Flying Pigs

I don't know much about the subject, but I always thought the "fallplate" was the hinged plate which fills the variable gap between the tender and locomotive cab. (?) My guess is that that plate was so named because it falls into place.

Regards, Greg.P.

Words have more than one meaning, in this case closely related meanings as in the place where the enginemen put their feet. anonymous and unidentified *people who know* do not constitute a verifiable source as compared to the published works of the locomotive engineer who designed them, but its irrelevant, both are correct, there's the inside footplate and the outside footplates which latter may also be called running plates or running boards, or footboards as you wish. None of which makes Wikipedia right in its reference to

*fallplate* neither does it provide a simple term for the sloping bit in front of the cylinders. ES Cox called it the "footplating in front of the cylinders" which takes 6 words and you still need to know what he is talking about to understand it. Keith >

Quite so, read the thread and the Wikipedia entry before you butt in

Keith

"Keith" wrote

I was referring to the same three 'steam era railway men' who were gabbing away in the shop this pm.

John.

It sure looked like a free-for-all from where I'm sitting! =8^)

Wot's wrong with with "Pilot Deck" for the bit out in front of the smokebox door? "Ldder/steps"for the sloped piece that allows one to transit from the pilot deck to the footboard/runningboard ?

Why has this got into such a hissing match?

wrote

We don't use the expression 'pilot' in the UK, and consequently it has no meaning.

John.

'Pilot' ,in the UK, can refer to a driver who accompanies the driver of a train where the latter has not the appropriate route knowledge. Don't think they'd be too happy sitting up by the buffer-beam, however... (Having said that, I have seen a shunting pilot sitting on the far end of a rake of flats, radio in hand and wearing shorts and HI-VI belt- but that was at Coquelles in high summer) Brian

Because ignorant people like you and Keith are trying to rename parts that already have long established names - just because some halfwit has submitted an incorrect entry into some half-rate, error ridden, online web site.

Ignorance is correctable over time and with the tutelage of those who know. You were also ignorant when you first began, but now want to use that state of being to insult another newcomer. I don't know what Keith is about, but I am not trying to change or rename anything. I have only recently become interested enough in British Railways to subscribe to this group. I did so in order to learn and ask questions as well as to participate in various threads and topics. This one interested me because I also found the locomotive under discussion to be quite interesting as well. I would like to know more about it. I don't need to be insulted for asking questions. That is quite out of order.

It seems to me that there is a general non-consensus about what nomenclature to assign to any of several features of this and other machines. I currently have no way of knowing who is correct and who is full of wind. My questions are simply my way of trying to keep the thread going until some consensus is reached on the nomenclature issue. Now, while I may be ignorant at the moment, I am not stupid, and thus I will not remain ignorant for very long- with or without your help.

OK, but you must have some way of describing that area from the buffer beam to the smokebox door. What do you call it? I have to ask the question using terms I know, because if I knew the "proper" term I wouldn't have a question in the first instance.

I see that the season of 'goodwill to all men' has ended early.

wrote

It's the buffer beam as far as I know.

Doesn't 'pilot' refer specifically to that 'cow catcher' arrangement on the from of North American locos? We never really had them on British locos.

John.

Also, on inside cylinder engines, the plate-work in front of and below the smokebox will be the forward part of any inside cylinder cover.

halfwit

ridden,

would like to know

So READ about them, don't start suggesting what people should call parts of the loco, we don't try to rename the parts of USA loco's just because they don't fit into our 'culture' of naming parts. Especially when you admit to being a 'newcomer' (to British locomotive terminology)...

nomenclature to

Well you would be wrong, the only people being 'non-consensus' are those who don't know, rather than read or listen to those who do, they decide that they are going to re invent the bleeding wheel and everyone using the old style wheel should change!

I currently have no way

That is the problem with Usenet, any *young* fool can express their opinions, even if they have never seen a full sized steam loco let along either driven or worked on them...

The buffer beam, or buffer plank, is the vertial part that the buffers are bolted to, not the horizontal plating above and behind it that the men stand on to clear out the smokebox or change the lamps. The horizontal part is described by ES Cox who designed these things for his living as the front footplating, I have also heard 'front platform' but not sure if that was common in UK practice. The more traditional UK loco front end with curved plating under the smokebox was sometimes called a piano front.

Pilot is much as you suggest John but the reference was to 'pilot deck' which is the bit you stand on above the pilot.

Keith

you understood better than any of the others, you were the only correspondent who addressed the issue I raised!

You could consider who can quote verifiable sources and who just repeats in capitals so that the stupid natives might better understand.

Unfortunately there can be no concensus while some participants insist that each word has only one meaning and each part can be correctly described by only one word. English is not like that, even within the restricted topic of UK railways, even less so when broadened out into railways in the rest of the English speaking world. And while UK and US railway language is distinctly different there is also quite a lot of cross fertilisation, 30 years ago we in UK did not have freight trains we had goods trains, now we have freight trains instead, and this change was well under way before the Wisconsin Central bought up our freight operators. So to learn its better we try to understand each other and seek clarification when someone uses a different word than the one we prefer rather than just burying the original topic under sterile argument about words.

Keith

insist

Quite correct, so shut up and stop showing your ignorance!

"Keith" wrote

Yes, I'd sussed that much.

John.