A refuge siding is a single-ended, or dead-end,
siding off a running line, which may be used to temporarily accommodate a
train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
so that another one can pass it. For example, a refuge siding might be used by a slow
goods train to allow a fast
passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...
to pass. It is similar in concept to a
passing loop
A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...
but is connected to the
main line at only one end, rather than both ends.
Japan
On the Japanese railway network, 8 refuge sidings (known locally as a form of
switchback) remain in day-to-day use –
Obasute Station,
Hatsukari Station,
Nihongi Station,
Tsubojiri Station,
Shingai Station, , and – while 48 former refuge sidings, now converted into conventional passing loops or abandoned, are attested. They are mostly used by stopping passenger trains and freight trains, especially in cases where express trains are scheduled to pass.
Australia
*Fish River – up and down refuge sidings on double track
*Otford – up and down refuge sidings on double track
*Berry – refuge siding
*Dombarton up and down refuge sidings
*Capertee refuge and goods sidings
*Cowan – up refuge sidings on double track
Cowan
converted to loop.
Sometimes refuge sidings were needed where there were steep ramps on the line. For example, at Gresford
Gresford (; ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
According to the 2001 Census, the population of the community, which also includes the village of Marford, was 5,334, reducing to 5,010 at the 2011 census.
The Grad ...
railway station in New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, the gradient was so steep that a refuge siding was required at the station in case some of the wagons or coaches of a train had to be left behind so that it could climb the hill.
In British and Australian practice at least, it was common to refer to such sidings as an "Up refuge siding" or "Down refuge siding" depending on the orientation of the siding in relation to the direction of travel.
See also
* Passing loop
A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...
* Settle–Carlisle line
The Settle–Carlisle line (also known as the ''Settle and Carlisle'' (S&C)) is a main railway line in northern England. The route, which crosses the remote, scenic regions of the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines, runs between Settle J ...
, where there used to be many refuge sidings in the age of steam.
References
Railway sidings
de:Gleisanschluss#Ausweichanschlussstelle
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