A small railroad car powered by hand-pumping a lever or handle, used for inspection and maintenance of train tracks.
From 'hand' and 'car,' combining the manual power source with the rail vehicle it describes. Developed in the 19th century as a practical solution for railroad workers to move along tracks without needing a full locomotive.
Handcars were the skateboard of the railroad era—workers would pump the handles up and down in a rhythm to make the car zoom down the tracks, and they became iconic enough to appear in cartoons and comedy routines.
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