All aboard! This week, a bit about the musical language of railroad conductors’ calls: “Anaheim, Azusa, and Cu-ca-monga!” Also, the origin of the military slang term cumshaw, tips for learning Latin, the influence of Spanish...
It’ll never be seen on a galloping horse is a handy answer to tiny flaws in sewing or quilting: from a moving horse, nobody will notice the mismatched plaid or crooked stitch. Debbie in San Diego grew up hearing her seamstress mother’s family...
A trip to the California State Railroad Museum has Grant musing about the way language can change in the mouth of a single individual— in this case, railroad conductors. He recommends a collection of sound files from metros and subways around the...
rivet counter n.— «North End Train Center has some intense customers who Colley likes to call “rivet counters.” These are collectors who won’t buy an item unless it is absolutely correct and to perfect scale.» —“Small...
drop table n.— «It’s a short trip for the wheels but a big step in the railroad company’s ability to perform repairs and maintenance on more than 200 locomotives and rail cars that it owns and leases. The engine house drop...
quiet title n.— «If, in fact, the railroad company is willing to state in writing that it has abandoned the property, you may also be able to file what is known as a “quiet title” action, asking a judge to review the facts and...