Graffiti slang for a set of tracks which branches off from a rail line into a dead end and is used to store
rolling stock and accomplish loading and unloading from factories. There may be only one or several offshoots in the same area, both will be called a layup. Frequently the layup will be built so that a
boxcar sitting on a section of the track with it's side door open will have the floor flush and level with a loading dock to make loading with a
forklift easier.
Writers find this arrangement useful for painting
wholecars since the side of the boxcar now starts at ground level instead of chest height, and flat concrete is much easier to position ladders on than sloped gravel.
Hunting and exploring in industrial areas to find layups is an obsessive yet rewarding past-time. Some writers work
delivery jobs which allow them to visit a cities cracks and corners as much as possible because it helps them locate layups for after hours. How close a
house or
apartment is to
freight yards or layups can be an important part of picking the right new home, depends on dedication.
Sidings and
sidetracks will be called layups by most writers,
railfans and
railroad workers will probably not use that name.