 Hello, thank you for joining me. What has a cucumber, a grid and a hairdryer Got to do with railways. Well They are all nicknames of either a locomotive or a multiple unit and in this video This being one of my lockdown videos from home I thought we'd talk about some of the nicknames that locomotives and multiple units that work on Britain's railways and the railways a further afield have because I do sometimes mention them in my video and I try and make my videos as clear as possible, but it's been the old time so I said oh What's that and you know like um, it's usually fairly obvious someone asked me the other day what a cucumber was. So And I'm gonna go through I'm not gonna do every nickname of every locomotive that's ever existed But I thought you know I'd have a bit of fun and You know, we'll just go through some of them. So what we would do is We shall start with the diesels and oh wait shunter like just pulling in now These are known as gronks and apparently it's because of the sound they make oh Nines are also known as gronks. So that's the oh wait for you and Going up the classes the next biggest look I'm gonna go on to is a class 14 They were known as teddy bears because they were designed in Swindon and they were quite little They're a bit like this, but with a bit of an extra sort of bonnet bit on here I know it's not very good description. I'll put picture in now So you see what I mean? The reason they're called teddy bears is because Swindon they designed their one and only Pacific the great bear And then they designed these little diesels. They said well, they're designed great bear So why not call this one the teddy bear? Then we move on to the class 20s now class 20s for those you don't know basically look a bit like this But longer and they don't have the six wheels. They have a Bobo wheel arrangements. That's like two sets of four wheels Now they are known as choppers because of the sound they make and also known as wardrobes because all along the side like here They have a load of doors Then there's the class 24 and 25 so they're known as rats The reason they're known as rats is because they were found everywhere in the 70s and 80s and they were just everywhere So that's why they were known as rats and then there's the class 26 and class 27 They're known as moot crats because basically they're the same but they spent most of their lives in Scotland Next one we move on to is a class 28. They are known as Cobos now for those of you who used to watch Thomas the Tank engine You'll know there's a locomotive called Boko where he is one of those but they've just swapped the name round The reason is it has six wheels on one bogey and four wheels on the other So that's where why they're called Kobo. So they just the Reverend George swap the name round called in Boko, which makes quite cool Then there's the class 31's they have a rather amusing nickname They're known as toffee apples and that's because the driver's joystick looked like a toffee apple But some of them have a headcode on the front and the ones that didn't were known as skinheads because they looked like a skinny sort of head Then there's class 33's. They're known as cromptons not obvious when you see a picture of one The reason they're called cromptons is because of the electrical equipment they used Class 37's are known as growlers or tractors The growlers because they make a characteristic growl as they pull away the tractors is because they're basically sort of shape Like that's a vaguely like a tractor. So that's why they're known as tractors or grounders You often hear about I remember when they used class 37's on the lines from Norwich to Great Yama for lower stuff They were referring to the tractor bachelors They were people who would buy a wary lines ranger ticket and they'd spend all day going up and down on them I did it. I went to Great Yama of Model Village and I went on the class 37's to take me there Now we move on to the class 43's the power cars for the HST's high-speed trains Which are very much loved by enthusiasts and I really really missed them running out of Kings Cross and Paddington But you know times kind of have moved on live on the Great Western have been replaced by these things Q-Combus so I Just tend to call them an HST or an intercity, but some people call them trams They may fit was a strange nickname the reason they're known as trams is because They There's always an argument. Is it a locomotive? Is it a multiple unit? Some people say no, it's neither. It's a tram Just to be silly really Then our next one I'm going to have to ask you to to leave the stage The Gronk, the O8 so goodbye. You'll be back later though So as the O8 disappears we have something else coming to join us Well coming on to stage now and making quite a bit of a racket Is a class 47 and they are known as Duff's either because they broke down or they had to Replace the diesel locomotive had broken down one of the trams. The class 47s are known as Duff's and this one's not going great today It's making a bit of a noise. So yeah class 47 right off you go Oh, well, there we go. The Duff name is you know shown us to its full effect there I think I know what we're going to do. Living up to its Duff nickname. It won't go. I've had to bring the Gronk back Here we go so the Gronk Struggling a little bit, but it's going to manage it. It's going to now tow the Duff off the stage So goodbye to the Duff. Living up to its nickname of Duff Struggling a bit and my hand's going to help. No eights wheels are spinning quite a lot So that was class 47 for you. I have to say I've had many many trips behind class 47s I've never ever had one fail on me So maybe that's a bit of an unkind nickname. It's called Duff's although this one did seem determined to her Live up to it. Maybe it's just playing up for the camera. Who knows the next one We've already in the intro. We showed a hoover well That was class 50 and they are known as hoovers really because of the sound they make and I remember older common open day It was great They had six of them together and I stood there next to them So it wasn't Henry the Hoover. So, you know don't go calling me a hoover But it wasn't Henry the Hoover. It was Henry and the hoovers Which I always found was you know quite fun Staying with the Western region. We're moving on to the class 52. They're known as Weston's because They are named up all of the names like such Western champion Western Pathfinder Western Cavalier So they're Western everything and they're also nicknamed thousands because their numbers are in the thousand series So Western champion is d1015 Western champions my favorite one first one I had for haul is actually had it on a rail to all the way from Penzance, London, Brighton Paddington. So I'm really proud, you know that I can say I've done that And then there's a few others around on heritage railways So you do see them sometimes they run as class 52s. That's their That's their tops number, which was the later scheme, but their original pre tops numbering were d1000 Etc. Then we move on to the class 55. It's probably the most common nickname used pretty much by everyone That's the deltics. That's because they're deltic engines and then going back to our intro The grids class 56 is now you may think well why on earth would a loco be called a grid? How does that come about? Well, have a look at a picture of one See on the front. There's a grid That's where their horns are on the grid is you know to stop all bits of leaves and dust getting in the horns basically and Because their grid, you know is sort of when you see them coming towards you You see the grid on the front they got the nicknames grids now our next one class 57s Now if you have a look at a picture of one If you think it looks like a class 47, you're right It is the same body as a class 47 But what they did they took the engines out and replaced the engines with general motors engines So that was where the 57 came from and for that reason then it claims a body snatchers because basically all they are is a New engine they've snatched the bodies off old class 47s Then the next one class 58 they're known as bones now the reason they've got that name is because What I'm gonna do, let's bring the OH Schunter back shall we? So here's the OH Schunter now as I said it has a cab at one end and it doesn't have a cab at the other end Well the class 58s obviously they're much longer. They're not a Schunter They're a proper, you know full-size. Well, you know, I mean a big locomotive. They're not little They have a cab at each end, but they have the narrow bit I'm just gonna lift you off the track so you can see a narrow bit like this in the middle So for that reason they're named bones because they look like a very, you know Squarish sort of bone Then our next ones are class 59s. They're known as Yanks. Now if you have a look at picture They look very similar to a class 66. They basically are the same body, but they're much older They're about 20 years before class 66s So then as Yanks because they came from America and then we'll get on to 66s in a minute But they are also known as daddy Yanks is another name or daddy Sheds We'll talk about Sheds in a minute because they are like the older class 66s Then we have the class 60 they're known as tugs because they are proper, you know real heavyweight locals They can pull really really heavy trains now as for class 66s Their nickname well, I don't have one to show you but I've got a little idea I'll send you away off to do some work So as our way or bronc arrives again pulling a wagon this time You can see there's a shed on it now It's not really the right shapes or shed, but you know, it's a it's a model of a shed class 66s are called Sheds because they have the Basically the shed like shape so class 66s are known as Sheds They're also known as Yang Yangs because when they start they kind of go Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang Then the next class is a class 67. So I'm just gonna send you away in the shed away Yo, it's just coming back Well, we got this time got two wagons this time And on on them we have skips the skip class 67 is known as skips If you turn a skip upside down that is basically your shape of a class 67 So they're an upside down skip the next one class 7 is I don't have one to show you and So here's a picture As you can see, they're not the prettiest of locos. So they have various Not so nice nicknames. They're known as ugly ducklings or fugly or predators and you know, it's a shame really They did make them so ugly. I don't know. I'm they're very functional. You know, that's that's why They're not the most attractive locos. They like You know a class 37 or a 47, you know, that's why they're not like that So moving on to the electorate locos, there's the class 73 now These are interesting locos because they run off the third rail and they're also diesel as well ever diesel engine So they can go they can work they tend to work trains on the third rail But then they'd also work along non-electrolyed branches off the third rail and they are known as eds for short-foot electro diesel That's the name Ed also known as shoeboxes because they look like a shoebox and Because they have shoes and they are like a box. So that's where that one comes from then the class 76 is the locos that works on the woodhead root There's one in Manchester Museum of Science and Industry is one in national Railway Museum There's a couple of others about put a picture in now They're known as Thomas. That's because the first prototype one was called Tommy Then we move on to the West Coast mainland We have the class 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85 They're known as rawers basically because of the roaring noise they make and then The class 87s they're known as vans. I'm not really sure why anyone want to comment and tell me, you know, please do Then we move on to the class 90s and as is our rather amusing nickname they call them skoders So here's a picture of class 90 Here's a picture of Skoda Estelle See the vague resemblance. So that's why they're known as skoders now going back to the hair dryer That is the nickname for a class 91s and that is because when they pull out the station they sound very much like this Just as they sort of pull away and some people also call them larders I think that's because Skoda's a you know, didn't class 90s They thought it'd be fun to add the name larder and they do vaguely look like a larder estate They sort of have a vague similarity shape So that's where why they're known as larder I think it's because on a larder river estate the end is sort of this shape like the front of a class 91 So yeah, that's why they're known sometimes as larders But I prefer the nickname hair dryers for them. Then the class 92s They're known as Dyson's and that's because I think they sound like a Dyson vacuum cleaner basically So a bit like the class 50s and the Hoover's now we move on to the multiple units So here we have pulling on to the stage now Class 121 these are known as bubble cars basically like a bubble car now this one. This is one two one O2o I used to travel on this one every day to college when I did an engineering course in Elfbury I just go on this this actual unit because there was only ever one children railways one in this color then After that children railways bought another one, which and that was one two one o three four That was green in BR green So they you know, you'd get one or the other so then a few times I've made a couple of trips to Elfbury to have a ride on them one two one oh three four And then finally on their last day back in was May 2017 The two of them ran together and I went there I had to go and you know say goodbye because not only was it the last day of first-generation DMU's on the national network It was also the last day of vacuum break to trains on the national network. So really it was as significant as August 1968 when they ran the 15 guinea special so I'm really obviously I couldn't have been there 1968 Well, I did go and see the rerun in 2008 when Oliver Cromwell pulled the northbound train I went to Ribblehead fire duck, but anyway, I didn't see the real thing But I did see the real the last day of first-generation DMU's on the national network So I'm quite proud of that Then I'm staying with the multiple units and we have various other We work up the class I'm not going to go through all of them because the names aren't quite as affectionate for multiple units, but Quite common one of Pacers that that was their official name and that's a name You know they are referred to as Pacers and a lot the general public and the media refer to them as Pacers But they have other nick They have other nicknames one of them is Nottingdonkeys or bouncy castles because you know they're quite bouncy although I must say if you travel on a pacer on Jointed rail on not I mean on non-welded rail. The ride is actually quite smooth So it's a bit unfair they get that and I'm so pleased that so many Arbrian preserve now as they come to the end of their working lives Moving up onto the 150s they're known as sprinters and that was really a brand name for BR And then all the other sprinters the 153s the 155s 156s 158s 159 and I'm a super sprinters The 153s because they're single cars like this they I Known was a couple of names some people on dog boxes. I call them skateboards. I think that's a more amusing name I would say skateboard suits this one so much But I'd say the 153s because they're not much longer and I'd say it suits them Then the 158s although super sprint there a super sprinter Some people won coffins because if you have a look at the front of one The door on the front looks a bit like a coffin Now we move on to the class 165s and 166s the network of turbos So most people tend to refer to them as turbos They have been known as coke cans because they're on a Minion and then came the turbo stars the class 170s or originally it was the 168s for children railways most of the turbo stars are 170s Well, she children railways called their 168s cupmans That was children railways name and they still stick with that name But the 170s are used by various operators and there's also the one seven one and one seven two They're also all types of turbo stars and they have an electric cousin Which can be anything from a three seven seven three five seven on the lines out Fenture Street and There's three seven five to do the Kent lines They are electro stars, and then you've got class three seven eight They're known as capital stars because they're they would have an overgrown one So they're all cousins of the same sort of train On the older DMU's back to this sort of generation Unfortunately, I don't have one to show you but they are some are probably the most popular DMU's ever actually their diesel DEM used these are electric multiple units and they were the class 205s 207s 201s Thumpers because they have that Think sort of sound I can't really do an impersonation of it, but they do they have a very thumping kind of noise They also had some in Northern Ireland. They weren't the same But some of the Northern Irish DMU's were also known as thumpers really for the same reason Moving on to the more modern DMU's ones I have to say I don't particularly like and that's the voyages introduced by Virgin Now they're used by cross-country and of anti-west coast and middle of mainline Well, they're not called middle of mainline in Moise Midlands trains They they use them now the thing with voyages There's two reasons why I really don't really like them much one is they replace class 47 So some of the is what my opinion was some of the best trains a class 47 the seven mark twos You know, it's such a poor replacement a four car voyager because they're always overcrowded. There's never enough seats there isn't you know, you know, I don't really want to go off on the ramp, but And so yeah, they're too short and they replace them the best trains you ever had So that's why I'm not a fan of voyages. So most people call them voyages. That was the brand name Virgin gave them I Don't I'm not this unkind but some of you just call them vomit because they do Smell but I'm not just calling for it. I don't want to be that unkind even though I don't particularly like them that much that said I've been on most of them because I travel a lot between the Midlands and the South so I probably will end up going on all of them We're gonna now move on to the electric multiple units. I'm gonna have to ask the one two one to go So with the class one two one off stage We're now going to move on to the electric multiple units now coming back Towards the stage when we have our old friend again The OH shunter now what on earth have we got here? Well, we have two wagons with bins on them Now this isn't the rubbish train going to Calvert Imagine that imagine if an OH shunter hold the rubbish train to Calvert that said I can remember class 47's Working, but I should have perhaps got 47 to pull this but anyway, we've got the 08 the class 47 I'm behaving earlier. Why on earth have I bought beans here? Look, we've got some wheelie bins We've got some dust bins. I know they're tiny because they are a low scale So you might be able to see them, but this is what they are The reason I've bought dust bins on that is for the class three two one EMU's now They're known as dusty bins really because of their class number because of the game show three two one I can't do it. I probably going to stick in the middle finger ups and I do it Basically Ted Rogers he used to go three two one to have all three fingers up and they'd all kind of go down in some way But I'm not wherever I'm trying to it always end up giving someone a middle finger So I'm not going to do it, but he did three two one really quickly and You went on this game show and if you lost your kind of booby prize was a dusty bin or a bit more luxury than this one It was actually like in the shape of a money box. So three two ones have always been known as dusty bins Then we move on to the class three six fives They have a couple of interesting nicknames. They they now work out of Kings Cross although most of the class are stored Some of them originally worked on the southeastern for conics accompanied no longer exists And those ones when they then transfer to work out of Kings Cross They were known as ex cons for fairly obvious reasons But the name I like for them is then known as happy trains because have a look at one Looks like they're smiling. So yeah, the happy trains they're known as then we move on to when we've mentioned the voyage as well The electric trains that arrived at the same time. They're pendulino's what pendulino is a name for you know tilting electric trains from Italy and they operate in various other countries and The Virgin pendulino as they were known now they're of anti-west coast and I've called them pendulino's there is a nickname I'm not going to say it on on this It's a rather rude nickname to do look it up if you if you want to know it's quite an amusing one That's their other nickname and That would only really apply to the British ones because if you have a look at all the other pendulino's they're not quite that same shape I must say I really like Slovenia's pendulino's. I've never been on one But they've only got three of them and they're only three carriages imagine that if the West Coast main I only had a three of three Free coach pendulino's but they're really cute. Slovenia's a small country. They don't need such longer Pendulino's so yeah, that's the pendulino's Going back to the southern region. We've got a couple of interesting ones There was a class 404's they were known as Nelson's because they had a very sort of one-eyed appearance They had like a headcode over one window So it you know kind of gave them that one-eyed appearance and I think they also went down to Portsmouth Which you know is obviously associated with Lord Nelson, etc Then from Portsmouth to Weymouth I remember traveling down not as far as Weymouth as Paul on a class 442 They're known as the plastic pigs They're basically marked three carriages that are electric from a first rail They look a bit like a pig on the front if you have a look at a picture of one and They say they're a plastic and very sadly the first one has actually recently been scrapped I saw some pictures of it being scrapped to easily works and some are being refurbished for use with Southwest trains So they're going back to the old haunts they after Southwest finish with them They work through Gatwick Express for a while and then there was a diagram down to Eastbourne Which always wanted to do but never got around to it some are around so you can still enjoy them So yeah, that's the the class 442 is the plastic pigs now going back to where we started cucumbers The class 800s the 801s the 802s reason they're known as cucumbers is basically because they look like a giant cucumber These are only the great Western ones because they're green They're literally disc green and they do look like a giant cucumber But most people tend to refer to all of them as a zoomers and that was a name when virgin were in charge of East Coast They that was the brand name they come up with a zoomer Which is Japanese for East because they're Japanese designed trains Although not all of them quite a lot of them are built in Euthanaircliff in Britain So which is good some are built in Japan some are built in Italy. So most people tend to refer to those used by East Coast or NDRs. They're called now Transpennine hull trains They tend to refer to them as a zoomers, but yeah, they're great Western ones. Some people from the zoomers are called cucumbers Let's go a broader now. Um If you go to France, they're fading away now, but I did I had a trip on one once and from lords to Toulouse Some people called these locos will have a look at them To knit two nicknames and they both suit them zigzags fairly obvious reasons The other one are Bardot's because people say they look very much like Brigitte Bardot But I think that only applies to the French ones because Portugal has them Slovenia has them Various other countries having the Netherlands has them. So most people call them zigzags But the French ones are known as Bardot's. So yeah, that's a funny one staying on the continent There's the DB class 218s. They're known as rabbits because if you look at them and They have a the way the exhaust go they kind of go like that like to rabbit ears. So yeah class 218s are known as rabbits In let's go to Budapest now and talk about trams. There's the Siemens Combinos now That is a brand name, but the Siemens Combinos in Budapest. They're known as The giant caterpillars because they're so long. They were the longest trams in the world at the time There were six segments trams and they were big giant yellow things that would go They're mainly work on routes four and six known as the Gran Vula route It was the it's the busiest tram route in the world and it had the longest trams But they're no longer the longest trams in the world But the accolades is still held by Budapest because CAF the Spanish company They made some even longer trams for Budapest So Budapest still has the world's longest trams But yeah, the Siemens Combinos in Budapest are known as giant caterpillars. The other Hungarian tram I think quite funny. Some people call them the two-room and a bath trams I actually remember the originally they worked in Budapest and they worked in Debrison and Mish Coltsons again I've been on one in Debrison when I went to Debrison the first time there was still a couple in service and I was just walking through the city centre and suddenly I saw one I kind of remember what I was supposed to be doing but I abandoned it ran across and jumped on it So these are known as two-room and a bath trams. It's like two rooms in a bath and The other name they have is Bengalis because some people say they're like it's like poverty stricken India They're so sort of rough like and you know like the Bengali Tigers. So yeah, that's another name That really there are so many nicknames for trains both in the UK and abroad So, you know, I hope you enjoyed watching this video if you can tell me any others I've missed because I wasn't gonna try and do every one of them But you know, there might be some I don't know So if you want to tell me please do or if you tell me any other nicknames So like I can't imagine they do but say three two ones So they have another nickname because like I said some trains or locos have three or four nicknames So, you know, please do comment and tell me any other nicknames, you know I'll be really interested to hear from you. Hope you enjoyed this video from lockdown as Hopefully as the lockdown starts to ease within reason I'm hopefully gonna get out and about soon and do some more out-and-about videos Because that is more what I prefer doing. Although I have quite enjoyed doing this one It's been an excuse to get my old Hornby train set out and so yeah So hopefully soon we'll be out and about I won't be going probably miniature railways aren't gonna be open just yet So there won't be any miniature railways. They're still in my archive series But I'm hoping to get out about perhaps go for some more countryside walk So I can effectively socially distance and I'll go out on my daily exercise But I'm gonna take a camera with me and make some videos. So do watch out for them Hope you enjoyed this video and hopefully won't be too long before we can all get back on the trains and you know Ride some dusty bins and go to Germany and maybe get the last rabbits or go to Budapest and ride a giant Caterpillar or you know go to a heritage railway and ride a toffee apple or a growler or a duff, you know Hopefully the rail tours will start running soon and we can have Well, it's not mainline certified a moment, but say the Western we'd have a western hauled rail tour or You know, just like hopefully we'll all be back to how it used to be. So I really hope you enjoyed this video Thank you very much for watching. Please do feel free to like subscribe comment tell your friends. Thank you very much. Goodbye