I have a HO layout in my room with a scenic part 4m x .6m at one wall a four track staging yard at the opposite wall and connectors with hatches at the window and door sides.
https://www.facebook.com/jack.burg.315/media_set?set=a.1745810352151594&type=3&fb_dtsg_ag=Adx9j0ZqON1CiWisVNksuJGPaIStDxvXWRJdM82_rwytLw%3AAdwjfhTIk3iwlwT2KVL4fOMLnnDIQJ3g_qg6N1xNBE8VDQ
Recently grow my interest in Bowers PCC streetcars. The simple solution would be to replace the railroad scenic part with a trolley city scenery. But I love my railroad and try to prevent a total replacement.
Can you point me to some prototypical examples were a branch line and a trolley line share tracks (connectors to the staging yard, shared between railroad and trolley) and operate individually in a city scenery (4m * 0,6m)?
The time frame should be around the 1980s as it matches my railroad interest (Conrail) and my first two PCC models.
Reinhard
Guten Morgen Reinhard!
The only line with a combined passenger and freight operation that comes to my mind is the South Shore Line. The last of the electric railways to carry both passengers and freight, the South Shore Line (Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad) operates between Chicago, IL, and South Bend, IN., although freight service is now diesel powered. In the past, as was common with midwest The last of the electric railways to carry both passengers and freight, the South Shore Line (Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad) operates between Chicago, IL, and South Bend, IN., although freight service is now diesel powered. In the past, as was common with midwest
Here is a video to give you an idea of what the line looks like.
The equipment is fairly modern and I doubt that you´d see a PCC streetcar on it - just like you wouln´t be able to see a KSW roaming Deutsche Bahn tracks in Karlsruhe.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Moin Ulrich, it is not a shared "railroad" I am thinking of but a situation where a track is shared. e.g. had and has Chicago some nice street running freight (Goose Island etc.) and there were also PCCs running in Chicago. Did they never come in touch? The railroad runs 1/4 mile over Trolley tracks to serve two customers?
I am looking for the sharing to use the staging yard on the other side of the room for both.
Reinhard, I am positive the freight trains running on the South Shore Line are not operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD). As far as I know, the freight trains are operated by the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, which also operated the passenger service until NICT took over in 1989. Trackage rights are shared between those two separate entities.
I have my doubts that a PCC line could have been used by a regular railroiad - the clearance of the PCC car is much lower. I may be wrong, though.
You might look into Newark-- I think they had PCC trolley cars on the subway through the '90s. No idea if there was shared trackage with Conrail, but Norfolk Southern apparently had/has shared trackage rights on the older subway line to Bloomfield, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch.
Edit: noting Ulrich's remark on the clearances, the shared trackage appears to have started after they converted the line to light rail...
Phil
Could do like the one part of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum where the museum's route parallels the railroad next to it (about an hour and 11 minutes into the video below).
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
I believe the Pacific Electric and the Southern Pacific shared the line on the Burbank Branch west of North Hollywood until the early to mid '50s. Not sure If the shared lined extended past Van Nuys or not.
Ray
Thanks for the answers and the kind suggestions. I will replace the current layout with a trolley only layout. A combination with shared trackage is with the available space far to artificial and would stretch the term "freelance" to phantasy.
I am using Philadelphia photos like this for inspiration
https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/05/capturing-late-1960s-philadelphia-trolleys-neon-cobblestones-and-all/
and use this site for PCC streertcars in Philly
http://www.phillytrolley.org/index.html
"Steam" freight and trolley sharing tracks for any extended amount would be relatively rare, or a tourist railroad on a shortline (Buckingham Valley Trolley Museum operated on the New Hope & Ivyland RR). If they did it would be the trolley operating on the steam road. One exception is the Houston North Shore, which became the Baytown Sub of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. It was an interurban line that operated with steam engines to serve the industries around Houston and Baytown Tx, and then converted to diesel. The trollies stopped running in the 40's and the passenger service ended in the 60's.
In many areas the trolley line was at a different guage specifically to prevent steam roads from operating on trolley tracks. The Philadelphia trolley system was to "Philadelphia" gauge, 6'2 1/2" (6 in wider than standard) for that very reason. They often have different wheel and flange profiles.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
farawayI will replace the current layout with a trolley only layout
Not a bad decision, given the limited bspace you have available.
Here is some info on HO scale trolley catenary: Proto87
Boston ran PCC trolleys for many years. The trackage and subway tunnels are still in use, although the PCC cars have been replaced with more modern equipment. To my knowledge, they don't share tracks with anything else.
My layout has trolleys. I do share track, even though it's not prototypical. In an ideal world, I would have a continuous running loop for the trolleys, a point to point system for my "heavy" subways, and a separate system for "normal" trains.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
If your interest is in Philly, then absolutely not - PTC trolley lines were broad gauge to prevent the streetcar company from handling freight.
There were instances of street running by the PRR where railroad tracks crossed streetcar lines, but they never shared the same rails.
Eric
Are you going to model any of the Notre Dame campus? The stadium? The Basilica? The Golden Dome? Touchdown Jesus?
GO IRISH!
I'm sorry but I'm a Fighting Irish fan...
Theoretically you could do it if you want to.
And as the saying goes "There's a prototype for EVERYTHING!" So if you want go for it!
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
I dropped the combines approach. I will go with a freelance trolley layout inspired from this photo series https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/05/capturing-late-1960s-philadelphia-trolleys-neon-cobblestones-and-all/ . The roster is so far two Bowser PTS PCC railcars. All cars, engines etc. of the old layout are stored in the basement. The scenic part is cleaned up and I am fiddling with some LUNA HO trolley tracks to find "my layout" on 4.0 * 0.6 meters space.
Last photo of the old layout
First photo of the new one