The Regency period was notorious for its rakes ( and other garden implements)

Nick R ( at Pepys exhibition in Greenwich  )

And Hogarth's paintings and engravings "A Rake's Progress" in the 1730s
One would hope that as our rakes progress they dont fall into decline and dissolution as did Tom Rakewell.

It may have animal ancestry, as 'rake' is used as a collective noun for mules. Mules carried goods, so the leap from a 'rake of mules' to a 'rake of wagons' seems logical, and then from there to coaches.

A Rake is a collective units of pints...

From 1-6 Pints in the pub is a "Few"
From 7-12 Pints is a "Rake"
More than 12 Pints is a "Feed"

Well it is around here anyway...

For my Dad (Dublin born and bred) the limit of decency was 8 pints.

If you had "one over the eighth" you were "sozzled".

Yours (hic),


Joe Cassidy

Quote from: Greybeema on March 26, 2016, 08:12:20 PM

From 1-6 Pints in the pub is a "Few"  TIPSY
From 7-12 Pints is a "Rake"              DRUNK
More than 12 Pints is a "Feed"          HOSPITALISED

Quote from: Greybeema on March 26, 2016, 08:12:20 PM
A Rake is a collective units of pints...

From 1-6 Pints in the pub is a "Few"
From 7-12 Pints is a "Rake"
More than 12 Pints is a "Feed"

Well it is around here anyway...

Forgot to mention - the whiskey chasers do not get included in the count...

Quote from: joe cassidy on March 26, 2016, 08:33:17 PM
For my Dad (Dublin born and bred) the limit of decency was 8 pints.

If you had "one over the eighth" you were "sozzled".

Yours (hic),


Joe Cassidy

Never been to Dublin, but thats my commonly accepted level of "having too many" too
I don't know the origin of the term Rake...or rather I think I do now but often when referring to "Engine and stock" trains it would be referred to as Load 8, or however many coaches were involved....That may be a WR thing though.......

To get back on track (Ned Seegoon comes to mind )

Re: Bob B's question 'So what's the collective noun for several locomotives'?

Observation indicates that there seem to be two answers for this:

(1) 'Stud':A small group (more than one but less than 5, although the latter number seems to be arbitrary) is evidently called a ''stud' (as in a collection of male breeding animals; usually horses)  although curiously, the use of that word seems to be (have been?) largely American-specific, and appropriated with great enthusiasm by US HO modellers during the 1950's. The use of the word in a model railway context does however seem to have died-out over time. However, although rarely used in the Twenty first Century it is not totally extinct, and has at times been noted in various US-sourced model railway magazines. The origins of the word in a railway setting are uncertain, but seem to have been associated with the early days of railway construction in Britain. It evidently crossed the North Atlantic.   

(2) 'Fleet': This seems to be the more usual term for a group of locomotives, although as with 'Stud' the word again it appears to be 'number-dependent', and relates to two or more units. However, the term is apparently  very flexible and railway modelers have been known to have a 'fleet' of a single locomotive. This is however a linguistic aberration and may be model railway specific in its usage....

Hoping that this helps. It's an interesting question.   

Not heard the word "stud" over here (only been here 36 years).  The common term for multiple items coupled together is "consist". See here:

http://www.railway-technical.com/us-uk.shtml

Doesn't answer to why "rake" is used though.

The vagaries of the English language. What have I started 

In the NE of Scotland, where I was brung up, my grandparents generation used the word 'rake' to mean a plurality.  "How many were there Gran?"  -  "A great rake o' them min, a great big rake!"  Anyone else would have said, "a large number."

It's all in the fun of the English language and the varied uses in different countries. "Rake" is very British as a railway term for a train, as is "diagram" whereas "consist" is predominantly American.  Likewise where locos are concerned "stud" tends to be more North American and may actually refer to a large collection of locos.  Fleet is more generic but of course is not railway-specific.

Omar / anaes20. 

So, let me get this straight. A rake is a diagram, is a consist, is a stud, is a fleet, is a load 8, Got it now.  I have engines pulling wagons and/or coaches. 

Quote from: dannyboy on March 31, 2016, 09:34:09 PM
So, let me get this straight. A rake is a diagram, is a consist, is a stud, is a fleet, is a load 8, Got it now.  I have engines pulling wagons and/or coaches. 

Alas no, the terms "fleet" and "stud" are not used in the same context as the other terms.  They refer to a collection of locos rather than a complete train.

Omar / anaes20.