Railways
Getting around · 102 words
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The words
102 words
- axle/ˈæksəl/noun · B2+The bar a pair of wheels turns on.
- ballast/ˈbæl.əst/noun · C1The crushed stone the sleepers rest in.
- block sectionnoun · C2A stretch of line only one train may occupy.
- bogie/ˈbəʊ.ɡi/noun · C2The wheeled frame a carriage rests on.
- booking hallnoun · C1The big entrance area inside a station where passengers gather and queue at the ticket windows.
- brake vannoun · C2The vehicle at the rear where the guard rode.
- branch linenoun · C1A minor line running off the main route.
- buffer/ˈbʌfə/verb · C1To store data ahead of time so playback runs smoothly.
- buffet carnoun · B2The carriage selling drinks and snacks.
- bullet trainnoun · B1A very fast streamlined passenger train.
- cable car/ˈkeɪ.bəl ˌkɑːɹ/noun · B1A car hauled up a slope on a moving rope.
- cancellation/kænsəˈleɪʃən/noun · B1+A service called off before it runs.
- carriage/ˈkæɹɪd͡ʒ/noun · B2One car of a passenger train; also, a horse-drawn vehicle.
- carriage windownoun · B2The glass you watch the country pass through.
- commuter trainnoun · B2A train carrying people to and from work.
- compartment/kəmˈpɑɹtmənt/noun · B2One enclosed section of seats in a carriage.
- concourse/ˈkɒŋkɔː(ɹ)s/noun · C1The wide open hall inside a terminal.
- conductor/kənˈdʌktɚ/noun · B1+The one who checks tickets on the train.
- connection/kəˈnɛkʃ(ə)n/noun · B1A second train you change onto.
- container terminalnoun · B2Where metal boxes move between trains and lorries.
- corridor/ˈkɒɹɪdɔː/noun · B1The passage running along a carriage.
- couple/ˈkʌp.əl/verb · B2To join two vehicles together.
- coupling/ˈkʌplɪŋ/noun · C1The link that joins one vehicle to the next.
- crossing gatenoun · B2The barrier that closes a road when a train comes.
- curve/kɜːv/noun · B1A bend in the track.
- cutting/ˈkʌtɪŋ/noun · C1A channel dug through high ground for a railway.
- delay/dɪˈleɪ/noun · B1The extra waiting when a flight or train is late.
- departure boardnoun · B1The screen listing flights and their times.
- depot/ˈdɛpəʊ/noun · B2The yard where vehicles are kept and serviced.
- derailmentnoun · C1A train coming off the rails.
- diesel/ˈdiːzəl/noun · B2A locomotive driven by an oil-burning engine.
- dining carnoun · B2The carriage where meals are served.
- double tracknoun · B2A line with separate rails for each direction.
- driver/ˈdɹaɪ.və/noun · A1The person behind the wheel of a car, bus, or taxi.
- electric/ɪˈlɛktɹɪk/adjective · A2Working on the power that flows through wires.
- embankment/ɪmˈbæŋkmənt/noun · C1A raised bank of earth carrying a railway.
- express trainnoun · B1A fast train that stops at few stations.
- fireman/ˈfaɪɹmən/noun · B2The one who shovelled coal on a steam engine.
- flange/ˈflænd͡ʒ/noun · C2The lip on a wheel that keeps it on the rail.
- flatbed wagonnoun · C1A wagon with a flat floor and no sides.
- freight trainnoun · B2A train that carries goods, not people.
- freight yardnoun · B2Where goods are loaded and unloaded.
- funicularnoun · C1A pair of cars on a slope, one pulling the other up.
- gauge/ˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/noun · C1The distance between the two rails of a track.
- gradient/ˈɡɹeɪdiənt/noun · B2+How steeply a line rises or falls.
- guard/ɡɑːd/noun · B2The railway worker in charge of a train.
- high-speed railnoun · B2Railways built for very fast trains.
- hopper wagonnoun · C2A wagon that empties its load from below.
- horn/hɔːn/noun · B1What you press in a car to make the loud warning beep.
- inspection/ɪnˈspɛkʃən/noun · B2An official close look to check that all is as it should be.
- interlockingnoun · C2The system stopping signals and points from conflicting.
- junction/ˈd͡ʒʌŋkʃən/noun · B2+Where two railway lines meet or divide.
- level crossingnoun · B2Where a road crosses a railway on the flat.
- locomotive/ˌləʊkəˈməʊtɪv/noun · B2The powered unit that pulls a train.
- loop linenoun · C1A track that leaves the main line and rejoins it.
- luggage racknoun · B2The shelf above the seats for bags.
- main linenoun · B2The principal route between major places.
- maintenance/ˈmeɪnt(ə)nəns/noun · B1+The work of keeping the line safe and sound.
- marshalling yardnoun · C2Where wagons are sorted into trains.
- monorail/ˈmɑnəɹeɪl/noun · B2+A train that runs along a single raised beam.
- narrow gaugenoun · C1A railway with rails closer together than usual.
- observation carnoun · C1A carriage with wide windows for the view.
- overhead linenoun · C1The wire that feeds current to electric trains.
- pantograph/ˈpantəɡɹɑːf/noun · C2The arm that takes current from the overhead wire.
- permanent waynoun · C2The track and everything that carries it.
- platform/ˈplætfɔːm/noun · B1The raised edge passengers board a train from.
- points/pɔɪnts/noun · C1The movable rails that send a train onto another line.
- porter/ˈpɔɹtɚ/noun · B1+The staff member who carries guests' bags.
- rail/ɹeɪ(ə)l/noun · B2One of the steel bars a train's wheels run on.
- railcardnoun · B1A card that gets you cheaper train fares.
- replacement busnoun · B1A bus put on when the trains cannot run.
- return ticketnoun · A2A ticket there and back.
- rolling stocknoun · C1All the vehicles a railway owns.
- roundhouse/ˈɹaʊndˌhaʊs/noun · C2A circular shed where locomotives were turned and stored.
- season ticketnoun · B1A ticket bought for a whole period of travel.
- semaphore/ˈsɛm.əˌfɔː/noun · C2A signal worked by a moving arm.
- shunt/ʃʌnt/verb · C1To move wagons about within a yard.
- siding/ˈsaɪdɪŋ/noun · C1A short side track where wagons are left.
- signal/ˈsɪɡnəl/noun · B1The light or arm that tells a driver to go or stop.
- signal boxnoun · C1The cabin from which signals and points are worked.
- signallingnoun · B2+The system that keeps trains safely apart.
- single ticketnoun · A2A ticket for one direction only.
- single tracknoun · B2A line with only one set of rails for both directions.
- sleeper/ˈsliːpə(ɹ)/noun · C1A beam laid across the ground to hold the rails.
- sleeper trainnoun · B2A train with beds for overnight journeys.
- standard gaugenoun · C1The width of track most of the world uses.
- stationmaster/ˈsteɪʃənˈmɑːstə/noun · B2+The person in charge of a station.
- steam engine/ˈstiːˌmɛn.d͡ʒɪn/noun · B1A locomotive driven by boiling water.
- tanker/ˈtæŋkə/noun · B2A vehicle or ship built to carry liquid in bulk.
- terminus/ˈtɜːmɪnəs/noun · C1The station at the very end of a route.
- third railnoun · C1A live rail beside the track that powers the train.
- ticket barriernoun · B2The gate that opens when a valid ticket is shown.
- timetable/ˈtaɪmˌteɪbəl/noun · A2+The table that shows which lesson happens at which hour.
- track/ˈtɹæk/noun · B1The pair of rails a train runs along.
- tram/tɹæm/noun · B1+The electric city train that runs on rails in the middle of the street.
- trestle/ˈtɹɛsəl/noun · C1A folding support that holds up a board or table top.
- turntable/ˈtɜːnteɪb(ə)l/noun · C1A turning platform that swings a locomotive around.
- uncouple/ʌnˈkʌpəl/verb · C1To separate two joined vehicles.
- underground/ˌʌn.dəˈɡɹaʊnd/noun · B1The railway that runs beneath a city.
- viaduct/ˈvaɪədʌkt/noun · C1A long bridge of arches carrying a road or railway.
- wagon/ˈwæɡən/noun · B1A four-wheeled vehicle for carrying goods.
- whistle/ˈwɪs(ə)l/noun · B1The sound a locomotive makes to warn.