Third Rail (Noun)
Meaning
A rail through which electric current is supplied to an electric locomotive.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- Trains that run on the city's subway system use a third rail to power their electric motors and maintain speed.
- Most modern transit systems incorporate a third rail that supplies electricity to trains through contact with a sliding shoe.
- Locomotives drawing power from the third rail can accelerate more rapidly due to the constant flow of electricity.
- Older train models used a third rail and an overhead wire to draw the necessary current to function.
- London's Tube, with its many tunnels, uses a live third rail instead of an overhead wire to distribute electricity to its trains.