The Correct Term is a Light Engine
When you have just a railway engine travelling by itself, it is called a light engine!
One has caused chaos on the West Coast Main Line by getting itself derailed at Bletchley, as reported here on the BBC. But few reports have called it a light engine, most have called it a freight train, as it is owned by a company called Freightliner, although it is at present leased to Virgin Trains. So at least they can read, even if they don’t know the correct railway term.
The BBC report says this.
A spokesman for Network Rail said the Freightliner locomotive appeared to have approached a set of points at Bletchley south junction too fast.
This caused the tracks to buckle, damaged wooden sleepers and brought down some overhead cables.
There is as yet “no estimate for the completion of repairs and therefore it is not yet known whether services will continue to be affected on Sunday”, according to the National Rail Enquiries website.
As no-one seems to have been seriously hurt, but many have been seriously delayed and inconvenienced, this will turn out to be one of those stories that will run and run all the way to the Supreme Court. After all the engine wasn’t owned by Virgin Trains, but it was being run on their behalf.
So will Virgin Trains be suing themselves for all the compensation, they’ve paid out to passengers?
Incidentally, I usually go to see Ipswich at Coventry, but won’t be going today. I was going to go and get in by buying a ticket on the gate. But because of this light engine crash, I wouldn’t have been able to get to Coventry.
So should I add my case for compensation to the rest?
No! But, if I’d bought a ticket you could be rest ensured, I wouldn’t be a happy bunny, aif I’d been unable to get to Coventry!
The Anonymous Widower 
You’re not alone in having the press ignorant of correct railway terms. A few years ago there was a serious accident involving an electric multiple unit train here in Australia. One TV reporter, who was on the scene, kept referring to the locomotive when they should have been able to see there wasn’t one. Unfortunately it isn’t restricted to railways but affects many subjects. I think it reflects the lack of respect that the modern media has for their public.
Comment by Jim | February 5, 2012 |
i suspect too that looks rather than intelligence, is more important to being involved in news these days.
Comment by AnonW | February 5, 2012 |
[…] there might be more on the roads this weekend, as that idiot went too fast over the points at Bletchley. Like this:LikeBe the first to like this […]
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