The following glossary is arranged alphabetically with each term catalogued by first letter. Select a letter below to begin.
Facing point
A track turnout positioned so its points face oncoming traffic.
Feeder
Electrical power wire attached to rail.
Fill
Roadbed built up above the surrounding terrain to maintain a relatively even grade.
Fixed cab
A cab or throttle permanently mounted to one location.
Flange
The part of the wheel that runs below and inside the top of the rail to guide the wheel.
Flangeway
The space between a running or stock rail and a guardrail for wheel flanges.
Flash
A thin web of material on a cast part, the result of mold sections not meeting tightly.
Flexible track
Track in long sections (usually 3 feet or 1 meter) that can be bent to any desired curve. Also called "flextrack".
Flextrack
See Flexible track.
Freelance
Modeling that does not follow a prototype railroad.
Frog
The X shaped rail assembly where rails cross in a turnout or crossing.
Function buttons
Buttons on a throttle that control locomotive accessories such as lighting and sound.
Function mapping
In DCC, changing a decoders CVs to determine which function button controls which function output.
Function outputs
Wires on a decoder that power locomotive accessories such as lighting. Function outputs are most commonly used to control sound effects and the front and rear headlamps of a locomotive.
