by doepack
metraRI wrote:Is there any reason why #1251 doesn't go right onto the center track from the start?Under normal conditions, all outbound trains curve onto the Chicago sub on MT 1, entering Union Ave interlocking "B" plant, just east of the Halsted platform. Metra express, as well as Amtrak trains switch over to MT 2 (which eventually becomes the center track further west) at Union Ave "A" plant to the immediate west of Halsted. But also at Union Ave A plant is a switch that connects MT 3 to MT 2 for inbound trains, meaning that from the Halsted platform eastward, MT 2 is dedicated for inbound traffic. Makes sense, because Halsted is a minimal station with only an island platform between MT 1 and MT 2, and for the few inbound trains that stop there, this is the only way it can be accessed...
