How Long Ar Train Sidings

To implement longer trains railroad operators may run long trains in a single direction or fleet trains or extend sidings enough to facilitate bidirectional operation of long trains.

How long ar train sidings.

Railroads if at all possible tried to make passing sidings longer than the longest train to run on the line so normally a train wouldn t have to be squeezed into just fitting into a siding. To model that era effectively 30 50 car trains are good so passing sidings of 18 to 25 actual feet would be best for a large class i line. Referring to the extension of the asl fitzgerald subdivision siding athatley on csx to 11 239 feet a question was posted in the railroad list railroad cunyvm cuny edu bit listserv railroad asking when a section of 2tracks is a siding and a main track and when it is two main tracks. Sidings often have lighter rails meant for lower speed or less heavy traffic and few if any signals.

By that time most class i railroads ran trains of 1 2 to 1 mile in length so a mile would be typical for passing sidings. A siding in rail terminology is a low speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur it may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. But that assumes the rest of the layout is large enough to support 30 car trains.