rack rail
noun
(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.
Origin of rack rail
1First recorded in 1830–40
Words Nearby rack rail
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rack rail in a sentence
The cog-wheel on this latter shaft worked in a rack-rail placed in the centre of the track.
Illustrated Catalogue of Locomotives | M. Baird, et. al..He obtained a patent, in 1811, for the application of a rack-rail.
The Steam Engine Explained and Illustrated (Seventh Edition) | Dionysius LardnerFrom this point until the other side of the Andes is reached part of the way is covered by the use of a rack rail.
The Amazing Argentine | John Foster FraserIt was also very apt to get off the rack-rail, and then it stood still.
Lives of the Engineers | Samuel Smiles
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