A short dead-end track branching off a mainline, branch line, or yard track to serve a specific industry or facility. Spurs do not have a runaround track and require the locomotive to push cars in and pull them back out. The term is often used interchangeably with industrial spur.
A short section of railroad track that branches off a mainline or branch line to serve a single industrial customer. Industrial spurs are the physical connection between the railroad network and a manufacturing plant, warehouse, or processing facility. They are often owned by the railroad and maintained under a spur agreement.
A secondary line that diverges from the mainline to serve agricultural, industrial, or rural areas with lower traffic density. Branch lines typically have lower speed limits, lighter rail, and less sophisticated signaling than mainlines. Many branch lines have been sold to short line railroads or abandoned as traffic declined.
A railroad track owned or leased by a shipper or industry that connects their facility to the mainline or branch line, providing direct rail loading and unloading capability. Private sidings are the foundation of the carload business and give shippers dedicated rail access. Construction and maintenance of private sidings are typically the shipper's responsibility.
A track parallel to and connected at both ends to the mainline, used for storing cars, allowing trains to pass each other, or serving customers. Passing sidings are a fundamental capacity tool on single-track mainlines. Customer sidings are used for loading and unloading.