trainiac

English

WOTD – 30 October 2012, 30 October 2013, 30 October 2014

Etymology

Blend of train +‎ maniac.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹeɪniˌæk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

trainiac (plural trainiacs)

1. (informal) A railway enthusiast.
   • 2001, Kathie Weir, A Parent's Guide to Los Angeles: Friendly Advice for Touring Los Angeles with Children‎, Mars Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, page 29:

     The Lomita Railroad Museum was once a regular stop on our shopping trips, a little reward for my trainiac.

   • 2006, James B. Twitchell, Where Men Hide, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 77:

     There are still trainiacs, for sure — approximately 300,000 hardcore train hobbyists in the United States, who spend about $500 million on their passion.

   • 2011 September 29, “The Pulled Groin Extrapolation” (00:10:27-00:10:32 from the start), in The Big Bang Theory, season 5, episode 3, Chuck Lorre, Eric Kaplan, and Jim Reynolds (actors):

     Sheldon Cooper: It's official. I'm an HO trainiac.
     

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:trainiac.

Synonyms

• gunzel (Australia), railbuff, railfan, foamer