- Cab forward: Typically refers to a steam locomotive with its cab at the leading end of the boiler, rather than the usual trailing end adjacent to the tender. The most famous example is the Southern Pacific Railroad's AC type, built to handle drag freights through the SP's many tunnels and snowsheds without the danger of the exhaust asphyxiating the engine crew.
- Cabin car (PRR): See caboose.
- Cabless: A locomotive without a cab. Commonly referred to as a B unit or a Slug. Although not all Slugs are cabless.
- Caboose: A railroad car attached usually to the end of a train, in which railroad workers could ride and monitor track and rolling stock conditions. Partly analogous to brake van (UK). Largely obsolete, having been replaced by the electronic End of Train (EOT) device, or Flashing Rear End Device called "FRED".
- Caboose hop: A train consisting of only a locomotive and a caboose.
- Cant: Angle. Can be used in the context of the cant of the track (the relative level one rail to another, e.g. on curves) (UK); and the cant of a rail, being the angle of an individual rail relative to vertical.
- cape (UK): To note the cancellation of a passenger train service to employees. (From British Railways telegraphic codeword)
- Carbody unit or cab unit (US): A locomotive which derives its structural strength from a bridge-truss design framework in the sides and roof, which cover the full width of the locomotive. It refers to both A units and B units.
- Carman (US): A mechanic responsible for maintaining and inspecting the rolling stock.
- Catenary or catenary structure: The overhead wire system used to send electricity to an electric locomotive or multiple unit, tram or light rail vehicle.
- Centerbeam: A bulkhead flatcar with a braced beam bisecting its length, used to transport lumber products.
- Centralized traffic control (CTC) (US, AU): A system in which signals and switches for a given area of track are controlled from a centralized location. May or may not be computerized.
- Cess (UK): 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.
- Chair (UK): A cast iron bracket screwed to the sleeper and used to support bull head rail that is held in place by a wooden key (wedge) or spring steel clip. Still found on preserved railways and in yards.
- Challenger: A steam locomotive with a 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement.
- Check ride: A monitor of operational skills administered annually to a locomotive engineer by a designated supervisor.
- Ches-C (US): Chessie System's kitten logo.
- Chimney (UK): Smokestack or stack (US), or funnel.
- Co-Co (EU): A heavier duty locomotive with 6 wheels per bogie (all axles being separately driven) configuration as opposed to a 4-wheel "Bo-Bo" configuration. The correct classification is Co'Co', but Co-Co is used more often.
- COFC: Abbreviation for "Container On Flat Car".
- Colour light signal: A signal in which the colour of the light(s) determine the meaning of the aspect shown.
- Colour position signal: A signaling system that uses both colour and light position to determine the meaning of the aspect shown.
- Combined Power Handle: A handle or lever which controls both the throttle and the dynamic braking on the locomotive: on a desktop-type control stand, forward (away from operator) past center operates the dynamic brake, backward (toward operator), past center, is throttle up.
- Composite (UK passenger car): A passenger car with more than one class of accommodation provided, e.g. First and Third. In earlier days of three-class travel, First and Second class, and Second and Third class composites were also built. A car with First, Second and Third classes was also known as a tri-composite.
- Compound locomotive: A steam locomotive passing steam through two sets of cylinders. One set uses high pressure steam, then passes the low pressure exhausted steam to the second.
- Compromise joint: A special joint bar used to join rail ends of two different cross-sections while holding the top running surface and inside gauge surface even.
- Conductor (US), guard (UK): The person "in charge" of a train and its crew. On passenger trains, a conductor is also responsible for tasks such as assisting passengers and collecting tickets. In Australia, both terms are used, "conductor" for the person checking tickets, etc. on a tram or train, and "guard" for the person in charge of the train.
- Consist (US, pronounced "KONN-sist"), formation (UK): A noun to describe the group of rail vehicles making up a train, or more commonly a group of locomotives connected together for Multiple-Unit (MU) operation.
- Consolidation: A steam locomotive with a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement.
- Continuous welded rail (CWR): In this form of track, the rails are welded together by utilising the thermite reaction or flash butt welding to form one continuous rail that may be several kilometres long.
- Control car or Cab car: A passenger coach which has a full set of train controls at one end, allowing for the use of push-pull train operation.
- Control Point (CP) (US): An interlocking, or the location of a track signal or other marker with which dispatchers can specify when controlling trains.
- Cornfield meet (US): A head-on collision between two trains.
- Coupler (US), coupling(UK): Railroad cars in a train are connected by couplers located at the ends of the cars.
- Coupler pulling faces, length over, effective length of piece of rolling stock.
- Coupling rods or connecting rods: Rods between crank pins on the wheels, transferring power from a driving axle to a driven axle of a locomotive.
- Cow and calf: A diesel locomotive with a crew cab permanently coupled to and acting as a controller for a similar slave diesel locomotive without a crew cab, primarily used for switching/shunting duties for large groups of rolling stock. Also known as master and slave, as in the British Rail Class 13 shunters at Tinsley Marshalling Yard.
- Cowl unit (US): A locomotive whose sides and roof are non-structural, and cover the full width of the locomotive. Structural strength comes from the underframe.
- Crank pin: A pin protruding from a wheel into a main or coupling rod.
- Crew driver (US): Person(s) operating ground transportation vehicles for transporting railroad crews to and from various locations.
- Crosshead: The pivot between the piston rod and the main rod on a steam locomotive.
- Cross-tie (U.S): sleeper (UK): See Railroad tie.
- Cut lever: A manual lever which releases the pin of an automatic coupler when pulled to separate cars and/or locomotives.
- Cut off: A variable device on steam locomotives which closes the steam valve to the steam cylinder before the end of the piston stroke, thus conserving steam while allowing the steam in the cylinder to expand under its own energy. Also: Reverser.
- Cutting: A channel dug through a hillside to enable rail track to maintain a shallow gradient. See also embankment
- Cylinder: The central working part of a reciprocating engine, the space in which a piston travels.
- Cylinder cock: On steam locomotives, this appurtenance allows condensed water to be drained from the steam cylinders when the throttle is opened, thus preventing damage to the pistons, running gear, and cylinder heads.
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