Hello,
I have a HO scale Bachmann heavyweight sleeper. I´m not sure about the configuration of the car, I think it might be a 10 section 3 compartment or 3 drawing room sleeper. I wanna run this car as the last car in my consist and add marker lights on the rear end of the car. This car type has sidedoors/vestibules only at one end of the car. I would like to know if the sidedoors where positioned on the forward end of the car or on the rear end of the car when this car type was the last car in the consist. Because when I know this, I will know on which end to add the marker lights: on the door/vestibule-end or on the doorless-end. Anyone out there who knows how this car was usually positioned on the prototype when running as last car of the consist?
The aisle was GENERALLY on the left, as the train was running. Perhaps your model has an interior to show this. If not, when I look at the photos, it appears to me that the aisle would likely be on the side with the shorter air conditioning duct fairing. In that case, the vestibule would be towards the rear in-train.
Ed
Actually I still don´t even have the car yet because I purchased it online today, so I can´t take a look at the interior and say on which side the aisle is. All I know so far is that this car definetly has interior. Can you give me the reason why the aisle was generally on the left side as the train was running and why therefore the vestibule would be on the rear of the train? That would be interesting for me to know since I never thought about that it is important on which side of the running train the aisle is.
For any moves that would involve dropping a brakeman off to throw a switch, etc, the preference would be to have the vestibule on the rear. But cars generally had marker lamp brackets at both ends. Unless there were arrangements and facilities to turn the car, it was pretty much run what you brung -- take you pick of which end.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
A few railroads had a preference in specific situations, like the New York Central liked it's Pullman cars with side corridors to run with the corridor on the east side as the train ran north or south along the Hudson River. That way, the passenger compartments faced the river, giving them a good view. But otherwise, Pullman cars generally had pairs of seats facing each other, and were meant to be able to run in either direction without needing to be turned. So you can put the markers on either end.
De Luxe Can you give me the reason why the aisle was generally on the left side as the train was running and why therefore the vestibule would be on the rear of the train?
Can you give me the reason why the aisle was generally on the left side as the train was running and why therefore the vestibule would be on the rear of the train?
I don't know about any official reason. One could be that the railroad felt there would be less noise that way--the track side being the noisier side. Also, there's the "view blockingness" of rolling stock on the adjacent track. This assumes that there is a second track, of course.
As an example, Great Northern ran their 1951/1955 Empire Builder with the sleeping car vestibules to the rear. And the aisles were consequently on the left. And the obs had its aisle on the left. For that matter, the dome coaches had their aisles on the left.
And I'll also note that I've seen a lot of business car plans, and the aisles were always on the left.
Keep in mind running with the aisle on the "left" would only work one direction. You'd have to turn the car around (on a turntable, wye, or balloon track) when going back the other direction, or the corridor would now be on the outside on a double track mainline. Railroads would often turn an observation car, so the viewing area or rear platform (in heavyweight days) was always at the rear. Not sure how often they bothered to turn sleeping cars, which were designed to run OK in either direction.
As a general rule:
Motive Power
RPO
Baggage
Combines
Passenger
Dining / lunchettes
Sleepers
Observation (AKA "the old man's" car)
Sometimes dining & lunch cars were stuck on the end because they weren't needed for full service for overnight trains. This made it easier to service the train, because they only had to take off the end dining car at the station instead of breaking it up. (C&O did this)
The general idea was to put the higher class passengers furthest from the noise, dirty, and smoot of the motive power, helping ensure a more pleasurable ride for the first class passengers. And yes, generally speaking, the isles were generally on the left with vestibules on the end. That said, unless you break apart the train, it would be hard to preserve that order. This is very time consuming. And that's the problem wth end of line stub terminals that don't have a long Wye or reverse loops to turn around.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
The lightweight Empire Builder was turned on a loop at each end of its run. I'm pretty sure the California Zephyr was, too, because there used to be a loop right near the end of its run in Oakland. So, these trains weren't turned a car at a time. Turning a train a car at a time is time consuming. And labor consuming. If there was no loop or long-tail wye available, I'm sure lots of cars weren't turned. I think it depends on the particular train and particular location.
It doesn't apply to all terminals, but most major terminals had some arrangement, loop or wye, for turning whole trains. It took little more effort to turn a whole train than it did for just an obs for the end of one. This was why it worked to keep aisles on one side, as the entire train set was turned at each end, preserving the order and orietation of the train.
The EB was turned on the wye just south of Union Station in Chicago(as was the CZ). Not sure at King St Station in Seattle - But there used to be a wye up by Interbay at one time. The Santa Fe trains were turned on a loop in Chicago.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Remember too that sleepers tended to have seats paired up into sections facing each other, so really could go either direction without being turned. Dining cars had tables with seats facing each other on each side of the table. Coach seats normally could either be spun around 180 degrees, or had backs that could be moved to the other side of the seat portion ("walkover" seats) so they could face the other direction without needing to be turned. So except for like an open platform observation car, most cars really didn't need to be turned. Some railroads chose to do it for one reason or another, but the cars normally could work both directions equally well.
Actually my friend, you could place your marker lamp 'slide in brackets' at both ends. Railroads didnt design their cars to run facing a certain way. If they had, then most all railroads would have had to have turning facilities for these cars at their termination points. It was easier for a carman to just remove the markers from one end, and walk them to the other end of car and replace them. Cabooses are the same way.
Think about it, what if your operating a small Class II or Class III type line. Your railroad doesnt have the extravagant resources to put grand servicing facilities at all points on your line. So you may have to rearrange your cars in the train, without turning them. That only requires a siding. Not a wye or turntable.
Also, for Class I rail lines, when a car from another line was 'tacked' on to a train as a 'through' or 'connecting' car, it came to them facing a certain direction. It was alot easier to replace the markers than take the time to turn a car. That required a whole other crew, locomotive (switcher), and the track facility to do this. All the while you are holding up the train to which the car was going to be added.
Railroads were finicky about spending money. So, every chance to save was utilized. Thus, dont waste time and money turning cars. Just walk the markers to the other end of the last car. This only entails placing the brackets at both ends, and only two markers. Very cheap! And this is what they did.
PM Railfan Railroads didnt design their cars to run facing a certain way.
Railroads didnt design their cars to run facing a certain way.
My friend, when you make such a blanket statement, it tends to negate the rest of your argument: