How does the Neck Siding work?

I'd suggest that perhaps you don't get too hung up on the name and just accept that that is what it's called and probably has been for 100 years.

As an example, there are, or were, 52 sidings in Clapham Junction Yard. Each one, with a single exception, had its own name - "Thro the Puzzles", "Round the Maze", "Down the Bend", "Back of the Shed" (which incidentally was nowhere near any shed), and "Beside the Fence" (the fence was taken down years before), to name but a few.
[...]
I recall shunting at Fremington and being told to place three wagons "back of the lake". Not wanting to appear ignorant, I walked over the entire yard looking for a stream, river or ditch which could conceivably be called a lake, but there was nothing - as the station was situated on a slight hill, this was understandable! there was little else I could do but ask "Where's back of the lake?".
I was shown the siding by a sniggering head shunter. Needless to say there wa no water whatsoever anywhere near.
"How come it's called back of the lake?" I asked.
"Ah", says my informant, "when it rains there's always a big puddle there."
[...]
I was told to place a "Conflat" wagon "through the shed". I wondered why, as Conflats were generally used to load containers or vehicles, and one could do neither in a goods shed. Ah, I thought, perhaps the clue lies in the words "through the shed" - perhaps they want the wagon pushed through the shed and out the other side for loading. I checked, and sure enough the siding continued through the shed and for several wagon lengths beyond. So no problem - I placed the "flat" there. Wrong! As soon as the freight train had departed, and of course our shunting engine along with it, there was a shout of "Where's that ruddy conflat?" (only not quite as politely as that).
"Through the shed as you asked," I replied.
"Nonsense," says the shunter (or words to that effect) "it's not". Then, in amazement, he saw it to the rear of the goods shed. "You've put the ruddy thing on the shed road - I said through the shed."
"What the heck do you reckon that is then if it's not through the shed?" I asked.
He then showed me, with a great deal of condescension, where they had wanted the "flat" placed - right under the yard crane!
"How was I expected to know?" I asked. "Logic says there's the shed, the siding goes through - hence 'through the shed'. Where you wanted it is surely known as 'crane road' or 'under the crane'?"
"Not at Bere Alston," says the shunter. "There was once an old shed a few wagon lengths in front of the crane, hence 'through the shed'."
The fact that the shed had been gone for 50-odd years before I worked there didn't come into it.

" said:

I'd suggest that perhaps you don't get too hung up on the name and just accept that that is what it's called and probably has been for 100 years.

Let me quote from "Light Relief", by Jack Warland.

Quote:

As an example, there are, or were, 52 sidings in Clapham Junction Yard. Each one, with a single exception, had its own name - "Thro the Puzzles", "Round the Maze", "Down the Bend", "Back of the Shed" (which incidentally was nowhere near any shed), and "Beside the Fence" (the fence was taken down years before), to name but a few.
[...]
I recall shunting at Fremington and being told to place three wagons "back of the lake". Not wanting to appear ignorant, I walked over the entire yard looking for a stream, river or ditch which could conceivably be called a lake, but there was nothing - as the station was situated on a slight hill, this was understandable! there was little else I could do but ask "Where's back of the lake?".
I was shown the siding by a sniggering head shunter. Needless to say there wa no water whatsoever anywhere near.
"How come it's called back of the lake?" I asked.
"Ah", says my informant, "when it rains there's always a big puddle there."
[...]
I was told to place a "Conflat" wagon "through the shed". I wondered why, as Conflats were generally used to load containers or vehicles, and one could do neither in a goods shed. Ah, I thought, perhaps the clue lies in the words "through the shed" - perhaps they want the wagon pushed through the shed and out the other side for loading. I checked, and sure enough the siding continued through the shed and for several wagon lengths beyond. So no problem - I placed the "flat" there. Wrong! As soon as the freight train had departed, and of course our shunting engine along with it, there was a shout of "Where's that ruddy conflat?" (only not quite as politely as that).
"Through the shed as you asked," I replied.
"Nonsense," says the shunter (or words to that effect) "it's not". Then, in amazement, he saw it to the rear of the goods shed. "You've put the ruddy thing on the shed road - I said through the shed."
"What the heck do you reckon that is then if it's not through the shed?" I asked.
He then showed me, with a great deal of condescension, where they had wanted the "flat" placed - right under the yard crane!
"How was I expected to know?" I asked. "Logic says there's the shed, the siding goes through - hence 'through the shed'. Where you wanted it is surely known as 'crane road' or 'under the crane'?"
"Not at Bere Alston," says the shunter. "There was once an old shed a few wagon lengths in front of the crane, hence 'through the shed'."
The fact that the shed had been gone for 50-odd years before I worked there didn't come into it.

Let me quote from "Light Relief", by Jack Warland.

Quote:

Let me quote from "Light Relief", by Jack Warland.

Is this is a book/magazine article, if so would love to read it. Any idea of year, publisher etc....?

" said:

I'd suggest that perhaps you don't get too hung up on the name and just accept that that is what it's called and probably has been for 100 years.

Let me quote from "Light Relief", by Jack Warland.

Quote:

As an example, there are, or were, 52 sidings in Clapham Junction Yard. Each one, with a single exception, had its own name - "Thro the Puzzles", "Round the Maze", "Down the Bend", "Back of the Shed" (which incidentally was nowhere near any shed), and "Beside the Fence" (the fence was taken down years before), to name but a few.
[...]
I recall shunting at Fremington and being told to place three wagons "back of the lake". Not wanting to appear ignorant, I walked over the entire yard looking for a stream, river or ditch which could conceivably be called a lake, but there was nothing - as the station was situated on a slight hill, this was understandable! there was little else I could do but ask "Where's back of the lake?".
I was shown the siding by a sniggering head shunter. Needless to say there wa no water whatsoever anywhere near.
"How come it's called back of the lake?" I asked.
"Ah", says my informant, "when it rains there's always a big puddle there."
[...]
I was told to place a "Conflat" wagon "through the shed". I wondered why, as Conflats were generally used to load containers or vehicles, and one could do neither in a goods shed. Ah, I thought, perhaps the clue lies in the words "through the shed" - perhaps they want the wagon pushed through the shed and out the other side for loading. I checked, and sure enough the siding continued through the shed and for several wagon lengths beyond. So no problem - I placed the "flat" there. Wrong! As soon as the freight train had departed, and of course our shunting engine along with it, there was a shout of "Where's that ruddy conflat?" (only not quite as politely as that).
"Through the shed as you asked," I replied.
"Nonsense," says the shunter (or words to that effect) "it's not". Then, in amazement, he saw it to the rear of the goods shed. "You've put the ruddy thing on the shed road - I said through the shed."
"What the heck do you reckon that is then if it's not through the shed?" I asked.
He then showed me, with a great deal of condescension, where they had wanted the "flat" placed - right under the yard crane!
"How was I expected to know?" I asked. "Logic says there's the shed, the siding goes through - hence 'through the shed'. Where you wanted it is surely known as 'crane road' or 'under the crane'?"
"Not at Bere Alston," says the shunter. "There was once an old shed a few wagon lengths in front of the crane, hence 'through the shed'."
The fact that the shed had been gone for 50-odd years before I worked there didn't come into it.

To which I'd add one Clive has become very familiar with (if not by name); the siding behind signal 48 (bottom of the screen, opposite the ends of platforms 4/5) was "the back of the box". And indeed the base of the 1952 box is still there to this day, on the opposite side to the box Clive has simulated...

" said:

To which I'd add one Clive has become very familiar with (if not by name); the siding behind signal 48 (bottom of the screen, opposite the ends of platforms 4/5) was "the back of the box". And indeed the base of the 1952 box is still there to this day, on the opposite side to the box Clive has simulated...

Then there was Port Arthur, and wasn't there another name used at Euston?

So another way of putting it is that when they open inward, the wheel flanges of an approaching train soon find themselves on the outside of the w-t-g points and ride up?

I was also told that should the track circuit that covers the points occupy without a route being called, all the surrounding track circuits would 'flood' and therefore return signals to danger.

" said:

I was also told that should the track circuit that covers the points occupy without a route being called, all the surrounding track circuits would 'flood' and therefore return signals to danger.

Interesting. Something for the next release, methinks...

" said:

I was also told that should the track circuit that covers the points occupy without a route being called, all the surrounding track circuits would 'flood' and therefore return signals to danger.

Interesting. Something for the next release, methinks...