Meanings
- UKrail transportA principle in railway signalling where only one train or locomotive is allowed to run on a section of single-track line, such as a branch line, at any one time.
A change seems likely on the Axminster-Lyme Regis branch [...]. We hear also that one-engine-in-steam operation will probably be introduced on this line.
1960 March, “Talking of Trains: S.R. branch report”, in Trains Illustrated, page 1351 more example
There are eight 4-wheel coaches of the open toastrack type, but provided with roofs, and during the holiday season, usually beginning at Whitsuntide, trains are run as required on the one-engine-in-steam principle.
1941 July, “The Isle of Man Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 315
Cite this entry
one engine in steam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20engine%20in%20steam
“one engine in steam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20engine%20in%20steam. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “one engine in steam,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20engine%20in%20steam.
Source: one engine in steam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.