ˈcow-catcher U.S.
An apparatus fixed in front of a locomotive engine, to remove straying cattle or other obstructions from the rails in front of a train.
| 1838 Railway Mag. Mar. 185 This machine is used..in the United States, and is termed a ‘cow or horse catcher’. 1853 Rep. Comm. Patents 1852 (U.S.) I. 64 Cow-catcher. 1861 G. F. Berkeley Sportsm. W. Prairies iv. 60 The cow-catcher is a strong iron fence, or set of bars, springing out from the engine in front of both fore wheels. 1884 Philada. Times No. 3041. 2 Cow-catchers for street cars. |