What is the purpose of a tamping spur?

[Deleted]

I know yer can't park yer train on one ;D

What is a tamping spur actually for?

[Harsig]

Parking Tamping Machines on during the day. Not sure when the last time one was actually used for this purpose.

[Oracle]

There is one at Southampton Central oppo the NR p/way office I think. I saw it used a few months back for parking a tamper: never seen it used before in all the years I have been down here,

[Deleted]

there is one at dagenham east oposite the bay road its not long enough for a whole train so has been called a tamping siding

[Colin]

You can get a 6 car D stock in the siding (accessed from the bay road) at dagenham East - it's a scheduled rusty rail move that never happens after the evening peak

Are you thinking of Plaistow? That'd make more sense to me.

I can't remember the road number off hand, but the one accessed from 24 road at Parsons Green also springs to mind - and how about 33 road at Triangle sidings? Though IIRC, they're referred to as engineers sidings.

On the NR side at Upminster, there's a short siding off the bay road; there's often a Tamper parked there, so I assume that'd most likely be an official contender.

[Deleted]

i wouldnt like to put a train on that road at dagenham east the sleepers are a bit poor to say the least but to us its known as a tamping spur

u mean if they could clear WF8 (something missing in circuitly) that is a very short road dunno what it ever got used for

triangle sidings used to have another shunt there 169e its still on the high st ken programme machine diagram so must of been used at some point

and no i wasnt thinking of plaistow

[Deleted]

It was only a matter of time...

[towerman]

The early tampers used to offtrack to a short length of running rail next to the main line,so they were in situ for as long as the work lasted.