sand drag

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word sand drag. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word sand drag, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say sand drag in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word sand drag you have here. The definition of the word sand drag will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofsand drag, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Sand drag at Tower Hill underground station, London

Noun

sand drag (plural sand drags)

  1. (rail transport, UK) a pile of sand or earth at the end of a siding or bay platform, intended to stop trains that overrun or pass through trap points set for a siding.
    • 1941 August, “The Why and the Wherefore: Sand Drags”, in Railway Magazine, page 382:
      Sand drags are usually laid in as an extension of trap sidings or of lines from catch-points. The rails are boxed in for some distance on either side, and the box is filled with sand, or, preferably, coarse gravel, the intention being, as the name implies, that the sand will act as a drag, and help bring the runaway train or vehicles to rest before they derail and cause serious damage.
    • 1978, Alan A. Jackson, London's Local Railways, David & Charles, page 154:
      Should any driver attempt to pass the Belmont starter signals at danger, he would find his train in the sand drag.

Related terms

Further reading

sand drag on Wikipedia.Wikipedia