Modeling Passenger Train Operations

[stocksj]

Hello,

Does anyone know if there are any layout designs around that cover modeling passenger train operations? I'm looking at doing a U-shaped shelf layout and am looking for ideas. I'm thinking about doing the 1950's to 1969 time frame.

 

 Thanks

[chatanuga]

I think Model Railroader has done a couple track plans for passenger operations.  I think there was one within the last couple years that had a track plan for the station in Toledo, Ohio.

Kevin

[tgindy]

This is a nice resource combination:

[1]  "The Model Railroader's Guide to Passenger Equipment & Operations" 

http://kalmbachcatalog.stores.yahoo.net/12244.html

...and don't forget to see the PDF preview.

[2]  "102 Realistic Track Plans"

https://secure.kalmbach.com/offer/Default.aspx?c=IF8AM5

...has trackplans with many configurations that "can be cross-referenced" to what you learn from "The Model Railroader's Guide to Passenger Equipment & Operations."

Adequate passenger staging alongside freight operations staging can be built into your layout if planned for in advance of construction.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

There are many possibilities with a "U" shape, but first, how big is the "U"?

[Texas Zepher]

stocksj

Does anyone know if there are any layout designs around that cover modeling passenger train operations? I'm looking at doing a U-shaped shelf layout and am looking for ideas. I'm thinking about doing the 1950's to 1969 time frame.

It sort of depends what you mean by passenger train operations.  Do you mean the whole nine yards of having passenger shops and yards, areas to clean and supply the cars, building the trains, adding the express cars, moving the road engines to the trains.

OR do you mean scheduling the trains into the stations to meet other trains, maybe swap a sleeping car, pickup and drop off express type things?
 

[tgindy]

Another passenger prototype perspective is they always borrowed from freight operations => here's how:  We tend to forget passenger operations only used temporary track rights from the freight mainlines.

For example:  Johnstown, PA, still has the 3-track Norfolk Southern mainline (former Pennsy 4-track mainline) with daily passenger operations on that mainline, but only twice a day from Amtrak.  The Pennsy Union Station in our community had a footprint of 200 feet in width with PRR Broadway Limited passenger service, incorporated a Greyhound bus terminal, and a large Railway Express freight center.

You can plan for these additional passenger operations, whatever the car lengths, to have the larger curve radius to handle longer passenger coaches as well as adequate passenger staging beside freight staging.

Passenger depots come in many different sizes depending upon the town size along the right of way:

How many layout towns do you have?  Can you place one of the depots along a broad curve?  Do you  have the space and/or town size to accomodate a "union station" such as the Walthers Union Station?

Perhaps your planning vison might center on freight operations with adjustments for the additional passenger operations.

[stocksj]

What I'm thinking about is doing a mid to large city station with platforms with mail and express delivery and a small coach servicing yard with commasary and car washing  tracks.

  The room I ave to work with is 16' x 9' x 8' x 10' around the wall. Kind of shaped like a "G".

 I know I may be stretching a bit on what I want to do put all ideas need to start somewhere.

 Wasn't there something printed in Model Railroad Mag about someone doing the New Orleans Union Station? THat might be some easier to do.

 

 Thank,  Jim

[steinjr]

 

stocksj

Wasn't there something printed in Model Railroad Mag about someone doing the New Orleans Union Station?

 Cliff Powers did NOUPT (New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal) on his Magnolia Route layout:

http://magnoliaroute.com/magnolia%20route.htm

 Smile,
 Stein

 

[Sperandeo]

Cliff is doing a great job on his model of NOUPT, as the photos on his Web site show, but I also designed a track plan for modeling NOUPT on narrow shelves in the October 2002 "Model Railroader," page 72. That would be an L-shaped layout as drawn, but with the addition of the coach yard and engine terminal could be expanded into a U-shaped plan. I designed the track plan for Toledo's Central Union Terminal too, in the February 2003 MR, page 74. That's a through-station layout in an around-the-walls configuration. If you're interested in NOUPT, you might want to see my column, The Operators, in the September 2007 MR, which describes the passenger-train servicing operations I used to see there. And thanks for the mention of my book, "The Model Railroader's Guide to Passenger Equipment & Operations." Happy Thanksgiving, Andy

[Texas Zepher]

stocksj

What I'm thinking about is doing a mid to large city station with platforms

Through or stub ended?

The room I ave to work with is 16' x 9' x 8' x 10' around the wall. Kind of shaped like a "G".

Wow, that is rather small for major passenger operations.  Our club has 32' to work with and we just managed a small union station (3 tracks), with coach yard, REA freight, commissary, and repair shop.  We got in a wash track but it is on the lead to the coach yard.

Did you want to run full sized trains, or were you planning on using the short "pike sized" type of trains?
A typical consisted 11 car California Zephyr is about 12.5 feet long.
 

[garya]

What scale are you in?

[stocksj]

garya

What scale are you in?

 

Hello, Back again. I'm doing HO scale. After a good bit of thinking I may just use most of my basement room instead of keeping to a "round the wall" layout. I'll still want to model a station, coach yard, diesel engine service area, R.E.A. buildingand a separate yard for freight cars. Since I belong to an HO club that does 2x4 modular railroading (www.pwmrc.org) and have build a 3 module German train station set, I'll want to integrate that into the final design. I don't expect this to be a quick process so I'll just keep looking for the best idea that fits with what I want to do.  But then again, I was thinking about doing the RF&P/ACL Richmond VA Broad Street Station. The station could be a nice loop off a main line but smaller in size. Anyway, I'm still thinking. Humm, one day maybe I'll make up my mind. ;-)

 BTW, the passenger trains I working up are: Southern, ACL, SCL and B&O.

 Jim

[MisterBeasley]

There was an article in MR a year or two back about a layout which featured Russian passenger equipment.  Since it was a layout feature, it probably had a track plan.  It featured a large stub-end terminal.  Superb modelling as well.

Also, Track Planning for Realistic Operation by John Armstrong has quite a lot of suggestions about modelling passenger terminals.  This is a great book by any standards, whether you're modelling passenger or freight.

[ndbprr]

I think I would tend more toward someting like a Union Station like CHicago.  If you model the south side you could have GM&O, CB&Q, PRR and NP.  Each had its own passenger train yard where basically trains were cleaned and turned for the next run.  Trains were backed into Union station by switchers.  Road engines were brought to the trains afetr servicing just before departure and trains were hooked to steam lines for heat while waiting for them.  If you model the north side it was UP and Miwaukee Road mostly.  The by-pass track allowed some freight and connectiong cars to be shuttled around the stub end tracks..  To do it right you would need a loop on the outbound leg to turn trains so it would appear the outbound train reached its destination turned around and came back.  then you could do it all again.  Some of the engine terminals were pretty far out.  The PRR was at 55th street about five or six miles south.

[wjstix]

I think you're referring to the aforementioned Kalmbach book "The Model Railroader's Guide to Passenger Train Equipment and Operation" by Andy Sperandeo.  Pages 78-79 have a trackplan (I think by Andy?) showing an L-shaped layout based on NOUPT. Andy grew up in Nawlins and there are several pics and references to NOUPT in the book.

stocksj

What I'm thinking about is doing a mid to large city station with platforms with mail and express delivery and a small coach servicing yard with commasary and car washing  tracks.

  The room I ave to work with is 16' x 9' x 8' x 10' around the wall. Kind of shaped like a "G".

 I know I may be stretching a bit on what I want to do put all ideas need to start somewhere.

 Wasn't there something printed in Model Railroad Mag about someone doing the New Orleans Union Station? THat might be some easier to do.

 

 Thank,  Jim

[stocksj]

 

I've got Andy's book. Part of my situation is I picked up enough pre-cut wood from someone else's dis-mantled home layout to run around the wall. The wood is about 14" wide. I was thinking about using either a 2'x 4' or maybe a 2' x 5' section to create the station on and merge that to the rest of the layout. From what I've read is that you need room for a throat (?) so the tracks can merge into the main line and using curves for your throat will cause derailments? Or maybe have one end of the layout start as a 2' x 6' station w/platforms and just run it down to the main line (16 foot section). Andy's NOUPT design may be the only way to work it. The station and tracks will be a stub-end terminal since I can't do continuous running due to space. I guess I still have a lot of thinking to do before anything gets built.

 

 Thanks,  Jim