Trainspotter terms?

Those are new ones on me...

Ned's abbreviation for New Engine Desperado, read red pen brigade in Queens English.

 

Only one bit of spotter slang to describe that - STOATFACE!

The sort of intellectually challenged being that uses words like 'thrash', 'clag' and 'tonezzz'.

Or, in more common parlance from whence the term 'ned' originated (Scotlandshire), Non-Educated Delinquent... which is probably just as apt.

The one which, for some reason, really bugs me is when Hastings or Tadpole units are called 'Thumpers'.

The term was coined for Hampshire, Berkshire and East Sussex units by 'da kidzzzz' after the Hastings units were withdrawn (and, by default, long after the Tadpoles were disbanded). An EE SRKT engine does not automatically a 'Thumper' make.

 

All of the

I work at Selhurst, and all of the above were correctly referred to as DEMUs (similarly 73s are only ever known as EDs here). What bugs me is that certain staff (who should know better) refer to the replacement 171s as DEMUs. I understand that Redhill drivers correctly refer to the as "mechanicals".

I volunteer at a heritage railway where the pre-grouping engines are referred to by some crews as "antiques".

 

Then the Redhill drivers are wrong !!

The 171 series are a follow-on from the 170 series which have hydraulic transmission but are more commonly referred to by their design as "Turbostars" - being the DMU version and therefore complementary to the same builder's "Electrostars" - which I believe Selhurst depot is familiar with.

The term "mechanicals" refers to Classes 100 - 131 which had mechanical transmission (bar 112 / 125 / 127 which had hydraulic transmission).

In fairness I only began to hear the term "Thumper" after the withdrawal of the "Hastings" units but I was led to believe that at the time it was a common term for any SR unit with an in-vehicle engine - and by default was used to describe the Hastings units. It's the same problem with the ScR DMU sets whereby the Class 126 designation is often used to include the 79xxx Edinburgh - Glasgow Inter City units - despite the ScR specifically confirming that the 79xxx series were never classified as they were expected to be withdrawn by the time that TOPS had become fully functional.

It's nice to know however that sometimes even the staff can get it wrong.

 

In the hallowed corridors of Waterloo General Offices in the 1980's the more extreme enthusiasts were referred to as DAA's. (Daft As A###holes )

Cheers, Neil

 

There were rail tours organised by DAA Railtours. It was never confirmed what DAA stood for but it was oft suggested that it stood for Daft For A***holes.

 

I understood it referred to steam mileage.....'Do All Available'.

 

Given that head man Les Kent had connections with Waterloo - and that he was a co-ordinator when the DEPG ran joint tours with DAA - I suggest that you are not far wrong !

 

Right. The history of the term DAA.

It most certainly stands for Daft As Ar...oles. Not a shadow of doubt.

It was certainly in use in the SE Division operating offices, (near Beckenham I think), in the very late 1950s. A neighbour of ours, (Keith Whiteleg was his name I think), who worked there was often heard using the term to Dad. At a time when big brother Don and myself started our hobby. It started as a derogatory term by the operating staff in relation to timers going up and down the same line timing steam operations, (like we did), and was in general use in that office at least. I can be quite accurate with the date as we moved from that location in Bromley to Shirley Croydon in August 1961.

I suggest it spread from the SE Divisional Offices.

We gricers from those days turned it on it's head in a way and often referred to ourselves as DAAs. A sort of badge of honour. A bit like being a "gricer and bar".

After the world came to an end on 9th July 1967 Les Kent, our footplate organiser from the 1960s, organised at least one tour under the heading of DAA.

The one I remember and went on was the DAA 4 Griddle railtour.

http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/710206gr.html

We weren't a Society, it was just a humorous use of the name.

I'll send a link to this thread to big brother Don as he will have a photo of that train and it's head board. Plus a copy of the run from Victoria to Brighton. I recall us bouncing through Haywards Heath in the mid 80s.

Les Kent by the way, was the guy who sent me up to the footplate on the Monday of the "Fred Burridge Week" at the end of June 1967. He came through the DAA coach on the last up Weymouth before Winchester allocating footplate places, (as you did in those days), and as it was my turn I got the choice of Winchester - Basingstoke or Basingstoke - Woking. I was allowed the chance of the racing stretch as in Les's words, "Burridge has never been recorded over 85 mph". Close to the words immortalised in an Indiana Jones film, " I chose wisely", and the rest is history. 35003 on a very light load but driven easily and the fastest authentic speed of a Merchant Navy. 106 mph. Good man that Les Kent! On Don's old timers, (plus others), email list so still in touch with us all.

 

Yes all that is correct Yeti. Here is a couple of shots of that 4GRI DAA tour showing a very young Les Kent and Kent Yeti.

We ran Victoria to Brighton non stop and unchecked in 50 minutes 18 seconds with a wonderful dash down past Haywards Heath at 85 mph with the train crashing around all over the place and arcing lighting up the night sky. Earlier we had chatted up the driver of the 6 pm fast to ask him to keep his train out of the way and leaving 2 minutes late also helped us . In my top ten modern traction runs.

gricerdon

 

Many thanks indeed Don. Yes, I remember the driver of the 6pm being asked if he wouldn't mind getting a move on so we could get to Brighton in 50 minutes! I also suspect those DAAs on board who were by then working in various SR operating departments may have had a hand too, by asking their colleagues to make sure that both the 6 pm and our train got a clear road. Oh yes, it was a very lively run indeed!

The joys of being a fully paid up DAA. And proud of it too.

 

WOT>.. has someone snapped a picture of a Yeti ?

 

All this talk of DAA reminds me of my first encounter with a Deltic... at Edenbridge of all places.

Being southern born and bred, the chance of seeing this most exotic beast virtually in our back yard led my Dad and I to head over to Edenbridge in July 1978 to see 55007 on the Man of Kent railtour.

http://www.napier-chronicles.co.uk/7_26-3-78.htm

I had always wondered what the DAA headboard was about.

I was only 10 at the time, but Dad and I were so impressed at the sight and sound of 55007 that we spent the next 3 1/2 years regularly travelling up to the 'furrin lands' north of King's Cross to witness the last few years of Deltic operation on the ECML. So I guess I owe the DAA folk for the most enjoyable few years of my life as a railway enthusiast. Once the Deltics were done, it was never quite as much fun again...

 

Oh yes. I've done no actual gricing since, in fact I hardly ever travel by train any more. Just do preserved stuff now.