Re: Origin of Up/Down railway terms - Britian, etc

[G.Lambert@unsw.edu.au (Geoff Lambert)]

"Peter J. Vincent" <pjv@alphalink.com.au> wrote:

>I am wondering whether the terms "Up" and "Down" have been researched to
>an origin?

>I believe the terms relate to the use of Upstream and Downstrean, from
>the British days of canal transport where there were Main canals, Branch
>canals, navvies, gangers, and other terms passed on the rail use.

>Anybody read anything?

Here is a Q&A session with Peter Hardcastle, a canal web-site person
from the U.K.


> Dear peter
> 
> I am trying to track down the use of the terms "up" and "down" in railway
> parlance which mean (mostly) "towards the central station" and "away from
> the central station".
> 
> Someone suggested that this terminology might have had a precedent in
> canals.  Did it?.... were these terms used in a similar way on canals
> before the coming of railways?
> 
> Thank you for your help
> 
> Geoff Lambert
> University of NSW
> Australia
> 
Hi Geoff,

I've seen this talked about on both uk.rec.waterways and
uk.rec.railways.
It never gets an agreed answer in terms of why up & down are used in
connection with railways but it certainly didn't come from canals. As
far
as I know canal people used "up" and "down" simply because thats the
way
the nearest locks went. People in Birmingham would say Manchester was
down north, London was down south and Stourport was down west. Because
Birmingham is at the top of a hill!!