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'[[Image:Toyooka station (Hyogo prefecture) Miyazu line engine running track.jpg|thumb|Platform track and run-round loop at [[Toyooka Station (Hyōgo)|Toyooka Station]], Hyōgo, Japan, the terminus of the line from [[Miyazu Line|Miyazu]]]] A '''headshunt''' (US: '''escape track''') is a short length of [[Rail tracks|track]], provided to release [[locomotive]]s at [[terminal station|terminal platforms]], or to allow [[Shunt (rail)|shunting]] to take place clear of main lines. ==Terminal headshunt== A '''terminal headshunt''' is a short length of track that allows a locomotive to uncouple from its train, move forward, and then run back past it on a parallel track. Such headshunts are typically installed at a [[terminal station]] to allow the locomotive of an arriving train to move to the opposite end of (in railway parlance, 'run around') its train, so that it can then haul the same train out of the station in the other direction. ==Reversing headshunt== [[File:Melbourne University tram stop shunting area, looking south, 2013 (1).JPG|thumb|[[Melbourne University tram stop]] has three reversing headshunts in succession, between the two running lines.]] Found primarily on [[metro system]]s, [[rapid transit]] [[light rail]] networks, and [[tram]]ways, a '''reversing headshunt''' allows certain trains or trams to change direction, even on lines with high traffic flow, whilst others continue through the station. Typically there will be two running lines, one for each direction of travel, and the headshunt will be positioned between the two running lines, linked to both by [[points (rail)|points]]. Although most trains will pass through the station and continue in the same direction, an individual train may be directed into the reversing headshunt, before exiting onto the other running line, in the opposite direction of travel. This procedure allows a greater frequency of trains on a city-centre section of the line, and reduced frequency on the suburban sections, by allowing certain trains to shuttle back and forth only on the city centre part, using the reversing headshunts to change direction within the flow of trains. ==Shunting neck== The term headshunt may also refer to '''shunting neck''' or '''shunt spur''': a short length of [[Rail tracks|track]] laid parallel to the main line for the purpose of allowing a train to shunt back into a [[Rail siding|siding]] or [[rail yard]] without occupying the main running-line. ==Run-round== {{About|the track arrangement|heat recovery system|run around coil}} [[Image:Headshunt.png|thumb|450px|right|Sketch of a headshunt and run-round loop]] A '''run-round loop''' (or '''run-around loop''')<!--both terms redirect here, hence bold--> is a track arrangement that enables a locomotive to attach to the opposite end of the train. This process is known as "running round a train".<ref>{{Ellis' Railway Encyclopaedia|page=307}}</ref> It is commonly performed to haul wagons onto a siding, or at a terminal station to prepare for a return journey.<ref>{{Railway Dictionary|page=298}}</ref> Although a common procedure for [[passenger train]]s when the majority of them were locomotive-hauled, the manoeuvre is now becoming rarer on public service railways.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} Increased use of [[multiple unit]] and [[Push-pull train|push-pull]] passenger services avoids the requirement for dedicated track and the need for railway staff to detach and reattach the locomotive at track level.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} However, on [[heritage railway]]s run-round loops are still usually more or less necessary at each end of the running line, partly because train services are usually locomotive-hauled, and partly because the run-round operation gives added interest to visitors. === Examples === Stations which used to have run-rounds include: * UK ** [[St Ives railway station|St Ives railway station]] ** [[Matlock Riverside railway station]], now closed * Australia ** [[Murwillumbah railway station]], now closed ** [[Toronto railway station, New South Wales]], now closed ** [[Cronulla railway station]], had run-round, but never had locomotives ** [[Newcastle railway station, New South Wales]], now closed; run-round on Platform 1&2, not on Platform 3&4 Stations which still have run-rounds include: * UK ** [[Weymouth railway station]] ** [[Fort William railway station]] ** [[Morecambe railway station]] ** [[Rowsley South railway station|<nowiki/>]][[Hagen Hauptbahnhof|Rowsley South railway station]] * Germany ** [[Hagen Hauptbahnhof]] * Australia ** [[Canberra railway station]] ** [[Marshall railway station]] ** [[South Geelong railway station]] == References == <references/> {{Railway track layouts}} {{Rail tracks}} [[Category:Railway sidings]]'