Some basic model railroading terms:

Airbrush- Miniature paint sprayer using compressed air to spray thinned paint.

 Backdrop- Painted or photographic background.

 Ballast- Crushed rock placed between the ties on real railroads to keep the ties from moving and allowing drainage.

Balsa -A very lightweight wood that is easily cut.

Benchwork -   A frame foundation of a train layout.

Block -Electrically isolated section of track, used for multi train operation, signaling systems, or to avoid short circuits.

Bolster- Part of a railroad car body underneath that connects the truck's pivot to the body. Also refers to the cross members. On trucks, the piece between the side frames.

Branch- A short section of track that diverges from the mainline to serve a town or industry.

Bumper -At the end of a spur or branch line to keep cars from running over the edge.

CA (Cyanoacrylate)- "Super Glue." Bonds metals and plastics.

Cab control -One power pack per train, running on blocks, so each train is controlled individually.

Casting -Process for duplicating parts with resin or other products.

Catenary -Overhead wires for electrical locomotives.

Code- Height of rail in thousandths of an inch. Code 83 rail is .083" tall.

Command control (also known as DCC): Computer signals through the rails, decoded by locomotives running on the same tracks, but running independent of one another.

Consist : List of cars that make up a train.

Craze :When a glue runs and ruins the surface of uncompatible plastic.

Crossover: Two parallel turnouts that allow a train to move from one track to the other.

Cut: 

1) A string of cars moved together

2) a portion of a hillside removed. (see 'fill')

Dry brushing : Very little paint of the tip of a brush used to highlight details when weathering.

Duckunder: Bend under section of benchwork to access another area of the layout.

Epoxy: A two part glue.

Fascia :Boards for decoration on the front of a layout.

Fiddle yard: Hidden tracks where you can move cars around by hand.

Fill: Added dirt or 'fill' used to bring a grade up to level.

Flash: Thin pieces of plastic or metal left on a casting.

Flextrack: Flexible pieces of track sections.

Free-lance: The term for making up your own design.

Frog: The point where the track's rails cross the turnout's rails in a switch.

Gauge: The distance between the inside of the rails. Standard in North America is 4 feet 8 1/2 inches. Also see 'narrow gauge".

Gondola : A low sided open topped car used for hauling items okay to be exposed to the weather such as steel and scrap metals.

Grab Irons:  Handles on the sides of cars or equipment to allow workers access.

Grade : Angle of the rise or fall of tracks as they follow the land.

Grain:

1)The  direction of fibers in wood.

2) Any number of grown products.    

Ground Foam : Synthetic rubber ground and dyed to resemble ground cover such as grass, weeds and tree leaves.

Hardshell:  In using plaster dipped paper towels placed over various forms of framework for making scenery such as mountains and hills.

Helix : A spiral of tracks, raising or lowering the elevation of the model railroad. Used on multilevel layouts to go from one level to the next.

Helper: An additional locomotive (or more) used to help a train get over a difficult or steep grade.

Hostler : A person that moves locomotives around yard or shop area.

Homasote: A brand name material used for sound insulation, made of paperboard. Used in model railroading for roadbed because of its physical properties.

Hopper car   An open top car with tall sides, which is then emptied through chutes at the bottom. Used for commodities that can withstand exposure to weather.

Intermodal: Shipments using more than one method of transportation, such as over teh road trailers being placed onto  the rails, and then switching them to ships, and then back.

Interurban : Self-propelled trains either in cities or traveling short distances between nearby towns, such as a trolley or gas-electrics.

Journal : Load bearing part of an axle that rides in the support bearing or sideframe.

Kingpin: Pivot point of a truck that connects it to the bolster.

Kitbashing: The process of taking several kits to make your own creation.

Main line:  Primary rail line.

Module: A section built to dimensions and standards, to be included with other modules in a large layout.

MOW Maintenance of Way :

Term used by railroads referring to the work to keep the tracks operating.

NMRA : National Model Railroad Association NMRA.ORG

Narrow gauge: Rails spaced smaller than standard gauge (see 'gauge"); often used in mines and logging areas. Very popular in early railroad history as it was less expensive to build but caused interchange issues.

Operation:  Running model trains to simulate the prototype.

Points : That portion of a turnout or switch that moves.

Proto-Freelance: To follow the general theme of an actual railroad but to use your own design and interpretation.

Prototype : The actual, real life, full-sized object that is modeled.

Rail joiner : A folded metal  connecter used to hold and align two rails.

Reefer:  nickname for a refrigerated box car used to haul foods. Early models used ice then mechanical refrigeration.

Resin: A material used for casting parts.

Roadbed: Foundations for the railroad tracks.

Rolling stock :The cars on a train.

Scale : Proportion to the prototype a model is built. Examples are HO 1/87th, O is 1/48th, N 1/160.

Scratchbuilding: To build a model from base materials.

Scribe: To score a cut, not all the way through. Used in cutting styrene and other plastics.

Solder:   A low temperature melting alloy, used to join brass model pieces and electrical wires.

Styrene (Polystyrene): Versatile plastic used in modeling. Many sizes, shapes and colors.

Superelevation:  Banking tracks on a curve to allow for higher speeds.

Switch : A track that allows trains to change routes. Often called a turnout also.

Talgo:   Couplers attached on the rolling stock's trucks. Often found on toy trains as it allows for tighter curves, but is prone to derailing when backed up.

Tender: Carries fuel and water for steam engines.

Throat:  Point in a yard where all the tracks converge or diverge.

Traction : Trains operated in cities using electricity.

Truck Wheel assembly a train car rides on.

Turnout : Allows movement from one track to another. Usually a modeler's term for railroad switch, used so as not to confuse it with an electrical switch.

Weathering : Simulating years of use on models by chalks, thin washes of paint and other methods.

 Wye:  A turnout or switch track that curves both left and right.

Yard : A group of tracks where trains are sorted by destination, recombined and staged for departure.