0-9, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, [Contents]

name board
Scope note required.
Warrant: NER Miscellaneous Standards, North Eastern Railway, undated
Plural form: name boards

CL Built works and components
BT <built work components by type>

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name plate
A cast plate depicting the name of a locomotive.
Warrant: Great Western Railway Drawing Registers
Plural form: name plates

USE nameplate
CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <owners identity plates>

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name sign
A sign on a station platform denoting the name of the station.
Warrant: Railway Terminology Working Group
Plural form: name signs

CL Built works and components
BT <built work components by type>

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nameplate
A cast plate depicting the name of a locomotive.
Warrant: Nameplates of the Big Four, F Burridge, Oxford Publishing Company, 1975
Plural form: nameplates

UF name plate
CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <owners identity plates>
NT locomotive badgeplate

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narrow gauge locomotive
A steam locomotive designed to run on tracks with a gauge of less than 4 foot 8 1/2 inches.
Warrant: Hunslet Engine Company Catalogues
Plural form: narrow gauge locomotives

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <locomotives by gauge>

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narrow gauge railway
A railway with track of less than the standard gauge.
Warrant: Encyclopedia of Railways, O S Nock, 1977
Plural form: narrow gauge railways

CL Railway types
BT <railways by gauge>

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nationalised railway
Strictly speaking, a railway that has been nationalised, that is brought into public ownership from the private sector. However, for the purposes of this thesaurus, 'nationalised railway' is treated as synonymous with 'state railway'.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: nationalised railways

USE state railway
CL Railway types
BT <railways by ownership/funding>

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<natural lighting components>
Scope note required.
Plural form: <natural lighting components>

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT lighting component (vehicle)
NT light (vehicle window)
NT window component (vehicle)

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negative conductor rail
The negative or return current rail in a ground conductor insulated return system of electrification, usually placed in the centre between the running rails and is near earth potential.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: negative conductor rails

UF fourth rail
CL Track and track components
BT conductor rail

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negative shoe compensating gear
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: negative shoe compensating gear

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <conductor rail collection components>

---

negative shoebeam
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: negative shoebeams

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <conductor rail collection components>

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neutral section
An arrangement of insulators in the OLE designed to ensure that two sections are kept electrically separate even during the passage of a pantograph.
Warrant: Railtrack London & North Eastern, A Glossary of Railway Terms, October 1998
Plural form: neutral sections

CL Track and track components
BT overhead line equipment

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neveroil roller bearing axlebox
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: neveroil roller bearing axleboxes

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT roller bearing axlebox

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newspaper van
A vehicle designed specifically for the conveyance of newspapers.
Warrant: Mark I Coaching Stock of British Railways, K Parkin, Historical Model Railway Society, 1982.
Plural form: newspaper vans

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <mail, parcels, etc. carrying vehicles>

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no signalman key token
A single line token operated by trainmen rather than by the signalman.
Warrant: Ray Towell, Curator of Operations, National Railway Museum
Plural form: no signalman key tokens

CL Control and communications
BT <no signalman token system equipment>

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<no signalman token system equipment>
Equipment used in the 'no signalman' block working system whereby train staff operate electric token equipment at the remote end of a block section where there is no signalman on duty.
Plural form: <no signalman token system equipment>

CL Control and communications
BT <single line block instruments>
NT no signalman key token

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nondescript (carriage)
Unclassified passenger stock with reasonable seating standards available for use by any class ticket holders according to operational requirements.
Warrant: The Railway Dictionary, An A-Z of Railway Terminology, Alan A Jackson, Alan Sutton Publishing, 1996
Plural form: nondescripts (carriages)

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <passenger carriages by class>

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non-concentric conductor
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: non-concentric conductors

CL Unidentified
BT <unidentified terms>

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non-driving car
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: non-driving cars

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT trailer car

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non-driving motor car
Car with traction motors but no cab.
Warrant: LUL Jargon Buster
Plural form: non-driving motor cars

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT power car

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non-passenger train
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: non-passenger trains

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <trains by load/function>
NT freight train
NT light engine
NT passenger rated traffic train
NT service train

---

<non-revenue operating stock>
Railway vehicles used in revenue-earning activities but not revenue-earning themselves.
Plural form: <non-revenue operating stock>

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <rolling stock by load or function>
NT escort vehicle
NT runner (vehicle)
NT shunters truck
NT <braking vehicles>
NT <other non-revenue operating stock>

---

non-revenue stock
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: non-revenue stock

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <rolling stock by traffic rating>

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<non-specific control equipment>
A temporary grouping term.
Plural form: <non-specific control equipment>

CL Control and communications
NT circuit breaker
NT instrument light
NT plunger
NT points mechanism
NT signal equipment
NT signalbox notice
NT visual display unit
NT warning sign

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non-stop train
A train that runs without scheduled stops from its starting point to the end of its journey.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: non-stop trains

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <trains by frequency of stops>

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non-travel ticket
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: non-travel tickets

CL Commercial records and equipment
BT <tickets by service provided>
NT bicycle storage ticket
NT cloakroom ticket
NT parking ticket
NT platform ticket
NT reservation ticket

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notching relay
An electrical relay in vehicle traction power circuits using resistance control which monitors the rise and fall in current and actuates the next step in the acceleration phase by permitting a resistance step to be disconnected from the circuit.
Warrant: Railway Technical Web Pages, Piers Connor, 2000
Plural form: notching relays

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <traction current transmission components>

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nuclear flask escort vehicle
An escort vehicle for the use of staff accompanying a nuclear flask.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: nuclear flask escort vehicles

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT escort vehicle

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nuclear flask wagon
A railway vehicle dedicated to the carriage of flasks of nuclear fuel or radioactive waste.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: nuclear flask wagons

CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <machinery, etc. carrying vehicles>

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number badge
Scope note required.
Literary warrant required.
Plural form: number badges

CL Unidentified
BT <unidentified terms>

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number plate
A plate (usually of cast metal) bearing the owner's running number for the vehicle. For plates bearing any other number, use the appropriate term (e.g. 'works plate' for a plate bearing the works number, 'allocation plate' for a plate bearing the shed code of the shed to which a locomotive was allocated, etc.). Some rolling stock running number plates may bear other information such as the date of building, builder's name, lot number, etc. However, these should still be regarded primarily as a 'number plate', although they may be cross-referenced under 'works plate' if desired.
Warrant: Railway Relics and Regalia, Ed P Whitehouse, Country Life, 1975
Plural form: number plates

UF owners number plate
UF running number plate
UF solebar plate
CL Vehicles and vehicle components
BT <owners identity plates>
NT carriage number plate
NT locomotive number plate
NT wagon number plate

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NX panel
Entrance-Exit panel -A route setting system for a geographic location that is controlled by sequential selection of entrance and exit buttons or switches. This action also initiates the setting of all points required by the route.
Warrant: The History of Railway Signalling, Friends of the National Railway Museum
Plural form: NX panels

USE entrance-exit panel
CL Control and communications
BT control panel

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0-9, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, [Contents]