four foot

Etymology 1
From the 4 feet 8½ inch (1435 mm) distance between the rails on a standard gauge railway.

Noun

 * 1)  the space between the rails on a standard gauge railway line.
 * 2) * 1877, William Edward Langdon, The Application of Electricity to Railway Working, Page 230
 * When placed in the four foot it should be so arranged that a loose carraige coupling shall not strike the box, as such a blow might possibly break it.
 * 1) * 1882, George P. Neele, Atlantic and American Notes, M'Corquodale & co., limited, Page 54
 * Cattle are of course liable to stray on the line at these level crossings, but to prevent this, barriers are placed on each side of the crossing, and a deep trench is made in the four-foot and six-foot spaces, [...]
 * 1) * 1922, J. Thomas Lee, William Hepworth, Railway Permanent Way: Dimensional Theory and Practice, C. Sever, Page 224
 * In this case, the third crossing i.e., where one turnout crosses the other, is in the four foot of the main
 * 1) * 1943, C. L. Heeler and Ronald Albert Hamnett, British Railway Track: Design, Construction and Maintenance, Permanent Way Institution
 * Page 19
 * The reason for this is, that as in these cases there are obstructions in the four foot which might become foul of wheels of stock [...]
 * Page 48
 * For ‘ E ’ and ‘ F ’ switches the key jaw is provided on the inside of the four-foot in the 1.P. and 2.P. chairs, as in these chairs there is not room between the switch and stock rails [...]
 * 1) * 2007 September 5, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Rail Accident Report 33/2007: Fatal collision between a Super Voyager train and a car on the line at Copmanthorpe 25 September 2006, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Department for Transport, Page 8
 * The car came to rest with its front wheels in the four foot of the nearest railway line, the down Leeds line.