Marshalling yard

Eurostat/ITF/UNECE definition: Station or part of a station especially equipped with a number of tracks or other equipment for railway vehicle marshalling (switching) operations. [Sometimes referred to as classification yard.] General definition: railway facility equipped with tracks with special layout and technical facilities, where sorting, formation and splitting-up of trains takes place; wagons are sorted for a variety of destinations, using a number of rail tracks. There are 3 types of marshalling yards: flat-shunted yards, hump yards and gravity yards. From a shunting point of view, both flat shunting and hump shunting may be in use; from the track position point of view, track can be parallel, continuous or mixed; from the point of view of technology: it can be automated (central switching, time and target braking), power operated (partial central switching, use of rail brake, drag shoes), or manually operated (local switching). Marshalling yards have the following four features: - lead track - automated switching - hump with entry and/or exit group - direction tracks.