A short stretch of secondary track branching off the main line. This historic term describes what railroaders usually call a siding or turnout. It provided a place for trains to pass one another or for crews to temporarily store cars out of the flow of main track traffic.
Heard on the job
We need to shove those empties into the lye before the manifest comes through.
Insider tip
North American crews strictly use siding or spur on the radio to avoid confusion, leaving this term mostly to historic documents.