Comments on: Sidings and Spurs

By: Morgan Bilbo

Morgan Bilbo — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 19:45:02 +0000

There is no definitive answer. Both serve an industry via rail. Personally, I would tend to define a siding as having a turnout at both ends. And a spur as a dead end. But that isn’t 100% true.

By: ROBERT SCHWORM

ROBERT SCHWORM — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 11:43:41 +0000

I go with Geoff. In the US in my club, a spur is a single ended piece of track off one switch and ends.

A siding could be serving an industry if it comes back onto the main at both ends.

the other is a passing siding to let a train go by or get the loco around to the other end of the consist

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 26 May 2021 04:24:20 +0000

Similar to what David says. In North America a siding has a switch (or points) at both ends, so to my mind it’s a passing loop. A spur in North America is what I called a siding when I was growing up in the UK, ie a single switch (point) to a length of track that terminates.

I’m sure there would be a market for a dictionary that translates North American railroad english to British railway english. Another example would be a Bo-Bo British diesel which would be a B-B in North America. (Not to mention all the non-railroading words I had to learn!)

By: David Stokes

David Stokes — Wed, 26 May 2021 02:37:15 +0000

Depends on where you come from and the cultural heritage. Spur appears to have come from the US of A where as siding from British colonial times