Wye (railroad)

Okay kiddo, a wye in railroad terms is like a big letter Y on the train tracks. You know how you sometimes have to decide which way to go when you see a Y shape? Trains have to do that too! A wye is a place where trains can go one way or the other, or even turn around if they need to.

It's called a wye because it looks kind of like the letter Y. One track goes straight and the other two tracks branch out like the legs of the Y. Trains use wyes when they need to switch from one track to another, or when they need to turn around and go back the way they came.

Think of it like you're playing with toy train tracks. You have one straight piece and two curved pieces that make a Y shape. You can move your toy train back and forth on the straight piece, or you can turn it onto one of the branches and go a different way. That's what a wye is like for real trains!