What is a Yard Lead?

What is a Yard Lead?

• A. A track used to connect the Yard to a service road.
• B. A track that connects Main Line track to Yard track.
• C. A track within the Yard used for car storage.
• D. A track used to return trains to the mainline.

Answer: (B)

A yard lead is the track that connects the mainline to the yard, providing the entry and exit path for trains between the two areas. This link lets trains move from the mainline into the yard for storage, maintenance, or staging, and then depart from the yard back onto the mainline. It’s the dedicated connector between the two zones, not an internal storage track inside the yard or a separate track used only to loop back to the mainline. In practice, yard leads are built with switches at each end to smoothly route trains between the yard and the mainline.

A yard lead is the track that connects the mainline to the yard, providing the entry and exit path for trains between the two areas. This link lets trains move from the mainline into the yard for storage, maintenance, or staging, and then depart from the yard back onto the mainline. It’s the dedicated connector between the two zones, not an internal storage track inside the yard or a separate track used only to loop back to the mainline. In practice, yard leads are built with switches at each end to smoothly route trains between the yard and the mainline.