Transfer table
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A transfer table, also called a traverser (especially in the UK), is a piece of railroad equipment. It is similar in function to a turntable, though it cannot be used to turn equipment around. The table consists of a single length of track which can be moved from side to side, in a direction perpendicular to the track's orientation. There are often multiple tracks on one side of the table and a single track on the other.
They are often found in yards with locomotive maintenance facilities. The table allows a shed with multiple stalls for locomotives or cars to be served by a single track, without the need for a number of switches which could take up a much larger area. Traversers were also used at metropolitan terminus locations where space is at a premium - such as at Kew and St. Kilda railway stations in suburban Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; both these traversers worked only two tracks.
[edit] Combined turntable and traverser
In rare instances, the turning features of a turntable have been combined with the lateral motion features of a transfer table. Examples of such installations are in use in Asia.
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