Cowcatcher

[pat]

Cowcatcher common? Really? I tried it for a laugh in yesterday's puzzle and was amazed that it was the ten-letter word. Even the dictionary has it as archaic and principally US.

I see that a lot of people got it but I wonder how many tried it in the same way that I did.

[yelnats]

I got it after I got catcher and wasn't surprised by it. When I grew up all country trains had 'cowcatchers' at the front and Melbourne trams had a version of them. I will have a look at the vintage trams on the Melbourne City Circle when I'm next in the city. I expect they still have them.

In fact...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/deanmelbourne/3433840626

front and just below centre!

And a google image search found 51,200, even a Lego cowcatcher...

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=cowcatcher+images&espv=2&biw=1309&bih=739&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRg5DzhcXLAhXHoZQKHX9IBWIQsAQIGg

[Linda]

Got it by chance! Hardly a common word to us Brits.  We use sheepdogs to catch our cows!! 

[TRex]

Got it by chance! Hardly a common word to us Brits.  We use sheepdogs to catch our cows!! 

And what would a sheepdog do with the cow, once caught?

I'm not sure why the device is called a cowcatcher — it was used to push cattle (and a lot more steers and buffalo than cows) off the track.

[Les303]

It was a simple one for me as i actually work for queensland railways...loved linda's response..if the sheepdog catches the cow then maybe we end up with some very woolly puppy dogs...Les

[Les303]

Soon as i posted that i realised it really didn't make sense ..maybe the puppy would have a very leathery hide with a bit of a cow pattern..Anyway while i'm here would just like to encourage more players ,particularly novices like me (not only new to chihuahua but to computers in general ) to join FORUM as i've found after just a couple of posts , players like Pat , Alan , Moribus , Trex, Birdie & plenty of others are happy to take the time to help out with any query (no matter how dumb). Also just a bit disappointed to see all the anon players , don't want to know all ur details but at least what country your in would be cool. As a novice computer user it just blows me away that i'm playing with people from all around the world..Les

[yelnats]

TRex, here in Oz a cowcatcher would have never pushed a buffalo off the tracks. We are still talking about a train line from Alice Springs to Darwin, and have been for all my lifetime, which is the only area where it may push a water buffalo off the tracks.

But I did like one of the 51,200 google images - a cartoon which said, "I prefer to call it a cow exploder rather than a cowcatcher".

[TRex]

But I did like one of the 51,200 google images - a cartoon which said, "I prefer to call it a cow exploder rather than a cowcatcher".

I love it! I looked for it, but couldn't find it. It did make me imagine a locomotive travelling at 50-60 mph hitting a steer standing on the tracks. It sure wouldn't be pretty!

[yelnats]

TRex,

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Big-Cowcatcher-Theory-528287445

[TRex]

Thanks!

[Les303]

The concept of the cowcatcher is to throw the beast or debris clear of the track .. still not ideal for the poor old cow but preferable to the alternative .. I am aware of some instances where animals , although severely injured , have indeed survived such a strike , particularly in more recent times since the design from the original which was a very prominent V shape has been improved significantly so the initial impact will lift the beast into the air & hopefully clear of the track.
Without the cowcatcher the beast would most likely go underneath the train with no chance of surviving & every chance of de - railing the locomtive....Cheers Les

[Alan W]

Some dictionaries label cowcatcher as North American, or chiefly so. But I would agree with yelnats and Les303 that the word is fairly well known here in Australia too. The National Library of Australia's digitised newspapers confirm that the word was in fairly frequent use, at least during the age of steam locomotives. (The archive does not cover recent decades, presumably for copyright reasons.)

Possibly younger people in America or Australia would be less likely to know the word. Modern locomotives seem to have equivalent fittings, but they are often known as pilots, according to Wikipedia.

In any case the word cowcatcher seems to be little known in the UK, so it will not remain as a common word.

[a non-amos]

Regarding the "cow exploder" thread . . .

Here is a picture of the Norfolk & Western 611, a J class locomotive, based here in Roanoke:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/88/N%26W_J_Class_611_in_Markham_VA.jpg/1280px-N%26W_J_Class_611_in_Markham_VA.jpg

Built in 1950, this proud old lady is a thing of beauty.  Under test conditions she broke 110 mph (177 kph) pulling 15 train cars on level track.  In actual service she occasionally broke 100 mph (161 kph).  Not bad, for a steam locomotive.

This might be considered one of the earliest bullet trains.  There had been a running joke that the locomotive had no top speed; it all depended on the engineer's nerves.  Our tracks here in the US are generally not smooth enough for trains this fast.

The cowcatcher definitely could be a cow exploder.

P.S. - She was recently repaired and is back in service for various excursions.