mainline or main line?

[TEAMYAKIMA]

My question 

 

Should it be mainline or main line?

 

Or are they both correct but different?

 

Version 1.

 

If you like steam on major routes, do you like 'mainline steam' or 'main line steam' ?

 

Version 2.

 

If there is a major route under your bedroom window, is it  ' a mainline ' or ' a main line '

 

 

My personal view is that it's - mainline steam running on the main line - your view???

Edited December 20, 2018 by TEAMYAKIMA

[HLT 0109]

It is two separate words.  If you put them together it is a fiction - or a brand name with a capital M.

[ELTEL]

Does it really matter

[Steamport Southport]

It is two separate words.  If you put them together it is a fiction - or a brand name with a capital M.

 

It's definitely in common usage as mainline. Notice the spellchecker hasn't flagged it up as being wrong.

 

https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/onboard-our-trains/mainline

 

Even the BBC use the term.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-45564589/steam-trains-to-return-to-the-west-midlands-mainline

 

 

It also has a different meaning that I hope most people on here wouldn't know. The same as used in the film Trainspotting in that it's a term used when injecting drugs.

 

 

 

Jason

[Dava]

Both are used. The Great Central Main Line has its Friends but our magazine is called MainLine. If you go canal boating then the Birmingham Canal Navigation direct route is the mainline and Eric Clapton played 'Mainline Florida' long ago [1974].

[TEAMYAKIMA]

Does it really matter

 

Without wishing to start a long debate on the issue of 'does it matter?' all I can say as the OP on this one I can say that it does to me. I am preparing a display board that will front my exhibition layout and therefore represent me and my values and one of those values is correct English. It is, in its own way, a form of rivet-counting, but that's just me and I regret I am pedantic in this regard.

Edited December 21, 2018 by TEAMYAKIMA

[298]

Without wishing to start a long debate on the issue of 'does it matter?' all I can say as the OP on this one I can say that it does to me. I am preparing a display board that will front my exhibition layout and therefore represent me and my values and one of those values is correct English. It is, in its own way, a form of rivet-counting, but that's just me and I regret I am pedantic in this regard.

In the context of the Japanese sounding place in your username (which is the prototype I model in Washington), the Northern Pacific was the through route but never referred to as the main, but the local lines were branches, as was the Union Pacific route from the Tri-Cities.

 

But in terms of evolution, shouldn't you have started with the name Airfix, then GMR, then Mainline, and finally Dapol after disappearing for a few years...?

[Flying Pig]

As I recall from when I was growing up, the general usage was two words for the noun phrase, with even stress: 'main line'. As an adjective it was a single word with the stress on the first syllable: 'mainline'.

 

Within the past twenty years, the single word form has come to dominate in all situations. This seems to be part of a general reduction in grammatical distinctions, which grates on some of us as it gives the impression of a population that doesn't speak its own language fluently. A tendency for heavy stress on the first syllable may also be due to American influence (cf British 'Robin Hood', US 'RAAHbnhd').

[TEAMYAKIMA]

As I recall from when I was growing up, the general usage was two words for the noun phrase, with even stress: 'main line'. As an adjective it was a single word with the stress on the first syllable: 'mainline'.

 

 

Thanks for that analysis - I think I agree with you. So in my context of my layout board text it might read like this :     ' … I went to the S&C to photograph mainline steam which was running on the main line...'

[TEAMYAKIMA]

In the context of 'mainline steam'  , a fellow pedant has told me that it is a compound adjective and therefore should be 'main-line steam'

[Bonafide]

Does it really matter

Does it really matter that you asked this question without punctuating it with a question mark?

 

Does it really matter that the names of layouts quoted on RMweb to advertise exhibitions and in exhibition guides sometimes contain spelling errors, or show the wrong gauge or scale?

 

At one level nothing really matters if sloppiness, inaccuracies, and mistakes are acceptable because the writer can't be bothered.

 

At another level it does matter with people believing that standards are there to be upheld.

 

For example, club exhibitions with organisers who adopt a careless approach to detail might seem fine but it can have an insidious effect on prospective visitors, and does not reflect well on the host club.

 

The OP is to be respected for seeking clarification.

[caradoc]

Two words is correct, as shown by the abbreviations used, eg WCML for West Coast Main Line and MML for Midland Main Line; Not WCM or MM !

[Pacific231G]

Main Line does seem to still be the accepted usage which makes sense as it is consistent with Branch Line, Relief Line etc , A station near here is definitely Acton Main Line. (I had hoped that a GWR timetable would confirm that this had always been so but it just refers to it as Acton- other companies' stations in Acton being of no importance)

 

I'm afraid though that pedantry around English is a bit like discussing the "correct" way to make porridge. English is probably the world's most fluid language and based on generally accepted usage rather than a fixed and unchanging set of rules.  That even applies to the more pedantic areas of its use in railways. For example; I have a copy of the  Permanent Way Institution's 1943 book British Railway Track and it refers to "point and crossing work" rather than "switch and crossing work" (I still prefer pointwork) . It also has a whole section on "Catch Roads" referring to the "Catch Tongues", "Catch Points", "Catch Points with Crossing", and "Catch Road with stops" (their capitalisations)  required  "where a siding joins a running line".Apart from a single reference to "a catch or trap road", the word catch is used throughout even though by then the Clearing House Rule Book did make the distinction. I don't know about other railways but the GWR had earlier referred to "catch points" and "safety points" (i.e, trap points) .

 

The PWI book also uses the term Main Line as opposed to Branch line in reference to the two routes through a turnout.

 

 

 

 

 

  .

Edited December 21, 2018 by Pacific231G

[The Stationmaster]

I use both!  And for a very specific reason because as far as I'm concerned the term Main Line is a descriptive term of a particular running line so it is the Main Line (Up or Down being added as appropriate of course).  Whereas I refer to the GWML as the Great Western mainline for the simple reason that it includes Main Lines and it would be potentially confusing to use capitalised separate words when mentioning it in print.

 

You could of course, just to be contrary use the separate words when referring to, say, the WCML but in that case there is no risk of confusion because it hasn't got any Main Lines.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

As the OP may I thank everyone for their input.

 

I think we mainly (no pun intended) agree that a main line is just that  …... a line (noun) and main being a word to describe it (ie and adjective).

 

The issue  for me is in the concept of steam that runs on the main line. So is it

 

a)  Mainline steam

b)  Main-line steam

or

c) Main line steam

 

I think it's not © but cannot decide between (a) or (b)

[298]

For example, club exhibitions with organisers who adopt a careless approach to detail might seem fine but it can have an insidious effect on prospective visitors, and does not reflect well on the host club.

N gauge being 2mm is a particular transposition in advertising, conversely it often works the other way when punters comment on a layout.

[Steamport Southport]

As the OP may I thank everyone for their input.

 

I think we mainly (no pun intended) agree that a main line is just that  …... a line (noun) and main being a word to describe it (ie and adjective).

 

The issue  for me is in the concept of steam that runs on the main line. So is it

 

a)  Mainline steam

b)  Main-line steam

or

c) Main line steam

 

I think it's not © but cannot decide between (a) or (b)

 

I would definitely go with Mainline Steam if that's the context it's being used.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainline_steam_trains_in_Great_Britain

 

 

Hyphens are becoming obsolete. Even the OED has virtually stopped using them and where they are still used it gets complicated.

 

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/punctuation/hyphen

 

 

 

Jason

[Gibbo675]

Does it really matter

It matters a lot should you wish to be correctly and properly understood in what you say.

 

I note that there is no punctuation mark at the end of your comment and therefore ask, for you have not made your comment clear, is your comment a  statement or a question ?

[Jongudmund]

As a former proofreader I think the main thing is to pick one usage and stick with it. I once proofread a handbook that contained three different variants on "wellbeing" on one page. 

 

wellbeing

well being

well-being

 

Now, that would be sloppy!

 

The way I find to test usage is to take out one of the words. 

 

"It's a main line" - could you still say "it's a line"? Yes, you could, so it reads better to keep the words separate. But when it comes to "It's a mainline steam train" then taking out 'main' makes no sense "It's a line steam train" - well, duh. That also applies to branchline traffic on a branch line. You can hyphenate them if you want when using them as adjectives but I wouldn't bother. 

 

That usage also applies to common names. The West Coast Main Line could be referred to as the West Coast Line. 

 

The magazine title mentioned upthread - "MainLine" - is always going to be grammatically wrong because of the lack of a space, but it's a magazine title and rules do not apply with trademarks and titles. If that is their chosen designation then anyone writing about that magazine ought to call it MainLine. 

[ELTEL]

Without wishing to start a long debate on the issue of 'does it matter?' all I can say as the OP on this one I can say that it does to me. I am preparing a display board that will front my exhibition layout and therefore represent me and my values and one of those values is correct English. It is, in its own way, a form of rivet-counting, but that's just me and I regret I am pedantic in this regard.

Hi Apologies for not completing my original post without a question mark. ‘does it really matter’

 

I was not having a go, but genuinely interested on why you asked the question.

 

You have now of course given the reason why.

 

Eltel

[TEAMYAKIMA]

Hi Apologies for not completing my original post without a question mark. ‘does it really matter’

 

I was not having a go, but genuinely interested on why you asked the question.

 

You have now of course given the reason why.

 

Eltel

 

No problem - will post the final draft ( which is v5 as far as I remember !) as soon as I have it in jpg format.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

As a former proofreader I think the main thing is to pick one usage and stick with it. I once proofread a handbook that contained three different variants on "wellbeing" on one page. 

 

The way I find to test usage is to take out one of the words. 

 

"It's a main line" - could you still say "it's a line"? Yes, you could, so it reads better to keep the words separate. But when it comes to "It's a mainline steam train" then taking out 'main' makes no sense "It's a line steam train" 

 

That's exactly what my pedantic friend said - so am going with 'mainline steam'.

 

Thank you to everyone who has posted here.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

Final version - hopefully see some of you at Stevenage in January!

 

 

 

[The Johnster]

IM(very)HO, the usage 'main line' describes a line of railway which is considered to be a main line, as opposed to a branch line or siding.  'Mainline' describes stock or equipment specifically designed to be used on a main line.  This leaves plenty of room for mainline stock used on branch lines and branch line stock used on main lines, and one needs to be specific in one's definition of what constitutes a main line, or what constitutes mainline stock or equipment.  Thus, one might describe a restaurant car as a a mainline coach, designed to be used on main lines.

 

It isn't a hard and fast rule even then; for instance I do not feel comfortable with the usage of 'mainline station'; I think that should be 'main line station', despite the fact that many main line stations handle traffic which is not 'main line'.  In other words, the terms are probably interchangeable and should be used in the way that the user thinks is correct at the time he/she uses it; I'm not an authority on this sort of thing.  

 

The railway from Cardiff to Rhymni is sometimes called the Rhymni branch, but is in my view the main line of the Rhymney (that's how they spelled it in those days) Railway, which had branches off it to the likes of Senghennydd, the Senghenydd Branch.  But it never used what I would have described as mainline stock, until the days of the airconditioned mk2s and 37s.  

[Peter Kazmierczak]

And signalbox or signal box?