Too Many Abreviations.......

[widescreen]

Is there any way we can get people posting in the Forums and files etc to at lease once in each post actually spell out what the abreviations mean, just once is fine, then go ahead and use the initials.

It is driving me mad trying to work out just what the devil people are on about sometimes.

Here are just a few from the last couple of days;

MOW, WCE, SWT, ELR, EH2, NWNGR, BKGC1, MSTS, DCV5, GWR, EWS, NWE, etc.

I know some of them are pretty obvious but some are just so confusing.

Maybe there should be some kind of a Glossary of all these initials.?

Maybe there already is.?

[rwaceyw]

Considering many of the abbreviations you listed are commonly used elsewhere (EWS, ELR, NWNGR etc), there ain't much chance of it i'm afraid.

Dave

[alanch]

Google will find them for you.

[rlmathers]

Found this in Screenshots - BNS British Neuropathological Society: How disappointing, when all I saw were trains.

[widescreen]

Google eh.?

MOW
http://www.mow.co.uk/
mow from Online Medical Dictionary

WCE
http://www.world-challenge.co.uk/
http://www.wce.co.uk/

SWT
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/
http://www.swt.org.uk/

ELR
http://www.elr.co.uk/
http://www.east-lancs-rly.co.uk/

EH2
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dl ... ode=[b]EH2[/b]+4BA - 38k
http://www.ourproperty.co.uk/directory/[b]eh2[/b].html

OK, 40% success.

[NiallGray]

MOW, WCE, SWT, ELR, EH2, NWNGR, BKGC1, MSTS, DCV5, GWR, EWS, NWE, etc.

I was almost going to agree until you put MSTS in your list!!!

[marketheridge]

Is there any way we can get people posting in the Forums and files etc to at lease once in each post actually spell out what the abreviations mean, just once is fine, then go ahead and use the initials.

It is driving me mad trying to work out just what the devil people are on about sometimes.

AOL!
ICWYM
TTFN
M

[dkightley]

I hate people using TLAs and FLAs all the time.


And does anyone else remember the Two Ronnies sketch where the whole script was in abbreviation? "LO" "UFNEM?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkWMcRlE1mQ

[WesternInvader]

Doug, you seem to have found the precise moment at which 'text-speak' first came into existence

As a sensible answer to the original post:
MOW = Maintenance Of Way, a term used on US (that's United States ) railroads, refers to operations related to track repair or maintenance (such as rail-laying or ballast trains). In the United Kingdom these were more commonly called PW (Permanent Way) trains.
For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maintenance_of_way

Some of the others are railway companies or preserved railways:
NWNGR = North Wales Narrow Gauge Raillway
GWR = Great Western Railway
EWS = English Welsh and Scottish Railway Ltd


Others are train simulation related:
EH2 = Electric Heritage 2 stock pack
WCE = West Coast Express route (similarly ECE is East Coast Express, released in three parts, hence ECE1, ECE2 and ECE3)
NWE = North West England route
DCV5 = Dorset Coast route, Version 5 (also written as DC5, previous versions being DC4, DC3, etcetera)

Similarly you will see:
CC5 (Cannock Chase route, version 5)
BD2 (Burton-Derby route, version 2)
TM4 (Thames-Mersey route version 4)
ME+ (Mid-East Plus route)
S&C (Settle and Carlisle route)

In some cases it could be either a real railway or the simulated route, according to the context (examples: ELR = East Lancashire Railway; SVR = Severn Valley Railway; WSR = West Somerset Railway) .