Rail siding
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A siding, in general rail terminology, refers to a section of track distinct from a through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through trackage or to other sidings at one or both ends. The distinction between sidings and other types of trackage is somewhat vague, but in general "siding" denotes an auxiliary and often unspecific usage.
The most common type of siding is that used to store stationary rolling stock, especially for loading and unloading. Such "industrial sidings" might be found at factories, mines (mining), quarries, wharves, warehouses, etc. Such sidings can sometimes be found at stations for public use; in American usage these are referred to as team tracks (after the use of teams of horses to pull wagons to and from them).
Sidings are also used to temporarily hold railroad equipment between uses. A siding could hold maintenance of way equipment to allow other trains to pass, or a helper engine between runs.
A particular form of siding is the passing siding (called a crossing loop in British usage). This is a section of track parallel to a through line and connected to it at both ends by switches. Passing sidings, as the name implies, are constructed to allow one train to pass another, and are thus an essential feature of single track lines.
