railhead

[ reyl-hed ]

noun

, Railroads.

1. the farthest point to which the rails rail of a railroad have been laid.
2. the upper part of a rail, used for supporting and guiding the wheels of railroad cars.
3. a railroad depot at which supplies are unloaded to be distributed or forwarded by truck or other means.

railhead

/ ˈreɪlˌhɛd /

noun

1. a terminal of a railway
2. the farthest point reached by completed track on an unfinished railway
3. military the point at which material and personnel are transferred from rail to another conveyance
4. the upper part of a railway rail, on which the traffic wheels run

Word History and Origins

Origin of railhead¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; rail ¹ + head

Example Sentences

Imports and exports utilizing the Chinese train at Vientiane must be transferred by road across the Mekong’s bridge to Nong Khai’s railhead, where Thailand’s trains connect to Bangkok and elsewhere.

From Washington Times

Cattle would arrive at Ogallala between early May and September, with some of them rushed from northern Texas when a rancher saw a chance to make more money at the railhead by supplementing his herd.

From Washington Times

The German boy from a railhead in Kansas?

From Fox News

“The railhead of all bad decisions is the same railhead: Javanka,” he said, using a nickname that conflates the couple.

From The Guardian

GWR which owns the train said the damage was caused by 'poor railhead conditions'.

From BBC