steam age

English

Noun

steam age (uncountable)

1. (rail transport) The time when trains were powered by steam locomotives.
   • 1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 713:

     The Stage I electrified area has been resignalled throughout with colour-lights, which in due course will be associated with B.R. standard A.W.S., and 27 signalboxes now do the work of the steam age's 56.

2. A period of industrialisation when steam power was used.

References

• “steam age”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.