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railhead

American  
[reyl-hed] / ˈreɪlˌhɛd /

noun

Railroads.
  1. the farthest point to which the rails of a railroad have been laid.

  2. the upper part of a rail, used for supporting and guiding the wheels of railroad cars.

  3. a railroad depot at which supplies are unloaded to be distributed or forwarded by truck or other means.


railhead British  
/ ˈreɪlˌhɛd /

noun

  1. a terminal of a railway

  2. the farthest point reached by completed track on an unfinished railway

  3. military the point at which material and personnel are transferred from rail to another conveyance

  4. the upper part of a railway rail, on which the traffic wheels run

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of railhead

First recorded in 1895–1900; rail 1 + head

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:

Imports and exports utilizing the Chinese train at Vientiane must be transferred by road across the Mekong’s bridge to Nong Khai’s railhead, where Thailand’s trains connect to Bangkok and elsewhere.

From Washington Times Jan. 13, 2022

The German boy from a railhead in Kansas?

From Fox News Dec. 3, 2018

“The railhead of all bad decisions is the same railhead: Javanka,” he said, using a nickname that conflates the couple.

From The Guardian Dec. 23, 2017

Mulholland is the father of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, completed in 1913, that brings in water from 200 miles away and reshaped Los Angeles from a parched railhead into the nation’s second most populous city.

From Washington Times Jul. 31, 2014

The Russians defending Josefov had no railway on the eastern side of the river within thirty-three miles, while the Germans had a railhead about ten or twelve miles away on the western side.

From The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 3 (of 10) From the First Battle of Ypres to the End of the Year 1914 by Parrott, James Edward

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