C2 · 50 words
Railway engineering in Spanish
Track, signalling, timetable and operation — the words without which no train runs.
La rampa característica is the ruling gradient, and la rampa is a word that does three jobs English keeps well apart. It is the ramp you push a trolley up. It is the gradient of a line, which is this page. And then it leaves engineering altogether: me ha dado una rampa en la pierna means a cramp, the sudden knot in a muscle. Ramp, gradient and cramp are one word in Spanish, and nothing about the sentence warns you which is coming.
The words
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Phrase (41)
el ferrocarril convencionalthe ordinary railway, shared with goods trainsPhraseC2
El ferrocarril convencional comparte trazado con mercancías.The conventional railway shares its alignment with freight.
la línea de alta velocidadthe line built for speed alone, with nothing crossing it on the levelPhraseC2
La línea de alta velocidad no admite pasos a nivel.The high-speed line allows no level crossings.
el cambiador de anchothe machine that changes a train from one track width to anotherPhraseC2
El cambiador de ancho evita transbordar en la frontera.The gauge changer saves transferring at the border.
la superestructura de víaeverything above the earthworks: stone, sleepers and railPhraseC2
La superestructura de vía se renueva cada treinta años.The track superstructure is renewed every thirty years.
el carril soldado continuorail welded end to end, so that nothing clicksPhraseC2
El carril soldado continuo suprime el traqueteo.Continuously welded rail does away with the clatter.
la sujeción del carrilwhat holds a rail down and still lets it creep a littlePhraseC2
La sujeción del carril permite un pequeño desplazamiento.The rail fastening allows a small movement.
el peralte de la víathe tilt of the track that leans a train into a curvePhraseC2
El peralte de la vía compensa la fuerza centrífuga.The cant of the track offsets the centrifugal force.
la insuficiencia de peraltehow much of that tilt is missing, which caps the speedPhraseC2
La insuficiencia de peralte limita la velocidad en curva.Cant deficiency limits the speed on a curve.
el radio de curvahow tight a curve is, which settles the whole alignmentPhraseC2
El radio de curva condiciona todo el trazado.The curve radius conditions the whole alignment.
la rampa característicathe steepest climb on a stretch, which decides what can be hauledPhraseC2
La rampa característica decide la carga remolcable.The ruling gradient decides the load that can be hauled.
el desvío ferroviariothe movable piece of rail that sends a train one way or the otherPhraseC2
El desvío ferroviario se calienta en invierno.The turnout is heated in winter.
la aguja del desvíothe tapered blade of that, which has to lie flat against the railPhraseC2
La aguja del desvío tiene que apoyar por completo.The switch blade has to lie fully home.
el itinerario de trenthe whole path through a station, set before any signal opensPhraseC2
El itinerario de tren se establece antes de abrir la señal.The train route is set before the signal is cleared.
el cantón de bloqueothe stretch of line that may hold one train and no morePhraseC2
El cantón de bloqueo solo admite un tren.The block section admits only one train.
el circuito de víathe current through the rails that notices a train standing on themPhraseC2
El circuito de vía detecta la presencia del tren.The track circuit detects the presence of the train.
el contador de ejesthe counters that notice the same train by counting its wheelsPhraseC2
El contador de ejes sustituye al circuito en vía nueva.The axle counter replaces the circuit on new track.
la señal de avanzadathe signal that says what the next signal will sayPhraseC2
La señal de avanzada anuncia lo que viene después.The distant signal announces what comes next.
el aspecto de la señalwhat a signal is showing, taken as an orderPhraseC2
El aspecto de la señal ordena reducir a sesenta.The signal aspect orders a reduction to sixty.
la protección automática del trenthe system that brakes when the driver does notPhraseC2
La protección automática del tren frena si el maquinista no actúa.Automatic train protection brakes if the driver does not act.
el freno de emergencia ferroviariothe braking that puts everything on at oncePhraseC2
El freno de emergencia ferroviario aplica toda la fuerza.Railway emergency braking applies the full force.
la distancia de frenadothe distance that takes, which is more than a kilometrePhraseC2
La distancia de frenado supera el kilómetro.The braking distance exceeds a kilometre.
el porcentaje de frenothe braking power of a train as a figure, written on its sheetPhraseC2
El porcentaje de freno se anota en la hoja de tren.The brake percentage is noted on the train sheet.
la subestación de tracciónthe place beside the line that feeds twenty kilometres of wirePhraseC2
La subestación de tracción alimenta veinte kilómetros.The traction substation feeds twenty kilometres.
la zona neutra de catenariathe dead stretch of wire that keeps two systems apartPhraseC2
La zona neutra de catenaria separa dos sistemas eléctricos.The neutral section separates two electrical systems.
la unidad de tren autopropulsadathe train with its engines underneath, needing no locomotivePhraseC2
La unidad de tren autopropulsada no necesita locomotora.The multiple unit needs no locomotive.
la caja de grasathe housing at the end of an axle, watched for heatPhraseC2
La caja de grasa se vigila por temperatura.The axle box is monitored by temperature.
la carga por ejehow much weight one axle may put on the railPhraseC2
La carga por eje limita el peso del vagón.The axle load limits the weight of the wagon.
el enganche automáticothe coupling that joins wagons without anybody going between themPhraseC2
El enganche automático ahorra maniobras.The automatic coupling saves shunting.
la composición del trenthe deciding of which vehicles make up a train, done the night beforePhraseC2
La composición del tren se decide la noche anterior.The make-up of the train is decided the night before.
la playa de maniobrasthe wide yard where wagons are sorted by where they are goingPhraseC2
La playa de maniobras clasifica por destino.The marshalling yard sorts by destination.
el lomo de asno de clasificaciónthe little hill there that lets a wagon roll away by itselfPhraseC2
El lomo de asno de clasificación deja rodar el vagón solo.The hump lets the wagon roll on its own.
el surco horarioone train's place in the timetable, asked for a year aheadPhraseC2
El surco horario se solicita con un año de antelación.The train path is applied for a year in advance.
la malla de horariosthe whole weave of those places in the timetable, repeating every hourPhraseC2
La malla de horarios se repite cada hora.The timetable pattern repeats every hour.
el margen de regularidadthe slack built into a journey so that small delays disappearPhraseC2
El margen de regularidad absorbe pequeños retrasos.The recovery margin absorbs small delays.
el retraso propagadothe delays that reach trains that did nothing wrongPhraseC2
El retraso propagado alcanza a trenes que no fallaron.Knock-on delay reaches trains that did not fail.
el cruce de trenestwo trains passing each other where the line is singlePhraseC2
El cruce de trenes se hace en vía única en el apartadero.Trains cross each other on single track at the loop.
el intervalo mínimo entre trenesthe least time that may separate two trainsPhraseC2
El intervalo mínimo entre trenes es de tres minutos.The minimum headway between trains is three minutes.
la capacidad de la líneahow much a line can carry, which the slowest train settlesPhraseC2
La capacidad de la línea depende del tren más lento.Line capacity depends on the slowest train.
el intervalo nocturno de trabajosthe hours at night when the line is closed for workPhraseC2
El intervalo nocturno de trabajos va de la una a las cinco.The night possession runs from one until five.
la auscultación de la víathe measuring of the track's shape by a train built for itPhraseC2
La auscultación de la vía se hace con un tren especial.Track recording is done with a special train.
la interoperabilidad ferroviariabeing able to run a train across a border without changing anythingPhraseC2
La interoperabilidad ferroviaria exige un mismo sistema de señalización.Railway interoperability requires one signalling system.
Noun (m) (6)
el balastothe broken stone the track sits in, spreading the loadNoun (m)C2
El balasto reparte la carga y amortigua.The ballast spreads the load and damps it.
el gálibothe empty shape round the track that nothing may stick intoNoun (m)C2
El gálibo del túnel impide el contenedor alto.The tunnel gauge keeps out the high container.
el enclavamientothe machinery that refuses to set two routes that would meetNoun (m)C2
El enclavamiento impide dos itinerarios incompatibles.The interlocking prevents two conflicting routes.
el pantógrafothe frame on the roof that presses up against that wireNoun (m)C2
El pantógrafo roza el hilo de contacto.The pantograph rubs against the contact wire.
el bogiethe little wheeled truck a carriage turns onNoun (m)C2
El bogie sigue la curva sin arrastrar el eje.The bogie follows the curve without dragging the axle.
el apartaderothe extra piece of track where two trains do thatNoun (m)C2
El apartadero mide setecientos metros.The passing loop is seven hundred metres long.
Noun (f) (3)
la traviesathe cross beam the rails are fixed to, one sleeper of the trackNoun (f)C2
La traviesa de hormigón pesa trescientos kilos.The concrete sleeper weighs three hundred kilos.
la catenariathe wire above the track that the power comes downNoun (f)C2
La catenaria se tensa con contrapesos.The overhead line is tensioned with counterweights.
la bateadorathe machine that packs the stone back under the sleepersNoun (f)C2
La bateadora recompone la geometría del balasto.The tamping machine restores the geometry of the ballast.
This list belongs to Transport and travel — ten lists and 463 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.