conductor rail

Noun

conductor rail (plural conductor rails)

1. Synonym of live rail.
   • As on Nos. 20001-3, the motor and generator armature shafts of the new locomotive each carry a heavy flywheel to provide kinetic energy and help maintain the speed of the motor-generator set during interruptions of supply, as at breaks in the continuity of the conductor rail.1959 March, “The 2,500 h.p. electric locomotives for the Kent Coast electrification”, in Trains Illustrated, page 123
   • On the morning of Thursday, November 3, flood water rose over the conductor rails in platforms 1 to 3 of Lewes station and the electric service to London had to be shut down.1961 January, “Talking of Trains: Flooding at Lewes”, in Trains Illustrated, page 5

   Synonyms:

   live rail

2. Synonym of third rail.
   • "Keep off Conductor Rails" said red-painted notices at the platform ends, for third-rails were laid in many places even where electric trains never normally ran, and there had been many rumours of impending electrification of the Wirral, as a natural extension of the Mersey system, a quarter of a...1954 March, W. A. Tuplin, “Recollections of the Wirral Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 167

   Synonyms:

   third rail