Q Is it gantlet or gauntlet? My dictionary describes the former as a type of railroad track and the latter as an armored glove. But now my railroad guru tells me that all railroads use “gauntlet” to describe the track. Which is it? – D.G. Townsend, Falls Village, Conn.
A Always trust your dictionary. Gantlet track is used when two parallel lines (A and B) need to go through an area that’s too narrow for both lines. In this case, the second rail on Line A will cross over the first rail on Line B so that the corresponding rails are next to one another (A1, B1, then A2 and B2), then diverge back to standard parallel lines as soon as room is available again. Although too many people use “gauntlet” when they mean “gantlet,” the proper meaning has not changed at all. Gauntlet can be a medieval glove such as the type worn by knights in shining armor, or it can be a punishment in which the offender is made to run between two rows of men who strike him with weapons as he passes (thus, “running of the gauntlet”). But gauntlet never properly refers to track in any way. – Kathi Kube
A Always trust your dictionary. Gantlet track is used when two parallel lines (A and B) need to go through an area that’s too narrow for both lines. In this case, the second rail on Line A will cross over the first rail on Line B so that the corresponding rails are next to one another (A1, B1, then A2 and B2), then diverge back to standard parallel lines as soon as room is available again. Although too many people use “gauntlet” when they mean “gantlet,” the proper meaning has not changed at all. Gauntlet can be a medieval glove such as the type worn by knights in shining armor, or it can be a punishment in which the offender is made to run between two rows of men who strike him with weapons as he passes (thus, “running of the gauntlet”). But gauntlet never properly refers to track in any way. – Kathi Kube
