orphan train

noun

One of the trains, operating between 1854 and 1929, that transported orphaned and homeless children from crowded Eastern cities of the United States to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the Midwest.

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Meanings

nounorphan train (plural orphan trains)

plural orphan trains

  1. historicalOne of the trains, operating between 1854 and 1929, that transported orphaned and homeless children from crowded Eastern cities of the United States to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the Midwest.
Cite this entry
APA

orphan train. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphan%20train

MLA

“orphan train.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphan%20train. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orphan train,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphan%20train.

Source: orphan train on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.