Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul_RK
The final printed Oxford English Dictionary, from 1989 with minor revisions in 1991, includes a quote from the New York Times Magazine in 1981 to the effect that among the young and affluent "train station" had thoroughly supplanted "railroad station". It doesn't have any reference to "train station" entering the language on this side of the broad Atlantic.
Paul
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I've only ever heard the term 'railroad' used in England in the context of forcing something to happen or forcing someone to do something, especially quickly or unfairly as in: "We were railroaded into signing the agreement". I've never hear either of my sons, their wives or our three granddaughters ever use the term 'railroad'.
In fact the only time I've heard 'railroad' (rather than 'railway') used in the UK was more than six decades ago in 1956 when the late Alma Coggan had a record in the Hit Parade entitled 'Middle of the House'. However, the lyrics were written by an American lyricist, Bob Hilliard, who wrote the words songs such as "Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", "Any Day Now", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", "Our Day Will Come", "My Little Corner of the World", "Tower of Strength" and "Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)".
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The trains all come through the middle of the house
Since the company bought the land.
They let us live in the front of the house
They let us live in the back
But there ain't no living in the middle of the house
'Cause that's the railroad track.
There were three versions by English singers in the UK Chart simultaneously in Nov 1956.
I've rarely heard anyone use the term 'train' station. We live 250 yards from Cottingham Railway Station, and that's what most people seem to refer to it as, even though 'train' station is easier to say, and maybe more logical.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottin...ailway_station