water trough

English

Alternative forms

• water-trough, watertrough

Etymology

From Middle English water trouȝ, equivalent to water +‎ trough. Cognate with West Frisian wettertroch (“water trough”), Dutch watertrog (“water trough”), German Wassertrog (“water trough”), Danish vandtrug (“water trough”), Swedish vattentrog (“water trough”).

Noun

water trough (plural water troughs)

1. (rail transport, UK) a long trough placed between the rails in a railway track, which enabled a steam locomotive to replenish its water supply without stopping by lowering a scoop. They were removed at the end of steam train operation.

   Synonym: (US) track pan

   Coordinate terms: water column, water crane

   • 1946 November and December, “The Why and The Wherefore: Water Troughs on the S.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 391:

     No water troughs are provided on any part of the Southern Railway. Even on the West of England and Bournemouth main lines, the tenders of the locomotives can carry sufficient water for the longest regular non-stop runs, such as London to Bournemouth (107.9 miles), London to Salisbury (83.8 miles), and Salisbury to Exeter (88 miles).

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see water,‎ trough: a watering trough for livestock.