turnout
TURN-owt
/ˈtɜːrnaʊt/
A mechanical assembly of rails, moveable switch points, and a frog that enables rolling stock to transition from one track to another.
The complete technical term for what is commonly called a 'railway switch' or 'points'.
The story behind the word. Coined during 19th-century industrial railway construction to describe the physical point where a locomotive could 'turn out' of the mainline path.
Word relationships
- railway switch: Switch refers specifically to the moveable point rails, whereas turnout is the entire structural assembly including the frog and guard rails.
Commonly confused with
- siding: A turnout is the track hardware that diverts the train, whereas a siding is the destination track itself.
Collocations
- high-speed turnout
- turnout maintenance
- turnout frog
- mechanical turnout
Example sentences
- "Engineers installed a heavy-duty turnout to allow freight trains to enter the newly built industrial park without slowing down." Track Maintenance
Memory hook
Where tracks TURN OUT to lead a train onto a new path. The switch mechanism diverting trains to another track.
When not to use
Do not use to mean passenger attendance (e.g., 'a high voter turnout') when writing in a transport engineering context.
Fun facts
- The gap inside a turnout where wheels cross intersecting rails is called the 'frog' because it resembles a frog's hind legs.
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