Abstract: A purging station selected for removal of no-owner frames in a token ring network, and a corresponding method for its operation. The purging station initiates a purge cycle only if the network is not "idle" and, optionally, only if the network is not "near fully loaded," these terms being defined in relation to a token cycle. Therefore, no unnecessary purge marker frames are transmitted onto the network when it is idle or near fully loaded. Once purging is initiated, the purging station transmits at least one purge marker frame onto the ring network, and strips data received from the ring until a purge termination flag is set, upon detection of a received purge marker frame, a received token, or detection of a ring re-initialization procedure.