Pet hate idioms used by railway enthusiasts

[AndyID]

12 minutes ago, SamThomas said:

I beg to disagree as I find nicknames such as these quite lighthearted.

 

Rather like ;

 

Accountants - Bean Counters

Doctors - Bones

Carpenter - Chippy

Electrician - Sparks

Scientist - Boffin

Road Mamnager - Roadie

 

& so on.

 

Probably best to leave members of the financial industry out of this 

[Compound2632]

39 minutes ago, SamThomas said:

I beg to disagree as I find nicknames such as these quite lighthearted.

 

Rather like ;

 

Accountants - Bean Counters

Doctors - Bones

Carpenter - Chippy

Electrician - Sparks

Scientist - Boffin

Road Mamnager - Roadie

 

& so on.

 

No, they're all derogatory, designed to put these highly educated and qualified people, experienced experts in their field, in their place by public school types in management positions for which they have no particular competence. 

[Steamport Southport]

9 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Grooveway! (Now corrected in post.)

 

I can imagine a Goveway though. Something like a cross between a slipway and ski-jump. 

 

It stood out as I was listening to something on the radio the other week where it said his name should be pronounced Goove as in groove rather than Gove (as in cove)

 

Something to do with the part of Scotland he's from. Like Menzies being pronounced Mingis.

 

 

Jason

[wombatofludham]

Goodness, there are a lot of grumpy people around.

The fact a certain Cheshire based purveyor of mass market models in boxes (sufficiently annoying for you?) gave me a very decent wedge of moolah (has that triggered anyone yet?) for my surplus model railway stuff, very professionally handled remotely and conveniently although I elected to deliver in person rather than trust couriers, means people can call them whatever they want. I'm sure that Hatton's couldn't give a fig so long as we all keep their cash registers ringing.

I also know chippies and brickies who call themselves thus, I respect their training as I would hope they would respect my expertise where it is needed.  If someone with 40 years bricklaying or carpentry experience doesn't seem to object to the terms, I don't see why I should.

Being serious for a minute, what really grinds my gears - and it has been illuminated by this thread - is the way certain sectors of the model railway fraternity would have us elevate the hobby to a religion, pouring scorn on heretics who are "box openers", who object to widely used expressions like "kettle" or the use of long established loco nicknames, and who, frankly, are a great advert for taking up any other hobby than railway modelling.  I treat model railways as fun, for a laugh, and whilst my sense of humour is best described as "individual", and I try and undertake my modelling to the best of my abilities, it's not real life, it's not a matter of life and death and should be treated as such.  In my brief involvement with an exhibition layout, and the Dolgellau display, I've always gone out of my way to talk to people and try to encourage rather than discourage, some can be put off by a very professional display and think they can't achieve what they see in front of them - so I talk to them and explain the short cuts and ways to achieve a good result - and yes, I do refer them to YouTube.  If people start getting grumpy about terminology and "box opening", DCC or whatever 747 sized wasp they have up their chuff, it's the quickest way to persuade someone to take up knitting or painting instead.

Right, off to splash weathering mascara over my ready to run locos with coathangers on the roof, having first opened their boxes.  No kettles yet, they will be in the second project over the winter.  Does weathering, renumbering and naming them after great uncles and multiple great grandfather's castle in Dudley count as real modelling?  Or do I need to know the driver's inside leg measurement and hand knit my own catenary/OHLE/OHE/knitting (delete as triggered) to get inducted into that hallowed band?

[F-UnitMad]

46 minutes ago, wombatofludham said:

Goodness, there are a lot of grumpy people around

Do you feel better now, Mark?   

[Steamport Southport]

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Something to do with the part of Scotland he's from. Like Menzies being pronounced Mingis.

 

 

Or Milngavie pronounced "mullguy".

 

Mind you, isn't Marjoribanks pronounced "Chumley", or did I get confused (again)?

[Steamport Southport]

1 minute ago, AndyID said:

 

Or Milngavie pronounced "mullguy".

 

Mind you, isn't Marjoribanks pronounced "Chumley", or did I get confused (again)?

 

Cholmondeley Marjoribanks Featherstonehaugh

 

Chumley Marshbanks Fanshaw

 

 

Went to school with him.... 

[JeremyC]

4 hours ago, SamThomas said:

I beg to disagree as I find nicknames such as these quite lighthearted.

 

Rather like ;

 

Accountants - Bean Counters

Doctors - Bones

Carpenter - Chippy

Electrician - Sparks

Scientist - Boffin

Road Mamnager - Roadie

 

& so on.

As an ex merchant navy engineer:

Electrician - Lecky

Radio Officer - Sparks (or Sparky)

Edited June 22, 2021 by JeremyC

[SamThomas]

7 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

No, they're all derogatory, designed to put these highly educated and qualified people, experienced experts in their field, in their place by public school types in management positions for which they have no particular competence. 

Oh, dear......

[Compound2632]

3 hours ago, SamThomas said:

Oh, dear......

 

... says the person who has never been on the wrong end of such offensive and derogatory terminology.

Edited June 23, 2021 by Compound2632

[jcm@gwr]

12 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

No, they're all derogatory, designed to put these highly educated and qualified people, experienced experts in their field, in their place by public school types in management positions for which they have no particular competence. 

 

No, most have come from within their own industry, an extension of friendly banter,

nothing to do with anyone outside creating them, although they might have been 

picked up by them and used in a derogatory way.

Having worked many sites, the vast majority of the trades use these terms to describe

themselves, they wouldn't do that if they were 'put-downs', unless you are suggesting

that their intelligence level is not high enough to realise/understand the insult?

I have no problem being referred to as a 'lavatory mechanic'!

[AndyID]

5 minutes ago, jcm@gwr said:

 

No, most have come from within their own industry, an extension of friendly banter,

nothing to do with anyone outside creating them, although they might have been 

picked up by them and used in a derogatory way.

Having worked many sites, the vast majority of the trades use these terms to describe

themselves, they wouldn't do that if they were 'put-downs', unless you are suggesting

that their intelligence level is not high enough to realise/understand the insult?

I have no problem being referred to as a 'lavatory mechanic'!

 

I think that's mostly true but I suspect Compound  might have run into a situation that I am familiar with that was at one time prevalent in the UK.

 

On one occasion, a long time ago, I told someone I was studying electrical and electronic engineering, to which they replied;

 

"So you fix TVs ?"

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

 

I think that's mostly true but I suspect Compound  might have run into a situation that I am familiar with that was at one time prevalent in the UK.

 

 

Being referred to as a "boffin" was definitely offensive and derogatory. If one wishes to avoid giving offence, these terms are best avoided. However, if you want to be seen as patronising and anti-expert by all means continue.

[jcm@gwr]

11 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Being referred to as a "boffin" was definitely offensive and derogatory. If one wishes to avoid giving offence, these terms are best avoided. However, if you want to be seen as patronising and anti-expert by all means continue.

 

Maybe you've had a bad experience with the way these terms have been used,

but I can assure you that if you had used that attitude/approach with the vast

majority of the guys I've worked with across the sites I've worked on, for the 

past 30 years, you would most definitely been put in your place, and be seen as

being 'woke', a 'snowflake', and be told 'not to take offence on behalf of others'!

You might be speaking from personnel experience, but so am I, sorry.

[SamThomas]

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

... says the person who has never been on the wrong end of such offensive and derogatory terminology.

Do you actually know me ?

 

No, you don't of course, so don't tell me what I've experienced - FYI I've been on the recieving end of far worse & used a GSoH to deal with it.

 

Nicknames are generally part of lifes daily banter & all the time they are used in a lightheated non-malicious manner there is no problem with them.

 

Please don't get too close to any heat - snowflakes melt in heat.

[Pacific231G]

13 hours ago, wombatofludham said:

Right, off to splash weathering mascara over my ready to run locos with coathangers on the roof, having first opened their boxes.  No kettles yet, they will be in the second project over the winter.  Does weathering, renumbering and naming them after great uncles and multiple great grandfather's castle in Dudley count as real modelling?  Or do I need to know the driver's inside leg measurement and hand knit my own catenary/OHLE/OHE/knitting (delete as triggered) to get inducted into that hallowed band?

To be accepted as a real modeller you need to; mine, refine and smelt your own copper and iron ore, before drawing the wire for your OLE; you must then roll your own rail, and go into  a forest to select the timber from which to cut your sleepers. As you build and describe what you're building, you must learn the precise technical term used in official publications by every different professional group in the railway industry (being careful to only use those in use at the time your model is set as they change over time)  and get very angry if you hear anyone using an "incorrect" term.

Above all you must not simply enjoy yourself. Remember that a puritan is someone who goes through life terrified that someone, somewhere, is happy. 

[Oldddudders]

My word, we are all having a nice day, aren't we?

[ejstubbs]

16 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

...a puritan is someone who goes through life terrified that someone, somewhere, is happy having a better time than they are. 

 

FTFY

[AndyID]

25 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

To be accepted as a real modeller you need to; mine, refine and smelt your own copper and iron ore, before drawing the wire for your OLE; you must then roll your own rail, and go into  a forest to select the timber from which to cut your sleepers. As you build and describe what you're building, you must learn the precise technical term used in official publications by every different professional group in the railway industry (being careful to only use those in use at the time your model is set as they change over time)  and get very angry if you hear anyone using an "incorrect" term.

Above all you must not simply enjoy yourself. Remember that a puritan is someone who goes through life terrified that someone, somewhere, is happy. 

 

Thank you for stating the blinking obvious. (I  was about to say bloody but i thought better of it.)

[Pacific231G]

3 minutes ago, ejstubbs said:

 

FTFY

Or not! The actual quote attributed to H.L. Mencken is , "Puritanism.—The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy"  There have of course been umpteen versions of it since- and possibly before. 

[Free At Last]

Working in contracting you heard all kinds of nicknames.

One site I worked on a chap was known as E-stop. I didn't ask why but then saw him in the canteen with his helmet off and he had a red growth on the top of his head resembling an emergency stop button.

 

Needing a bit of scaffold moving I went to the scaffolder's cabin where I was told to get Wimbledon to do it. Who is Wimbledon I asked, you'll know him when you see him I was told. It turned out that Wimbledon had fallen from scaffolding and it left him with a condition where his head turned left and right in synchronous with his walking. 

[Reorte]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Being referred to as a "boffin" was definitely offensive and derogatory. If one wishes to avoid giving offence, these terms are best avoided. However, if you want to be seen as patronising and anti-expert by all means continue.

One or two of them are ("boffin" is one of them that can be). The rest have never struck me as being derogatory, just very informal.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

My word, we are all having a nice day, aren't we?

Yes, thanks for asking.

[APOLLO]

My apprenticeship working for The North Western Gas Board at Wigan was "enlightening" in the least.

 

EVERYBODY (self included) had a nickname (or two), most were rude / derogatory some made you burst out laughing (or crying !!) but each had a tale behind it. On my first day back in 1969 I made a mess of brewing the district engineers tea - full of battleships (floating tea leaves). _ I won't tell you what I was called after that !!.

 

And it wasn't just workmates either, Towns, districts, streets, tools etc similarly nicknamed. "Bonk brew" being a steep hill where Joe Bonk (a supervisor) crashed his van, Hammers ranged from 't little ommer (Two and a half pound lump up to 'Kin big ommer" (Fourteen pound sledge). The list was endless, and certainly was not politically correct etc. A laugh a minute back then.

 

All such has gone in our sterile namby pamby touchy touchy society.

 

Brit15