Toepath

Towpath originated with canal barges and referred to the path alongside the canal used by the horses that pulled the boats, hence towpath. It was later used to describe the path alongside the first railroad tracks, because before steam locomotives were developed for the purpose, the original power was furnished by horses that pulled the cars. The horses could not walk between the rails because of the ties, therefore they walked on a path alongside the rails, the towpath. In later years, some railroad workers, unfamiliar with the history of the walkway, began referring to it as a toepath. Both versions are equally acceptable now.