Passing loop facts for kids

A passing loop at Stony Point railway station in Australia

A passing loop (also called a "passing siding", "crossing loop", "crossing place" or, colloquially, "a hole") is a place on a single line railway/tramway, often located at a station, where trains/trams in opposing directions can pass each other.

Images for kids

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  Casey Jones as depicted on a 3 cent postage stamp issued by the United States Postal Service

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  Passing loop configuration allowing local trains to serve the station and wait for an express service to pass straight through the station to overtake uninterrupted.

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  Passing loop configuration allowing express and local trains to serve the station before the express service overtakes the local service.

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  Trains in a passing loop at Penryn railway station in the United Kingdom

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  Passing sidings in North America can be very long. This one in Bolton, Ontario – the track on the right – measures some 3.5 km.

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  A short passing track on a funicular in Pennsylvania