Glossary of United Kingdom railway terms

This article contains a list of jargon used to varying degrees by railway enthusiasts, trainspotters, and railway employees in the United Kingdom, including nicknames for various locomotives and multiple units.

Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications.

There may be significant regional variation in usage.

Bettendorf -type freight car bogie

A cess along the London Underground

A Class 321 Dusty Bin

HST power car (foreground) in FGW fag packet livery

A British Rail Class 08 Gronk

A Class 365 Happy Train

Preserved Class 50 50 049 Defiance, in large-logo livery

A Class 442 Plastic pig

A pump trolley

The roof shape on Class 66 diesel locos resembles that of a garden shed .

Wood (left track) and concrete (right track) sleepers beneath the rails

A preserved Southern A1 Class Terrier

A class 465 in Network SouthEast Toothpaste livery

A triangle