A fork of Rural Dictionary
A phrase used by railfans to designate when the headlights of an approaching train are visible glinting off the railroad tracks ahead of the train around a corner, usually before the train itself is visible.
Strictly, it is a “quiet on the set”, as the headlight glint warns of an approaching train and allows a few seconds for background noise to be minimized for when the train actually appears. This provides railroad enthusiasts with pristine sound in their videos of the passing train.
Pragmatically, it is a way for dorky train nerds to dorkily tell other dorky train nerds “ooh, a twain is coming!”
Railfan; “Hot Rail!”
Pause.
Train: “Choo choo!”
A nostalgia for the future that never came, and a hatred for the past that bungled on the delivery of that future.
Alternative form: hauntalgia.
Do you see those abandoned trolley tracks over there? I have so much hauntology for a life where I could ride a modern tram to work instead of these crappy busses.