It's a shame asdf isn't around lately, because I would have been curious about his commentary from a North American viewpoint, especially on the "mallard" operation. My source on this is O. S. Nock: Railways of the USA (of which I own a copy); the following is from Chapter Fiveteen:

This book was written almost four decades ago, however, and I couldn't find a modern reference, so I wonder if the "mallard" term/slang is still in use.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}