Run-round
This article is about the track arrangement. For heat recovery system, see run around coil.A run-round loop (or run-around loop) 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". It is commonly performed to haul wagons onto a siding, or at a terminal station to prepare for a return journey.
Although a common procedure when the majority of trains were locomotive-hauled, the manoeuvre is now comparatively rare on public service railways. Increased use of multiple unit and 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. However, many heritage railways (in the UK, at least) deliberately incorporate run-round loops 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.
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