Glossary of North American Railway Terms - F

F

• Fallen flag: a railroad company that no longer operates, or has been merged with (or acquired by) another railroad company.

• FELA: the Federal Employers Liability Act, a U.S. federal law that protects and compensates railroaders injured on the job.

• Filet-toupee: Filet refers to converting a double stack container train to single stack by removing the top layer of containers, allowing the rest of the train to proceed along track that lacks double stack clearance. The removed containers can be trucked to local destinations. Toupee refers to the reverse process, where a single stack train coming from reduced clearance territory has additional containers placed on top for the rest of its trip.

• Flares: Refers to the EMD SD45, with its dynamic brake blisters and radiators that distinctively flare from the top of the unit. Also Flare 45. Both forms distinguish the SD45 from the SD45-2 and SD45T-2, which lack flared radiators.

• Wings/Flags/Flares (W/F/F): Characteristics used to designate Union Pacific's paint scheme and engine type. Wings = "Wing" Decal on the engine nose, Flags = "American Flag" Decal on engine body, Flares = "Flared Radiators" of certain SD70Ms on the long hood. Some UP engines have one or more of these characteristics.

• Flatback: Industry slang for trailer-on-flatcar service in the 1970s, especially in the trade journal Railway Age.

• Foamer: a railfan, particularly one whose enthusiasm appears excessive. They figuratively "foam at the mouth" while railfanning.

• FRED: "Flashing Rear End Device" located on the rear of trains, measures train air line pressure and train speed.

• FRN: an acronym for "fucking rail nut", a derogatory term used by some railroaders for railfans.