Dictionary

running rail en · NOUN

Meanings

1. (plural-normally) One of the two rails of a railway track with which the wheels of a train make contact.
   • When AC traction was being introduced this was recognised as a threat to track circuits. Harmonics of the switching frequency would appear in the traction return currents in the running rails and, potentially, this would cause wrong-side track circuit failures. 2019 October, Roger Ford, “Power failure highlights specification confusion”, in Modern Railways, page 27:
   • The system voltage is 630 volts d.c. and the supply to the trains is by top-contact third rail with running rail return. 1956 October, “Recent Changes on the Tyneside Electrified Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 659:
   • In order to reduce noise to a minimum, the running rails have been welded into 315 ft. lengths. 1940 December, “Notes and News: Waterloo & City Tube Modernisation”, in Railway Magazine, page 668:
2. A fence which marks the inside edge of a racecourse track.

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