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center pin

American  

noun

Railroads.
  1. a cylindrical device passing through the center plates of both the body bolster and the truck bolster, permitting the truck to swivel beneath the car body while the stress is taken by the center plate.


Etymology

Origin of center pin

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“Sportsmanlike behavior is the center pin to maintaining hunting as a socially acceptable activity,” Fred Trevey wrote in an email forwarded to the governor’s office.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 16, 2018

“We played a center pin from the back tee, and it was 265,” Woods said.

From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2011

However, the friction of these bearing surfaces and their location at a considerable distance from the center pin combined to restrict the free movement of the truck.

From Introduction of the Locomotive Safety Truck Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology: Paper 24 by John H. White

Using the hood lines with center pin as center, describe two concentric circles with radii 8 feet 3 inches and 11 feet 3 inches.

From Infantry Drill Regulations, United States Army, 1911 Corrected to April 15, 1917 (Changes Nos. 1 to 19) by United States War Department

Hammers stick when the center pin is too tight in the flange.

From Piano Tuning A Simple and Accurate Method for Amateurs by J. Cree (Jerry Cree) Fischer

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