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This is a list ofjargon commonly used byrailfans and railway employees inNew Zealand.

Blue Rattlers

ADK class on the Auckland suburban network

Blue Streaks

ThreeNZR RM class88 seaterrailcars renovated for a fast service betweenHamilton andAuckland^[1][2]

Bumble-Bee

Yellow and blackTranz Rail livery. Introduced on DC 4323 in 2001 after the Makihi collision, and officially named 'Hi-Viz'. Originally all locos were to have the Tranz Rail winged logo, but most carried 'TR' block letters on the long hood and several locos did not carry any branding (No Name). Bumble-bee livery was a term promoted by the past editor of NZ Railfan magazine.

Bobtails

A nickname mostly used for theW^W class but according to Nelson section crew theW^F class was also called such name.^[3]

Bush tramway

New Zealand term for anIndustrial tramway.^[4]

Carvan

Passenger carriage with a guard's compartment at one end, classes A^F (wooden body) and A^L (steel body). Originally built to relieve a shortage of guard's vans and used on rural branch lines in place of a separate carriage and guard's van, the later A^L carvans were used in suburban service only.

Clockwork Orange

1970s orange and yellow livery used onDX class^[5]

Corn-cob

Toll Rail yellow and aquamarine livery^[6]

Cyclops

A restoredWellingtonEMU set includingDM 556^[7]

Drewry

ANZR RM class88 seaterrailcar^{[8][unreliable source?]}

Dora the Explorer

(frequently referred to as just 'Dora')

Northern Explorer

'En and chicken

N andM classsteam locomotives coupled together. 'En, an abbreviation of 'hen', refers to the larger N class locomotive, and chicken refers to its underpowered M class assistant.^[9]

Fiat

ANZR RM class88 seaterrailcar^[1]

Flying Tomato

A simplified version of the Fruit Salad livery, with the grey replaced with red. Applied to members of the DC, DF, DSC, and TR class locomotives in the 1980s as a cheaper alternative to the full Fruit Salad livery.

Fruit Salad

NZR red and grey livery with yellow highlights, also known as International Orange^[6]

Foamer

Arailfan—particularly one whose enthusiasm appears excessive^[10]

Grass Grub

A88 seater railcar converted to carriages for locomotive haulage, from their green livery^[2]

Gull Roost

TheOnerahi Branch's 323-metre-long bridge across the harbour inWhangārei, because of the large number ofgulls that roosted there. The branch closed in 1933 and the bridge no longer exists.^[11]

The Hill

TheJohnsonville Line out ofWellington, or the steep section of theNorth Auckland Line betweenNewmarket andRemuera in Auckland. SeeOver the hill.^{[citation needed]}

Hot water bottle

A F^S class steam heating van used to warm the carriages of passenger trains following the withdrawal of steam traction in 1968 (North Island) and 1971 (South Island)^[5]

Hot water boy

A member of a heritage railway, or a number of heritage railways, who only volunteers on days where engines are in steam. Will go out of their way to try and fire and drive the locomotive, and when successful will boast and be photographed beside the engine.^{[citation needed]}

Highsider

The L, L^A, L^B, and L^C wagons—so called for their high metal (L^A, L^C) or wooden (L, L^B) sides

International Orange

The NZR livery of yellow, orange-red and grey, more popularly known asFruit Salad^[12]

Jigger

A track inspection vehicle^[13]

K^B country

The section of theMidland Line betweenSpringfield andArthur's Pass famous for the use ofK^B classsteam locomotives between 1939 and 1968^[14]

Kingston Flyer

Heritage passenger train instituted in 1972 using steam locomotives A^B 778 and A^B 795, originally between Lumsden and Kingston and later truncated to the 14 km (8.7 mi) between Fairlight and Kingston

Longest xylophone in the world

Former road and rail bridge on the now-closed portion of theRoss Branch south ofHokitika—named for the loud rattling its planks made^[15]

Lowsiders

The M, M^A, M^B, M^C, and M^CC wagons, so called for their low sides. These wagons had lower sides than the L-series 'highsider' wagons, and were often used for loads that could not fit into a highsider or did not warrant the use of one.

Lokey

Locomotive on a bush tramway. Abbreviation of the term 'locomotive', but shortened by bush workers and adopted by railway enthusiasts.

Matangi

FT/FT class electric multiple unit used on the Wellington suburban network, chosen in 2008 in a public competition run by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and comes from theMāori wordmatangi, meaning wind or breeze (in reference to Wellington's windy reputation)

MAXX Blue

Livery onAuckland rolling stock operated byTransdev Auckland^{[citation needed]}

Midland Red

Livery used in the 1920s and 1990s on passenger carriages,DM/D classelectric multiple units and some otherrolling stock. It was first trialled on the carriages of theParnassus Express, the predecessor of thePicton Express. Its name derives from theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway, from whom the colour was originally sourced.^[16]

No Name

Several Tranz Rail locomotives received the 'Bumble Bee' paint scheme without any signwriting on the long hood. Mostly applied to members of the DC and DX classes.

Old reds

DM/D classelectric multiple units in their traditional red livery^[17]

Over the hill

The southern approach to Auckland from theNorth Island Main Trunk Railway at Westfield via theNorth Auckland Line andNewmarket Line. SeeThe Hill.^{[citation needed]}

Pearson's Dream

E 66, nicknamed after its designer, G. A. Pearson, as it did not fulfill his ambitions^[18]

Pie Cart

1. Ford Model T railcars RM 4 and RM 5

2. Overhead inspection vehicle PW 2

The Pig

DXR class locomotive 8007 and 8022^{[citation needed]}

The Phoenix

The DM 216 set, stored at Hutt Workshops out of service prior to its return to service in late 2008 or early 2009

Pig Dog

DAR 517^{[citation needed]}

Pimple face

New cabs fitted to ten of the DG class locomotives starting with D^G 761 (TMS DG 2111) in late 1979 and ending in 1980

Popsicle

1970s orange and yellowDX class livery^{[citation needed]}

Pullet

M class—named for their lack of pulling power in comparison to other classes^[9]

The racetrack

TheMain South Line nearRakaia, wheresteam-hauled passenger express trains attained high speeds^[19]

Red Terror

A Leyland Cub car converted to run on rails for inspection use by the Railways Department General ManagerGarnet Mackley in 1933. It was converted for uses associated with electrified lines in 1941, and after spending a few years in theHutt Valley, it was transferred toOtira and remained there until theOtira Tunnel was de-electrified in 1997. It is now owned by theFerrymead Railway.^[20]

Roadsider

A Z-class bogie van, so called as they could be unloaded (supposedly) onto the roadside. Often used for parcels traffic, especially by Railfreight, and as luggage vans on express passenger trains, for which they were fitted with x-25330 'Timken' bogies to run at 80 km/h (50 mph).

The Sergeant

ED electric locomotive 101, so called because of the three stripes on the body^[21]

Super Ganz

The refurbished Ganz Mavag EMUEM 1373

Tin Hare

AWairaraparailcar^[22]

Tonka Toy

The preservedTR class locomotive^[23]

Tropical

1970s orange and yellow livery; used on theDX class^[24]

The Twins

DBR class Wellington-based locomotives 1200 and 1267, commonly paired for purposes such asbanking south ofPaekākāriki. Because of this nickname, paired DBRs in Auckland are occasionally referred to as "non-identical twins", depending on their liveries.^[25]

Thoroughbred

ANZR JA class locomotive, in reference to their high speed and smooth ride, typical ofthoroughbred race horses^[26]

Trams

TheEO class (1923) used in theOtira Tunnel; a term carried over to the 1967 Toshiba replacements, theEA class locomotive.^[27]

Twinset

ANZR RM class88 seaterrailcar^[1]

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