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rack rail

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noun
  1. (in an inclined-plane or mountain-climbing railway) a rail between the running rails having cogs or teeth with which cogwheels on the locomotive engage.
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Origin of rack rail

First recorded in 1830–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rack rail

Historical Examples

  • It was also very apt to get off the rack-rail, and then it stood still.

    Lives of the Engineers

    Samuel Smiles

  • He obtained a patent, in 1811, for the application of a rack-rail.

  • The cog-wheel on this latter shaft worked in a rack-rail placed in the centre of the track.