Sorting Sidings.—These sidings have to be arranged so that wagons can be conveniently taken from any of the marshalling roads, sorted into train order and placed in the departure sidings. In some yards certain marshalling roads are set aside for this purpose, so that they can be utilised for both marshalling and sorting, as occasion demands. Another plan is to have a special “grid” of short sidings, or a number of short dead-end sidings. Here again, however, the nature of the traffic, and the purpose for which the yard is constructed, decide the method to be employed. There are some yards which require no sorting roads whatever; the first marshalling movement splits up the trains in such a way that each marshalling road holds a train ready to depart.

Storage Roads.—Nearly all yards require accommodation for wagons standing over—loaded wagons awaiting removal instructions, empties not required, and empties being concentrated for storing purposes.

In this country storage usually applies to stock trucks or frozen meat wagons put aside during the slack season. If the yard is adjacent to a port town, facilities for shipping requirements are necessary, in order that the ordinary work of the yard shall not be interfered with by congesting the “working” sidings.

If possible, it is a good plan to arrange the storage roads in such a way that they can be used as arrival, departure, and marshalling roads, as required. This increases the utility of the yard in general, particularly when derailments, or other disturbing factors, render normal working impossible. Dead-end roads for storage should be avoided if possible, particularly when various types of wagons are stored together, for, more often than not, the particular wagons required are nearest the stop blocks, thus necessitating undue shunting movements.