Passenger Trains > Caltrain Redwood City Sidings / 4 track segment usage?

To all you Caltrain folks out there...

I was wondering how often the East and West Controlled Sidings between CP Dumbarton and CP Junction in Redwood City, CA, are used.

I know that all 4 tracks at the Bayshore and Laurence Stations are used many times daily to allow Baby Bullets to pass local trains, but I have never seen a train on either of sidings in Redwood City. Looking at the Caltrain schedule it doesn't seem there are any planned meets there, at least for passenger trains. And when I was last there the siding tracks didn't look like they saw much usage.

Are these used to allow passenger trains around freights? Or are they just used occasionally and are there to add "flexibility to the system"? Or something else?

Thanks for any information

The East and West Controlled Sidings between Dumbarton and Junction in Redwood City are used daily by freight trains and assigned work trains. Some of the commutes may use them if they are running late in excess of 10 minutes to prevent delays to following trains.

Axy

Well, I am glad you asked. Monday was a bad morning. We had signal problem between CP Dela Cruz and CP Bowers. This means that 211 was put in a position to be over taken by the bullets and expresses. We were put into the East controled siding to be passed by 313. So to answer your question, yes it is used. Also they are requied to run a train through them on a regular schedule. I guess it has to do with signal and switch checks.

Thanks for the info

The West siding at Redwood City was used again this morning for Train 312 to overtake 210 after 208 experienced a computer problem with an MP36PH engine. Computers will save us all!

I recall of one trip where the train ahead of me was late, so I passed him on the multiple main at Bayshore since I was a limited and he was a local, then down the line DS decides to put me in the west siding and let this train deadhead to San Jose after kicking off their shorts (local stops). Plus depending on who the dispatcher is you can get a grand tour on the weekend and polish some unused crossovers since the trains run on one hour headways, and the meets occur typically at SSF, San Carlos and Mountain View.

tmamtrak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The West siding at Redwood City was used again
> this morning for Train 312 to overtake 210 after
> 208 experienced a computer problem with an MP36PH
> engine. Computers will save us all!