Noun

Singular railroad

Plural railroads

railroad (plural railroads)

  1. A permanent road consisting of fixed metal rails to drive trains or similar motorized vehicles on.
    Many railroads roughly follow the trace of older land - and/or water roads
  2. The transportation system comprising such roads and vehicles fitted to travel on the rails, usually with several vehicles connected together in a train.
  3. A single, privately or publicly owned property comprising one or more such roads and usually associated assets
    Railroads can only compete fully if their tracks are techically compatible with and linked to each-other
  4. (figuratively) A procedure conducted or bullied in haste without due consideration.
    The lawyers made the procedure a railroad to get the signatures they needed.

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • railroad flat

From Wiktionary under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Thu Feb 4 07:36:13 2010

Railroad transportation is the means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on.

Track usually consists of steel rails installed on sleepers/ties and ballast, on which the rolling stock, usually fitted with metal wheels, moves. However, other variations are also possible, such as slab track where the rails are fastened to a concrete foundation resting on a prepared subsurface.

Rolling stock in railroad transportation systems generally has lower frictional resistance when compared with highway vehicles, and the railroad cars can be coupled into long trains.

The operation is carried out by a railway company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facilities. Power is provided by locomotives which either draw electrical power from a railway electrification system or produce their own power, usually by diesel engines. Most tracks are accompanied by a signaling system.

Railroads are a safe land transportation systems when compared to other forms of transportation. Railroad transportation is capable of high levels of passenger and cargo utilization and energy efficiency, but is often less flexible and more capital-intensive than highway transportation is, when lower traffic levels are considered.

The oldest, man-hauled railways date to the 6th century B.CE. With the development of the steam engine, it was possible to construct mainline railways, that were a key component of the industrial revolution. Also, railroads reduced the costs of shipping, and allowed for fewer lost goods. The change from canals to railroads allowed for "national markets" in which prices varied very little from city to city. Studies have shown that the development of the railroad was one of the most important technological inventions of the late 19th century in the United States, without which, GDP would have been lower by 7.0% in 1890. In the 1880s, electrified trains were introduced, and also the first tramways and rapid transit systems came into being. During the 1940s and 1950s, the non-electrified railways in most countries had their steam locomotives replaced by diesel-electric locomotives. During the 1960s, electrified high-speed railroad systems were introduced in Japan and a few other countries. Other forms of rail transportation outside the traditional definitions, such as magnetic-levitation maglev trains have also slowly came into use.

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Sun Feb 28 23:54:53 2010

Local sites mark area's ties with Underground Railroad's history ...
zanesvilletimesrecorder.com
Local sites mark area's ties with Underground Railroad's history ...

unknown

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:02:00 GM

Local sites recently marked the area's ties with the Underground . Railroad. , which was born to help African-America​n slaves escape their bonds in southern states and retreat to the northern states and Canada.

REVIEW: Railroad Earth Sherman Theater 11/27/09 - Deadheadland
deadheadland.com
REVIEW: Railroad Earth Sherman Theater 11/27/09 - Deadheadland

TylerCurtis

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:20:20 GM

This show was off to the races from the start. I put in a request for this tune among a few others, and wether it was because I requested them or not, it was still an amazing setlist. Carey counts off, the band all starts off together, ...

NWI could get more federal railroad funding :: Local News :: Post ...
post-trib.com
NWI could get more federal railroad funding :: Local News :: Post ...

By Gitte Laasby

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:09:34 GM

Along with a couple of hundred regional leaders and officials, Reed attended a speech Friday by Federal . Railroad. Administrator Joseph Szabo in Gary. The meeting celebrated a $71.4 million stimulus grant that will remedy a "choke point ...

From Google Blog Search: "railroad"
Mon Feb 15 10:05:38 2010

AAR Reports Traffic Remains Down in January 2010 - PR Newswire (press release)
news.google.com
AAR Reports Traffic Remains Down in January 2010

PR Newswire (press release)

Editors' Note: The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the ...



and more »
Eugene police investigating shooting death of railroad worker - KMTR NewsSource 16
news.google.com
Eugene police investigating shooting death of railroad worker

KMTR NewsSource 16

Eugene (KMTR) - The investigation continues into the shooting death of a railroad engineer in west Eugene. Eugene police say a coworker found the body of ...

Springfield man found dead near Eugene railroad tracks OregonLive.com

Eugene police investigating railroad worker death KTVZ

Train Engineer Shot To Death In Eugene KPTV.com

KEZI TV  - The Register-Guard  - KVAL

all 26 news articles »
Historian reveals realities behind Iowa's role in underground railroad - Newton Daily News
news.google.com
Historian reveals realities behind Iowa's role in underground railroad

Newton Daily News

Historian Galin Berrier made this and other realities of the underground railroad clear at a Chautauqua lecture at William ...

From Google News Search: "railroad"
Wed Feb 10 23:44:11 2010

universe of entertainment
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From Yahoo Image Search: "railroad"
Sat Mar 6 21:01:59 2010

How has the railroad transportation changed throughout the ages?
Q. Do you have a couple of sentences to describe the evolution of the railroad?
Asked by =] - Sat Nov 21 11:02:27 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. The railroad evolved from horse to steam. Steam then evolved into electric and diesel.
Answered by squeaky guinea pig - Sat Nov 21 14:07:58 2009

How much is the Long Island Railroad fair?
Q. Im thinking of appliying to Stony Brook but have to take the long island railroad. Is the fair $2 as it is for regular train, or is it gonna cost more.
Asked by spaola17 - Sun Oct 14 13:13:31 2007 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Hello. Ticket fare from New York City (which I assume is where you are coming from...$2 fare and what not), a one way, off-peak ticket to Stony Brook will cost you $9.50 ($19.00 roundtrip) and a one way peak ticket will cost $13.00 ($26.00 roundtrip). A monthly ticket costs $267.00, a weekly ticket costs $85.00, and a 10 trip ticket costs $130.00 for peak and $80.75 off-peak. If you require any further information, you can go to the LIRR website at www.mta.info/lirr/ and look under schedule and fares. I hope this has been helpful for you. Good luck with your travels, and good luck on your admissions to Stony Brook.
Answered by ratpac7_10519 - Mon Oct 15 01:46:04 2007

Why do they put gravel between the railroad ties on the railroad tracks ?
Q. I always see rocks and gravel between the railroad ties on the railroad and often wondered waht was the reason for it. It is not used on the subway tracks.
Asked by tom j - Fri Aug 14 08:20:25 2009 - - 12 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Well weeds and fire have nothing to do with it.It is for drainage of water and to help distribute the weight and keep the ties from shifting.It also makes it easier to resurface the track.After time the tracks will shift and become un-even.They use a machine called a tamper to lift the track and vibrate the ballast around the ties to help re distribute them.It has a system on it so they can tell when the track is level.Many times before they tamp track they will go dump ballast first because the tamper can cause the level of the rail to be raised and it's needs additional ballast to help fill in the voids. Edit George your incorrect about the ties sitting on the ground.Initially they are on new roadbed construction.Then they spread ballast… [cont.]
Answered by Andy - Fri Aug 14 11:30:42 2009

From Yahoo Answer Search: "railroad"
Wed Mar 3 20:19:25 2010