Definition

1. Noun:
   • A permanent way; a pair of parallel steel rails, fixed to ties (sleepers), that provides a defined path for the wheels of a railroad train. It is the physical infrastructure that guides trains from one location to another.

Usage

• The term "railroad track" refers to the physical structure itself. It is typically used when discussing the infrastructure, its condition, or its location.
• It is often used with prepositions like , , , , or .
• Example: "The old railroad track runs through the forest."
• Example: "It is dangerous to walk on the railroad track."

Examples

• Noun:
  • The workers are repairing a section of the railroad track damaged in the storm.
  • The abandoned railroad track has been converted into a hiking trail.
  • The signal warns drivers when a train is approaching the railroad track crossing.

Advanced Usage

• "to be on the wrong side of the railroad track(s)": An idiom (often used in the plural "tracks") meaning to be from a poor or disreputable part of town. This usage is figurative and refers to historical social divisions in some towns.
  • He grew up on the wrong side of the railroad tracks.

Variants and Related Words

• Railway track (noun): A synonym, more common in British English.
• Track (noun): A common short form for "railroad track" when the context is clear.
  • The train left the track.
• Rail (noun): Refers specifically to one of the two steel bars. "Railroad track" consists of two rails.
• Line (noun): Can refer to a route or a section of railroad tracks, especially in the context of a railway system.
  • The commuter line is very busy.

Synonyms

• Permanent way (noun): A formal, technical term for the tracks and their supporting structure.
• Railway line (noun): Emphasizes the route defined by the tracks.

Related Phrases

• Railroad crossing (noun): A point where a road and a railroad track intersect.
• Track bed (noun): The foundation of crushed stone or concrete on which the railroad track is built.

Noun

1. a line of track providing a runway for wheels
   • he walked along the railroad track