Doug,
This could be a very long discussion as things changed over the decades. But I’ll just summarize. A great sources of info. Are employee timetables and special instructions which specify which main was to be used for traffic in which direction. As more modern signals and traffic control devices were installed flexibility to move in both directions became available.
With the installation of centralized traffic control(CTC),in the sections,during the late 1950 and into the 1960s trains could operate on all three mains in both directions. There was a general pattern of main 1(Nothern most main) as westbound. Main 3 (the southern most) eastbound and main 2 (affectionately know as the “middle” by operating crews) used in either direction. That’s because if the dispatcher put you on the middle you generally got around the slower train in the outside track.
One venerable, veteran engineer I worked with had a little ditty he would proclaim when we left Cicero westbound or Aurora eastbound and we were routed to the middle, it was “high diddle, diddle up the middle”.
Also as background, from the last year or two of the 1920s until 1932 there were four(4) mains between Downers Grove just west of Forest Ave to Eola.
Leo Phillipp On Jun 29, 2020, at 4:17 PM, Douglas Hosler <dehosler40@gmail.com> wrote:
Not related to this topic: I love the fact that the train in the photo is on "the wrong main." As a kid and youth growing up in Naperville, I was well acquainted with the section of Chicago-Aurora track talked about in recent posts that is just east of the West Branch of the Dupage River. Knowing which way to look on the triple track was important. Much later when back in Napervllle for a visit, I occasionally took a dinky to Chicago and one time I was surprised to see a freight on the wrong main. I asked a trainman about it and he said it could have to do with clearances needed for items in the train. I am sure there are other reasons, too. I would like to hear from those in the know on that topic.
Doug
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