tripcock
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A train-mounted safety device which interacts with a trackside device to stop a train automatically if it passes a signal at danger (showing a red light).
Example Sentences
- "When a train runs onto the track, thus connecting the two rails, a short circuit is created, the current drops out and the signal switched to red. The system operates in conjunction with a lever on the tracks. If a train should pass a red light, the lever, which is called a tripcock, comes into play. The tripcock releases the air from the train's air-braking system, thus causing the brakes to come on and stopping the train."
- "Chiltern Class 165s are fitted with tripcocks to allow them to operate on LU infrastructure between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham."