The Language of the Railroader
by Ramon F. Adams
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Just as Western Words has become the standard reference for the lingo of the westerner, now The language of the railroader is offered and defined in one compendium. A true segment of Americana, the expressive language of those who rode the rails harks back to the very earliest times of railroading in the West. Ramon Adams consulted early-day publications and sought out retired railroad workers--members of the coterie who formed the building gangs and the crews who manned, repaired, and show more steered the red balls across the wide expanse of America. From "air jammer" to "Zulu car," it's all here--the men's sometimes scatological, often biting, always expressive lingo. The most colorful period of railroading died with the advent of the diesel engine, though the modern period is covered here as well. What Adams has done for the reader is reopen the romantic era of frontier railroading in all its noisy, smelly, cindery, dangerous essence and recall its vital workers, their women, and, of course, their "fellow travelers," the hoboes. Indexed by word and phrase and cross-indexed by subject, The language of the railroader is a must reference work for the writer, semanticist, scholar, and lover of western Americana of the railroading era.--Jacket flap show lessTags
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