rack rail

rack rail ExamplesWord Origin 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.

Origin of rack rail First recorded in 1830–40 Examples from the Web for rack rail Historical Examples of rack rail

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 Steam Engine Explained and Illustrated (Seventh Edition)

Dionysius Lardner

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..