All different siding types

[devon_belle]

Tiverton Junction had Butter Siding.

And the Strawberry siding at Cullompton. Or was it tomato?

 

[Romsey]

Too many years ago there was a Tipton Field group of sidings in Eastleigh Marshalling Yard plus a tranship road for a transhipment shed, removed sometime around 1945!
The "Coal Yard" was where the methanol tanks for Borden Chemicals were discharged. ( Now where COLAS locos and tampers are serviced.

The "Back Road" between Fratton CSD and Portsmouth & Southsea is actually a non passenger through running line.

Weymouth has a "TPO" siding and the Jersey Sidings are still part of the network. The last TPO ran in 1988 and the last load on Jersey Tomatoes moved by rail was probably in the early 1970's. ( But then things move at their own pace in Dorset!)

 

[AndrewE]

In the diagram in post 2 on https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/remodelling-crewe.296026/ there is a "Slip siding" leading from the old pfm 5 out onto the up fast - in addition to the main turnout. Anybody got any suggestions why it was so named?

As an aside, the complexity of the junction at the N end of the station is astonishing to the modern eye, and the number of fixed diamond crossings is astronomical!

 

[D6130]

In the diagram in post 2 on https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/remodelling-crewe.296026/ there is a "Slip siding" leading from the old pfm 5 out onto the up fast - in addition to the main turnout. Anybody got any suggestions why it was so named?

As an aside, the complexity of the junction at the N end of the station is astonishing to the modern eye, and the number of fixed diamond crossings is astronomical!

Could it be the siding into which slip coaches - detached from non-stopping expresses - were deposited after the disembarkation of their passengers....or was that not a thing on the LNWR?

 

[AndrewE]

Could it be the siding into which slip coaches - detached from non-stopping expresses - were deposited after the disembarkation of their passengers....or was that not a thing on the LNWR?

I didn't think they did much of it, in fact looking at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slip_coach (which seems very comprehensive*) it says LNWR didn't reintroduce them after WW1.

* I had no idea that there had been so many historically.

 

[themiller]

In front of the signal box at Carlisle station there are 3 sidings named after the area which used to have manufacturies and the sound from them was a wap-wap-wap, hence High Wapping sidings.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

In front of the signal box at Carlisle station there are 3 sidings named after the area which used to have manufacturies and the sound from them was a wap-wap-wap, hence High Wapping sidings.

Carlisle also has the Wall - or Wallside - sidings, perhaps not surprising these are alongside the wall on the down side.

 

[arthursterling]

I was wondering if anyone knew or knew where I could find all the different names for types of yards and sidings.
From the top of my head I can think of are reception, sorting, empty, marshalling, departure, recessing, holding and carriage.

You’ve already covered a lot of the common ones
There isn’t really a single, definitive list because names vary by country, era, and even by individual railways, but here are some others you’ll often see referenced:

• Classification yard (often used interchangeably with marshalling/sorting)
• Hump yard (a type of classification yard using gravity)
• Flat-shunted yard
• Staging yard (especially in model railroading)
• Engine/locomotive yard
• Maintenance or servicing yard
• Fueling yard/depot
• Intermodal yard
• Freight terminal
• Industrial sidings
• Storage sidings
• Run-round loop (not a yard, but often discussed alongside them)

If you’re looking for something more formal, older railway operating manuals, infrastructure diagrams, or even signalling handbooks tend to be the best sources. Wikipedia’s pages on marshalling and classification yards are also a decent starting point, though they’re not exhaustive.

Out of curiosity — are you researching this for real-world operations, historical reference, or model railroading? That usually changes which terms are most relevant.

 

[Ashwick]

You’ve already covered a lot of the common ones
There isn’t really a single, definitive list because names vary by country, era, and even by individual railways, but here are some others you’ll often see referenced:

• Classification yard (often used interchangeably with marshalling/sorting)
• Hump yard (a type of classification yard using gravity)
• Flat-shunted yard
• Staging yard (especially in model railroading)
• Engine/locomotive yard
• Maintenance or servicing yard
• Fueling yard/depot
• Intermodal yard
• Freight terminal
• Industrial sidings
• Storage sidings
• Run-round loop (not a yard, but often discussed alongside them)

If you’re looking for something more formal, older railway operating manuals, infrastructure diagrams, or even signalling handbooks tend to be the best sources. Wikipedia’s pages on marshalling and classification yards are also a decent starting point, though they’re not exhaustive.

Out of curiosity — are you researching this for real-world operations, historical reference, or model railroading? That usually changes which terms are most relevant.

There is a prison siding at Wakefield Westgate and it's an overhead electric track

 

[Ashley Hill]

There is a prison siding at Wakefield Westgate and it's an overhead electric track

We have siding unofficially named Porridge Siding on the SDR. It was laid by prisoners.

 

[pwharley]

Tip sidings 1 and 2 exist at Didcot

...plus an Ash Road Siding in the Railway Centre (where wagons to take away the ash would be loaded).

 

[SWTurbo]

At Woking (Down yard) there were, inter alia, Top & Bottom Khyber, Top & Bottom Bridge (the latter aka The Blacksmith), Crook, Coal Pen. There was also the Middle block, a short road next to the Down Local. In the Up Yard is was the Short Block, hard by the ramp of the Up Local Platform. Next to that was The Hurdles.
And also the so-called 'Dead-End' roads (3 to 6) were double ended leading to 3 to 6. Railtrack never got their heads around that (never a problem before them.).
Pat

Not the first place I’ve heard of a siding being called “the hurdles” but I still haven’t got an explanation beyond “that’s how it always was.”

Is there any commonality/reasoning behind sidings being called hurdles?


Also another non mention so far is Penzance’s Up Loop Siding aka Slopers.

 

[MadMac]

Have we had the Derby Siding at Motherwell yet?

 

[SomeTrainboy]

Out of curiosity — are you researching this for real-world operations, historical reference, or model railroading? That usually changes which terms are most relevant.

I was just wondering how many hypothetical sidings there could be in one place. Enough that it seems silly!

 

[AndrewE]

I was just wondering how many hypothetical sidings there could be in one place. Enough that it seems silly!

in any one place there would probably be one or more fans known by a descriptor and then numbers, plus sidings for specific purposes whose names stuck - like "the potato siding" and dozens of others mentioned above. Lovely insight into local history though.

 

[Adrian Barr]

I've attempted to list examples of as many "types" of siding I can think of (as opposed to local names of sidings, or sidings named after the company they serve). Many of them have already been mentioned in this thread. Most are fairly self-explanatory, referring to a commodity handled or the function of the siding.

BORDESLEY AGGREGATE SIDING
FORDERS SIDINGS A&D LINE
SWINDON AUTO SIDINGS
PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA BACK RD
SANDICARE BALLAST SIDINGS
STEWARTS LANE BERTHING SIDING
BRIGHTON CARRIAGE ROAD
SHEFFIELD CARRIAGE SIDINGS
EASTLEIGH AXIOM C&W SDGS [Carraige & Wagon]
DONCASTER CHS [Carriage Holding Sidings]
Holyhead Cattle Dock
CRAIGO CE SDGS [Civil Engineers]
WESTBURY CEMENT SIDINGS
LLANWERN COAL SIDINGS
SCUNTHORPE COKE SIDINGS
Mansfield Concentration Sidings
TRAFFORD PARK CRIPPLE SIDINGS
WEMBLEY CUSTOMS HOLDING SIDINGS
HEREFORD DIESEL SIDINGS
LLANELLI DOCK SIDINGS
GASCOIGNE WOOD DOWN SDGS
WESTBURY DMU SIDINGS
WEST EALING EMU SIDINGS
OLD OAK COMMON ENGINE SIDING
UTTOXETER ENGINEERS SIDING
FOXTON EXCHANGE SIDINGS
NEVILLE HILL FUEL POINT
LAIRA DEPOT FUEL ROAD
NEWTON HEATH FUEL SIDING
ALLERTON GAS SIDINGS
SEVENOAKS GUSSET SDG
ARPLEY SIDINGS H.S. [Holding Sidings]
KETTERING HOT BOX SIDING
KIRTON LIME SIDINGS
IPSWICH LOCO SIDINGS
WEMBLEY LOCO HOLDING SIDINGS
ROCHESTER UP LAYBY SDGS
DOLLANDS MOOR LOCO REPAIR SIDING
AVONMOUTH LPG SIDINGS
LAWLEY STREET MAINTENANCE SIDING
DONCASTER MIDDLE ROAD
CLAPHAM JUNCTION MIDDLE SIDING
THORESBY SIDINGS NECK
HOLYBOURNE OIL SIDINGS
YORK SKELTON OTM SIDINGS
DONCASTER PAPER SDGS
CARNFORTH PLANT SIDING
IMMINGHAM HENDERSON QUAY
MOSSEND WEST 1 REPAIR POINT
ABERTHAW (CEMENT) REPAIR SIDING
DITTON RECEPTION SIDINGS
STONEHAVEN REFUGE SIDINGS
POWDERHALL REFUSE SIDINGS
SANDHILLS REVERSING SDG
TEES YARD SECTIONAL SIDINGS REPAIR POINT
DONCASTER RAILPORT SPINE ROAD
CREWE GRESTY ROAD SPOIL SDGS
KETTERING STABLING SIDINGS
SHEFFIELD STATION SIDINGS
Bescot Down Storage Sidings
EASTBOURNE TAMPER SIDINGS
GRESTY GREEN THROUGH SIDING
GRAIN THAMESPORT TIMBER SIDING
SWINDON TRANSFER SIDINGS
WILLESDEN HL TURNBACK SIDING
WELWYN GARDEN CITY UP SIDINGS
EASTLEIGH WAGON EXAM SIDING
ILFORD EMUD WHEEL LATHE ROAD

Shunt neck always. Never heard headshunt except in modelling and heritage circles.

The Shunt Neck / Neck / Headshunt conundrum is an interesting one. All three are used in location names in TOPS and on Quail maps.

This extract from a method of working for Acton yard is interesting, as it makes reference to both a "West End Headshunt" and a neck at the east end.

Three Engineers’ Sidings with a neck at the East end are located to the far north of the site...The West End of Engineers’ Road No. 3 extends into the West End Headshunt via the ‘Sand Road’.

The Neck is used for Light-Locomotive movements primarily during run-rounds and for some stabling of Locomotives as and when required

In this context, the east end "neck" is referring to a short siding that could accommodate 2 locos maximum, while the "West End Headshunt" at 58 SLU is used to shunt complete trains from the reception sidings to the rest of the yard. Compared to these extremes, a "shunt neck" sounds to me like an intermediate length designed for shunting movements, without necessarily being long enough for a complete train.

I don't think the usage is consistent and I've not seen it defined anywhere, although the terms "head" and "neck" suggest a common analogy with the human body (I suppose the torso would be the main bulk of the yard in comparison). Examples below from TOPS:

03055 DUNDEE HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
17191 HOLBECK DEPOT HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
19103 HULL SIDINGS HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
21250 IMMINGHAM HIT HEADSHUNT RR DB CARGO
36409 DITTON RECEPTION HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
49397 PARKESTON CARLESS REF HSHT NETWORK RAIL
49398 PARKESTON CARLESS CRV HSHT NETWORK RAIL
51320 WEST THURROCK HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
55224 BEESTON HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
65921 STOURBRIDGE JN HEADSHUNT CHILTERN RAILWAY
67124 WORCESTER MIDDLE SDG HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
70336 CLAYDON EAST HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
70337 CLAYDON WEST HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
73102 ROYAL OAK HEADSHUNT PADDINGTON NETWORK RAIL
74467 OXFORD DOWN HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
82104 WESTBURY DOWN TC HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
86210 WOKING DOWN RECP HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
87073 EFFINGHAM JN HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
87258 HERNE HILL HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
87585 NEW CROSS GATE (CSD) HEADSHUNT ARRIVA RAIL LONDON
88434 GROVE PARK UP HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
88504 SLADE GN DEPOT EAST HEADSHUNT NETWORK RAIL
89701 EUROTUNNEL DEPOT HEADSHUNT EUROPORTE CHANNEL
---------------------------------------------
07308 COATBRIDGE FLT SHUNT NECK FREIGHTLINER
09178 CARLISLE NE SHUNT NECK NETWORK RAIL
17176 STOURTON SHUNT NECK SIG S912 NETWORK RAIL
28406 THORESBY SDGS NECK NETWORK RAIL
42182 CREWE SHUNTING NECK NETWORK RAIL
42195 GRESTY GREEN SIDINGS NECK NETWORK RAIL
49224 IPSWICH SHUNT NECK 1 NETWORK RAIL
64226 COLEHAM SHUNT NECK NETWORK RAIL
67005 UP BROMSGROVE NECK NETWORK RAIL
69439 RESERVOIR NECK NETWORK RAIL
70297 BLETCHLEY SHUNT NECK NETWORK RAIL
72403 EUSTON DOWN CARR SHUNT NECK 1 RAIL EXPRESS SYSTEMS
87982 HAYWARDS HEATH DOWN NECK NETWORK RAIL
88017 BRIGHTON DOWN NECK SDG NETWORK RAIL
88292 ST LEONARDS SHUNT NECK NETWORK RAIL

 

[Merle Haggard]

I think that Public Delivery Sidings haven't been mentioned. Just the basic facility for road access (often just ash or gravel) for unloading. One use was for seasonal (usually Christmas) import traffic - Transfesa fruit and Eastern Bloc cheap toys (for hard currency) mostly in my experience.
Illogically there don't seem to have been Public Collection Sidings