devices placed along approaches to track and at railroad/highway crossings, on, over or adjacent to streets or highways, to direct and assist vehicle operators and pedestrians in crossing the rail line, or avoiding the rail line, safely.

Weight Limit: The maximum gross weight per four-axle rail car, including the equipment and goods that can be handled over rail lines.

Whistle Signals: What is the meaning of a train whistle or train horn? In the following chart,  *  means a short blast of the whistle or horn and  -  means one long blast of the whistle or horn:
 

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