waybeam

noun

waybeam

noun

Etymology From way + beam.

1

Rail transport, Railways, Transport A longitudinal timber supporting railway track, especially on a bridge.

Oak waybeams, 28 ft. long × 14 in. wide × 9½ in. deep, resting in the troughs, support the track, which is laid with flat-bottom bridge rails, 56 ft. long, and weighing 126 lb. per yd.1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149:

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