railroad
noun /ˈreɪlrəʊd/
/ˈreɪlrəʊd/
(North American English) (British English railway)
- (British English also railway line)a track with rails on which trains run
铁路；铁道 - railroad tracks
铁路轨道
- railroad tracks
- a system of tracks, together with the trains that run on them, and the organization and people needed to operate them
铁路系统；铁路公司；铁道部门 - This town got a lot bigger when the railroad came in the 1860s.
自从 19 世纪 60 年代通了火车之后，这座城镇变大了许多。
Culture railways and railroadsrailways and railroadsThe world's first railway along which passengers travelled on trains pulled by steam locomotives (= engines) was opened in 1825 between Stockton and Darlington in north-east England. By the early 1900s, when railways reached the height of their popularity, there were about 23 000 miles/37 000 kilometres of railway track. Victorian engineers such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed bridges for the railway, and architects designed station buildings such as St Pancras in London.The railways played a vital role in Britain's industrial development during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Later, with the invention of the internal-combustion engine (= the type of engine used in cars), road transport became more popular for both goods and passengers. In 1947 regional railway companies were nationalized (= the government became their owner) and were called British Rail (later BR), but following the Beeching report in 1963 many lines (= routes) were closed in order to save money. In 1994 the government decided that BR should return to being owned by private companies. Tracks and stations were made the responsibility of a company called Railtrack, while trains were once again operated by several companies on a regional basis.The railway network connects all the major towns in Britain, and now, via a high-speed service and the Channel Tunnel, links Britain with France and Belgium. People are encouraged to use trains and other forms of public transport to help reduce the amount of fuel being used and pollution. Railways are used for both short and long journeys, for commuting to work each day, and for transporting freight (= goods). Some routes are now electrified and have high-speed trains. Others still rely on diesel- powered engines. Some trains are old, dirty and carry too many people. They also have a reputation for being late, and jokes are often made about the excuses given for delays. These have included ‘leaves on the line’ in autumn, and ‘the wrong kind of snow’. Tickets are quite expensive, although some people, including students and older people, can get railcards which allow buy tickets at a reduced price. Cheaper fares are also available if tickets are booked in advance.Following several major railway accidents and the failure of the Railtrack company in 2002 the government set up Network Rail to be responsible for the railway system used by the train operating companies, private companies which run the trains. These companies provide information about trains to the public through their organization, National Rail.Many Americans don't travel by train, or railroad as it is generally called in the US. Passenger trains today mainly serve commuters (= people travelling to and from work) around large cities. The only major long-distance railway business is done by freight trains (BrE also goods trains).The first US railroad company was the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1829, but its cars (BrE carriages) were pulled by horses. Steam power was used by the 1830s, and the Pullman car was invented in 1859. The Civil War led to the rapid development of railroads, and the nation was connected from east to west in 1869 when the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific joined their tracks in Utah. The 20th century brought more powerful engines and huge stations, like Grand Central Station (officially Grand Central Terminal) in New York. The greatest period of US railroads began in the middle of the 19th century and lasted about 100 years. This time has been celebrated with popular songs like I've Been Working on the Railroad, Freight Train Blues, John Henry, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Orange Blossom Special and Casey Jones. Trains and railroad workers were also the subjects of many films and novels.After World War Twomany more people bought their own cars and no longer used trains as a means of transport. Union Pacific, once known for its two-level ‘dome lounge cars’ from which passengers could see the countryside they travelled through, stopped long-distance passenger services in 1971. Amtrak, a company controlled by the government, now runs the California Zephyr, the Texas Eagle and other trains but it is not very successful in attracting passengers.Some Americans are train buffs (= people who love trains and know a lot about them) and take special steam engine trips. They may also collect model trains, some of which are now valuable. In Britain both old and young visit railway museums, for example at York. Trainspotting (= recording the names and numbers of engines) used to be a popular hobby but is much less common now. - This town got a lot bigger when the railroad came in the 1860s.