Admin Update: New Glossary Page
by Rafael
Just a quick post to let you know I’ve added a Glossary page. The link is located just underneath the banner logo, in-between “Comments Policy” and “Log Out”. This will be updated every now and then, but I hope even this initial version will prove useful to any readers unfamiliar with the railroad terminology and acronyms that tend to pop up in our posts and comments from other readers.
Thank you for the glossary page! From the looks of it, it appears to have been in the works for some time, therre are a lot of definitions there!
Good luck and best wishes for HSR in CA!
James
Rafael Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:45 am
Nah, cobbled it together in an afternoon in response to reader complaints that the blog was getting too hard to follow.
Nice, a solid first effort. May I suggest some more entries: pantograph, catenary, distributed power, articulated carriage, grade separation, electrification, baby bullet, elevated berm, retained fill, cut-and-cover, trench, tunnel boring machine (TBM), caltrain corridor.
Rafael Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:45 am
Added.
Good idea. Also OCTA, DEIR, check correct spelling of PBQD, HSIPR, FONSI…
Rafael Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:46 am
Added/corrected.
Great idea….
But when are you adding editable comments? I’m getting *really* sick of tripple-checking anything I write for typos. I am NOT alone here!!!!
Dan Reply:
August 22nd, 2010 at 8:48 pm
OOPS. *really* was supposed to be in BOLD. ’nuff said.
Clem Reply:
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:37 pm
tripple? Darn edit button!!!
Robert Cruickshank Reply:
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:41 pm
I *might* be lowering my previously implacable hostility to an edit button, but only because there appear to be WordPress plugins that allow registered users to edit comments, but only within a given time limit. I’ll be exploring this more when I get back from Hawaii.
Caelestor Reply:
August 22nd, 2010 at 9:47 pm
A preview function would suffice.
Rafael Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:47 am
I agree, a preview plug-in would suffice. Here’s a couple of alternatives:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/live-comment-preview/
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ajax-comment-preview/
Good job. For your consideration:
ATO = Automatic Train Operation
ATP = Automatic Train Protection
LRV = Light-Rail Vehicle; LRT = Light-Rail Train
HRV = Heavy Rail Vehcile; HRT = Heavy Rail Train
Commuter Rail
Passenger Rail
San Diego Trolley or Trolley
Metro or Metro Rail = (Los Angeles) (Red, Purple, Blue, Green Gold lines)
SANDAG = San Diego Association of Governments
LACMTA = Los Angeles County Transportation Authority
SDMTS or MTS = San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
TomW Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:36 am
Thsoe are all things which shoudl be included, but acronym entires should also include defition of ther term, as well as what the letters stand for. (E.g. ATP = Automatic Train Protection. A system which prevents trains from passing signals at danger my automatically applying the train’s brakes if needed.)
Rafael Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:55 am
Defined under PTC.
Rafael Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:55 am
Added these as well.
May I suggest linking to the agency website when appropriate, (eg ACE, Caltrain, CC). Also links to wikipedia or other “read more” sorts of info.
Great addition, though.
Rafael Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 4:52 am
Perhaps I’ll add links in my copious spare time at some point.
Wow! Great job. Thank you. In the beginning, I always wondered what EIR meant. But I hope people will make less use of those abbreviations. I totally understand why you would abbreviate Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center into ARTIC.
But I hope I won’t need to go all the way to the glossary only to find out that LRT means light rail train or SB means Southbound. What the hell? What happened to the art of writing?
Rafael Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 4:55 am
So you want everyone to write “Environmental Impact Report” every time instead of “EIR”? Let’s be realistic here, most commenters simply don’t have that kind of time or patience. I’ll take your suggestion on board for any future posts I write up, though.
James M. Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Although I am not a “professional” writer (like for a news agency or book author, etc,), usually I would see Environmental Impact Report (EIR) written, then if acronyms would be used in the body again, the acronym would immediately be followed in brackets, as I have done above. Then it is OK to use the acronym til the buttons wear out! I guess that is the price paid for a short cut society…
James in Irvine, CA
(And I still think the Glossary Page is great! Thanks….)
Emma Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Rafael, that is exactly NOT what I was trying to say. I said that I embrace acronyms and abbreviations for long terms. What we should stop doing is creating acronyms for words that are already short enough, such as “SB” for “Southbound.”
Joey Reply:
August 24th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
I dunno. Using the full word is probably better in actual sentences, but in diagrams (or attempts to create diagrams out of text), such shorthand abbreviations are probably inevitable.
Something to include, complete with link, and it ties in with the grade-crossing commentary recently–Operation Lifesaver:
http://www.oli.org/
Thanks Rafael, this is very useful. Suggested additions:
PRP – Peninsula Rail Program – collaboration between Caltrain and HSRA to plan the SF-SJ route
PWG – Policy Working Group (related to: PRP) -part of PRP’s outreach, periodic meetings that include a designated elected official from each city, county, other interested agencies.
TWG – Technical Working Group (related to: PRP) – part of PRP’s outreach, periodic meetings that include a designated staff member from each city, county, other interested agencies.
and our fav:
CSS – Context Sensitive Solutions :)
Rafael Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 5:49 am
Included.
Is CTC mixed up with CTCS? CTC is worth its own non-Chinese definition as well.
Rafael Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 5:49 am
Sorry, my bad. Fixed.