The Chicago Turn is probably the simplest job on the layout. Once all the dirty work is done by the local crews, you grab tomorrow's West Side deliveries and head to -- where else -- the West Side.
Pulling out of the yard...
Making our way through the West Side...
Once there, you simply push the pickups through the siding onto the main, while dragging the drop offs behind you. When you are clear of the siding (which connects to the mainline on both ends), you cut your deliveries off, throw the switch points and head back to the yard.
Pushing through the siding...
After dropping off the West side pickups in the yard, you grab the East Side deliveries and head out once again.
The East Sider on its way...
This is where the earlier work by the local crew makes our job easy. We simply back our deliveries onto the storage track, then pull forward, throw the switch, then back up onto the Midland Valve siding and grab the cars waiting there. We then head back to the yard.
Making the switch on the East Side -- here we work the Midland siding to take the cars back home...
Once both strings are back in the yard, the yard switcher goes back to work sorting them onto the appropriate track. At this point, the CLE-CHI run (a PRR train) pulls out of the yard which clears some valuable space for the soon-to-arrive CNW KC-CHI run.
Next up: Back to Cleveland yard.
Pulling out of the yard...
Making our way through the West Side...
Once there, you simply push the pickups through the siding onto the main, while dragging the drop offs behind you. When you are clear of the siding (which connects to the mainline on both ends), you cut your deliveries off, throw the switch points and head back to the yard.
Pushing through the siding...
After dropping off the West side pickups in the yard, you grab the East Side deliveries and head out once again.
The East Sider on its way...
This is where the earlier work by the local crew makes our job easy. We simply back our deliveries onto the storage track, then pull forward, throw the switch, then back up onto the Midland Valve siding and grab the cars waiting there. We then head back to the yard.
Making the switch on the East Side -- here we work the Midland siding to take the cars back home...
Once both strings are back in the yard, the yard switcher goes back to work sorting them onto the appropriate track. At this point, the CLE-CHI run (a PRR train) pulls out of the yard which clears some valuable space for the soon-to-arrive CNW KC-CHI run.
Next up: Back to Cleveland yard.
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