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Siding (rail)

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For the building cladding, seesiding (construction).

Asiding,inrail terminology,is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as amain line,branch line, or spur.It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighter rails, meant for lower speed or less heavy traffic, and few, if any, signals. Sidings connected at both ends to a running line are commonly known asloops;[1][2]those not so connected may be referred to assingle-endedordead-end sidings,[3]or (if short)stubs.[4]

Railway sidings (left) beside the main running-lines (right) at Kingswear in Devon, England

Functions

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Sidings may be used for marshalling (classifying),stabling,storing, loading, and unloading rail vehicles.[5]

Common sidings store stationaryrolling stock,especially for loading and unloading.Industrial sidings(also known asspurs) go tofactories,mines,quarries,wharves,warehouses,some of them are essentially links toindustrial railways.Such sidings can sometimes be found atstationsfor public use;[clarification needed]in American usage these are referred to asteam tracks(after the use of teams of horses to pull wagons to and from them). Sidings may also holdmaintenance of wayequipment or other equipment, allowing trains to pass, or storehelper enginesbetween runs.

Some sidings have very occasional use, having been built, for example, to service an industry, a railway yard or a stub of a disused railway that has since closed. It is not uncommon for an infrequently-used siding to fall into disrepair. Even if officially abandoned such sidings may be left derelict rather than lifted and removed.

Passing siding

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On single-track lines, trains use passing sidings to pass one another. OneCanadian Pacific Railwaytrain waits on a siding while a second train passes.
Main article:Passing loop

A particular form of siding is the passing siding (U.S. andinternational) orpassing loop(U.K.). This is a section of track parallel to a through line and connected to it at both ends byswitches(U.S.) (points in international usage). Passing sidings allow trains travelling in opposite directions to pass, and for fast, high priority trains to pass slower or lower priority trains going the same direction. Passing sidings are also used to switch a locomotive from one end of a train to the other. They are important for efficiency onsingle tracklines, and add to the capacity of other lines.

Private siding

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A private siding does not belong to a railway, but to a factory, government department, etc. connected to it.[6]Some larger private sidings have their ownlocomotivebelonging to the owner of the siding.[7]In Australia private sidings must be registered with the safety regulator.[8]

Refuge siding

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Main article:Refuge siding

A refuge siding is a single-ended (or dead-end) siding with a similar purpose to passing loop in that it temporarily holds a train while another one passes.

Team track

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Rail cars parked on sidings in Switzerland
Example of multiple team tracks

Ateam trackis a small siding or spur track intended for the use of areamerchants,manufacturers,farmersand other smallbusinessesto personally load and unload products and merchandise, usually in smaller quantities.[9]The term "team" refers to the teams ofhorsesoroxendelivering wagon-loads of freight transferred to or from railway cars.[10]Team tracks may be owned by the railroad company[11]or by customers served by the railroad, or by industrial parks or freight terminals that encompass many customers.[12]In some jurisdictions, the operation and construction of team tracks is regulated by legal authorities.[13][14]

History

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Earliest rail service to an area often provided a team track on railroad-owned property adjacent to the railroad agent'strain station.[15]As rail traffic became more established, large-volume shippers extended privately owned spur tracks intomines,factories,andwarehouses.Small-volume shippers and shippers with facilities distant from the rail line continued using team tracks into the early part of the 20th century.

Throughout the mid to latter portion of the 20th century, improvedhighwaysystems and abandonment of low-volume rail lines made full-distancetruckshipments more practical inNorth Americaand avoided delays and damage associated with freight handling during transfer operations.[16]However, as a result of higher fuel costs, greater traffic jams on Interstate Highways, and the growing movement towards sustainable development, there has been recent upward trend towards moving long-distance freight traffic off highways and onto rail lines. This has resulted in local communities and rail lines seeking construction of new team track and intermodal facilities.[17][18]

Design

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Some railroads publish detailed specifications for the design and construction of many elements of team tracks. For example, theUnion Pacific Railroadhas standards and guidelines for many aspects of spur track construction including track layout, clearance standards andturnoutand switch stand designs.[19]

Generally, team tracks do not have road or pedestrian crossings across them.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Jackson (2006), p. 192.
  2. ^Ellis (2006), p. 207.
  3. ^Jackson (2006), p. 87.
  4. ^Jackson (2006), p. 337.
  5. ^Ellis (2006), p 324.
  6. ^"OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms – Private siding (railway) Definition".OECD Statistics.June 3, 2002. Archived fromthe originalon Jul 10, 2021.Retrieved2020-10-04.
  7. ^"Railway Company Goods Facilities – Industrial Sidings & Industrial Railways".International Good Guys.Retrieved2022-04-08.
  8. ^"Private sidings (registration)".Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.Archivedfrom the original on Oct 10, 2020.Retrieved2020-10-04.
  9. ^Plant, Jeremy F.; Melvin, George F. (1999).Maine Central in Color, Volume 2.Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books. p. 55.ISBN1-58248-030-3.
  10. ^Raymond, William G. (1937).The Elements of Railroad Engineering(5 ed.). New York, New York: John Wiley and Sons. p. 180.
  11. ^Union Pacific Railroad Company.Union Pacific Railroad Company Team Track Agreement(PDF).Retrieved8 December2011.
  12. ^"About Us".Port of Tucson.Port of Tucson.Retrieved9 December2011.
  13. ^Chapter 49-10.1. Railroad Regulation by Public Service Commission(PDF).North Dakota Legislative Branch.Retrieved8 December2011.
  14. ^abTexas Department of Transport (May 1998). "Chapter 5: Spur Tracks".Railroad Operations Volume.Retrieved8 December2011.
  15. ^de Vos, Jerry; Kohler, Gary; McChesney, Chris (2003).Narrow Gauge in the Sheepscot Valley: A Comprehensive Guide to the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway.Vol. 2. Washingtonville, Ohio: M2FQ Publications. pp. 8, 24, 27, 76.
  16. ^U.S. Department of Transportation (1974). "Chapter 1: Introduction". Rail Service in the Midwest and Northeast Region (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  17. ^New Jersey Department of Transportation (1 July 2008).FY 2009 Update Report of the New Jersey State Rail Plan(PDF)(Report). New Jersey Department of Transportation.Retrieved7 December2011.
  18. ^Hackbarth, Paul (9 November 2011)."Council Approves Contract for Team Track Rail Siding".The Missourian.Washington, Missouri.Retrieved7 December2011.
  19. ^Union Pacific Railroad."Technical Specifications for Construction of Industrial Tracks".Union Pacific Engineering Projects.Union Pacific Railroad.Retrieved11 December2011.

Bibliography

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  • Jackson, Alan A. (2006).The Railway Dictionary,4th ed., Sutton Publishing, Stroud.ISBN0-7509-4218-5.
  • Ellis, Iain (2006).Ellis' British Railway Engineering Encyclopaedia.Lulu.ISBN978-1-8472-8643-7.
  • Riley, Joseph E. and Strong, James C., "Basic Track", AREMA, 2003
  • Solomon, Brian, "Railway Signalling", 1st Edition, Voyageur Press.
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