Railroad Terminology

     Well I have made it to Richmond from my home across the state to start work tomorrow. I have already gotten a call about a gate mech that has been knocked down in Newport News, so I know what we will be working on tomorrow.
     Before I get into reporting on the ins and out of what I do everyday, I thought I should post some of the terminology that is unique to the railroad and specifically the signal department. I know that this is a short list, and I know I am missing a lot, so if I use a word or phrase that you don't understand please feel free to leave a question in the comments section.  I will try to make this more interesting than your average dictionary, but I make no promises.

Cut-in - as in: We have to have everything done by February for the cut-in.  A cut-in is when we turn all the old signals or crossings off and turn on and test the new ones.  Once they pass all of the operational tests, they are turned over to the transportation department and trains can run on them again.

Dark Territory - as in: There is no track circuit here because we are in dark territory.  Dark Territory is simply a section of track that has no signals on it. 

EC-1 - as in: I got an EC-1 from milepost 10 to milepost 12. An EC-1 is a form issued by the dispatcher, it gives the recipient exclusive occupancy of the track.

Fired - as in: Tom got fired for not wearing his safety glasses.  I know that sentence sounds just like getting fired at any normal job but here is the difference, when you get fired here, it means that you go home with out pay for 5 days or 15 days etc.  and then you come back,  Now if you get fired too many times, they can terminate you, which is the same as fired in every other job.

Gate Mech -as in: Some drunk hit the gate mech and knocked it over. The gate mech is the mechanical device that makes the crossing gates go up and down.

Half - as in: We got 20 hours overtime this half. Because we normally work 8, ten hour days and then have 6 days off, which equals 14 days, which is half a month. Therefore, a half is one work period, or half a month.

Megger/Meg - as in: We need to meg this cable before we put it in service. This is a wire insulation checker that we use.

Red block - as in: I have had to much to drink I better red block.  This one is probably exclusive to CSX, it is a program that means you can call in and tell your supervisor/crew management that you need to mark of red block and you will be marked off sick, no questions asked.  Do this more than 3 times a year and you can find yourself in trouble.  Use it once on a short call and you will be fine (ask me how I know)

Short Call- as in: I only got 6 hrs of sleep and got a short call.  This is generally a transportation term, but since I used to work as a conductor, and I used it in an explanation so I figured I better explain it.  A short call, is when a conductor or engineer gets called out with minimal rest between trips.

Shunt - as in: Put down a shunt to be sure the gates go down. A shunt is a wire that has the same resistance in it as a train. We use these to imitate a trains presence to test our systems and be sure they will work.

Terminal Wrench - as in: I need a terminal wrench to get this nut off. All of our terminals are one size and this wrench is standard issue for a signalman.

Terminated - as in: Tom got terminated for getting fired to many times. The same as fired in every other job.