Glossary of United Kingdom Railway Terms - C

C

• Cattle: Passengers (particularly commuters, who often complain that they are treated "like cattle")

• Cess: The area either side of the railway immediately off the ballast shoulder. This usually provides a safe area for workers to stand when trains approach.

• Chopper: British Rail Class 20 diesel-electric locomotive

• Clag: Originally used to describe the exhaust of steam locomotives, "clag" is a term describing the often spectacular (particularly blackened, as in Class 37, or whitesmoked, as in Class 55) exhaust emissions of many older British diesel locomotives, especially, Classes 52 and 55.

• Coffee pot : Applied to the shape of Bulleid class Q1 steam locomotives

• Crompton: British Rail Class 33 diesel-electric locomotive (fitted with Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment). (Also see Hastings Unit and Slim Jim).