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Meaning & use

marshalling yard

noun·AdvancedBritish

Last updated

UK/ˈmɑːʃəlɪŋ jɑːd/
US/ˈmɑːrʃəlɪŋ jɑːrd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableBritish

    A large railway area where freight trains are sorted and joined together before continuing their journeys.

    Grammar: Countable: 'a marshalling yard', 'two marshalling yards'. In American English the usual term is 'classification yard'.

    Patterns

    • a marshalling yard
    • at a marshalling yard
    • work in a marshalling yard

    The wagons were shunted into the marshalling yard overnight.

    A marshalling yard outside the city sorts trains heading north.

    He worked in a marshalling yard for thirty years.

  2. nouncountableBritish

    Any open area where vehicles or equipment are gathered and arranged in order.

    Grammar: Used beyond railways, for example for buses, lorries, or military vehicles.

    Patterns

    • a bus marshalling yard
    • a vehicle marshalling yard

    Buses wait in a marshalling yard before the morning rush.

    The army set up a marshalling yard for trucks and supplies.

Word forms

pluralmarshalling yards

Common combinations

a railway marshalling yard
The old railway marshalling yard is now a housing estate.
shunt wagons into a marshalling yard
They shunt wagons into a marshalling yard at the edge of town.
a freight marshalling yard
A freight marshalling yard handles hundreds of containers a day.
a marshalling yard worker
Marshalling yard workers wear high-visibility jackets at night.

Synonyms and how they differ

classification yard
The standard American term for the same railway facility; use it in US contexts.
rail yard
A broader term for any group of railway tracks and buildings, not only for sorting trains.
depot
A place where vehicles or goods are kept or maintained; it does not always involve sorting.

Word family

marshall verb
To arrange people or things in order, especially trains or vehicles.
marshalling noun
The act of arranging or sorting things, as in the marshalling of trains.

Commonly confused: marshalling yard or martial? marshalling yard or marshal?

marshalling yard vs martial

Sounds similar but relates to war or the army, as in 'martial law'; it has nothing to do with railway yards.

marshalling yard vs marshal

A person such as a fire marshal or a rank in some forces; the verb 'marshal' means to arrange things.

Practice

In British English, a marshalling yard is a place where ______.

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