Usage of the terms railroad and railway |
The terms railroad and railway generally describe the same thing, a guided means of land transport, designed to be used by trains, for transporting both
passengers and freight. Etymologically both words mean exactly the same thing,
with the Germanic road being used interchangeably with way from the Latin via (road).
U.S. practice
Historically, in the United States of America
the term railroad, especially when used in a company name, implies a conventional rail system and railway
implies a street railway, also known as a streetcar or light rail line. There are, however, quite a number of exceptions.
Railroad
The term railroad is almost exclusively used in the U.S. to describe conventional rail transport systems that are
part of the national rail network, what until the mid-20th century were
often described as steam railroads. These systems now operate primarily petrol
or electric powered locomotives
drawing non-powered passenger or freight cars, though some passenger runs, especially commuter runs, are operated with trains of
self-propelled cars, using multiple-unit train
control.
The alternative form of rail road as two words primarily reflects early practice, but several roads retain this form,
notably the Long Island Rail Road, the oldest railroad in
the U.S. still operating under its original name.
Though the use of railroad is prime in U.S. practice as desribed above, there are notable exceptions. Earlier
railroads that were British influenced in management, engineering and/or
construction also had a greater tendency to use the term railway as in Southern Railway and Chicago and North Western Railway, the latter also using the British
practice of left-hand running. Railroad companies in bankruptcy sometimes
retained their name in reorganization but changed railroad to railway or vice versa; e.g., Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad Company changed to Staten
Island Rapid Transit Railway Company. And some U.S. railroads are "railways' for no obvious reason, such as Vermont Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway.
Railway
Urban and interurban electric railways using single cars or short trains have more commonly used the term railway in
their names than regular railroads in the U.S. Examples include the Pacific Electric Railway, San
Francisco Municipal Railway, Municipal Railway Company (New York) (New York), Boston Street Railway Company and Chicago Railways. Here, too, there are exceptions. The first street railway company in
Brooklyn, New York City to operate an electric trolley line was the Coney Island & Brooklyn Railroad.
Other English speaking countries
In the United Kingdom the term rail road was often used in
the early days of the railways, but by about the 1850s railway had become the preferred term, with the term rail
road becoming disused. British use of the term railway extended to the rail transport systems that the British built in the
British Empire, and elsewhere in the world.
Outside of the U.S., the term railway is used almost exclusively; however, even there a distinction is sometimes made
between conventional railways and street railways or trams, styling the latter light
railways from which the modern term light rail is descended.
See also
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