Main track is governed by signals, warrants or other dispatcher authority, and nothing occupies it without permission. It carries the highest speeds and is built and maintained to the highest standards on the railroad. A crew moving from a yard or industry onto the main line has to have authority first, and fouling the main without it is one of the most serious rule violations there is.
Get on the radio and get us a warrant before you line us out onto the main line, I'm not fouling it blind.
Also heard as
- main track
- the main
- high iron
Related terms
High iron
The main line, as opposed to sidings, yard tracks and branch lines.
Siding
A track alongside the main line, connected at both ends, where trains meet or let others pass.
CTC
Centralized traffic control: signals and switches controlled remotely by a dispatcher who routes every train.
Track warrant
A written authority from the dispatcher, copied by radio, that lets a train occupy a set stretch of main track.