grab iron

English

Noun

grab iron (plural grab irons)

1. (rail transport, US) A metal bar attached to the side of locomotives and railroad cars for use as a handhold.
   • 1985, Rodger Bradley, Amtrak: The US National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Blandford Press, pages 71–72:

     These alterations included a bevelled nose, modifications to the footsteps, grab irons, and lower cowls around the fans in the roof, to overcome height restrictions on some Southern Pacific lines in the east.

Related terms

• grab handle
• grab rail

Translations

Translations

• French: main montoire f

References

• “grab iron”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.