Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I just got some new information you may or may not find interesting.
The C&O Historical Society Magazine (Nov/Dec 2014) issue just printed an article on the White Sulpher Springs depot operations; it was an interesting read even though it is much earlier than my modeled era. Basically, their problem was how to efficiently service all the Pullmans that went to this busy resort station (the Greenbrier hotel was across the street from the station).
When Pullmans had to be turned, as well as the engines, they would make long backup moves to the next town that had a turntable or wye (some 12 miles or more), or local freights would stop to pick up a Pullman to have it turned, if the local was going the right way. At the station, there was a 'President's Car' track (which looked to hold two passenger cars) and two Pullman tracks that could probably hold 10 cars as well as another track that was used to hold another 8 or so Pullmans. The Pullman track was paved and lighted...it kind of looked like a place people could stay on their Pullmans, instead of going to the hotel? The C&O suggested installing another track that could hold evn more cars and install a wye to turn them here, rather than making extra moves to the next station. You could model this by backing your passenger trains into staging, fiddling them to point the other way, and back them up back to the station where they wold be ready to go. Long back up moves were common when building new facilities was too expensive in some places.
Long story short, get a subscription to your favorite railroads' historical society (or a similar operating railroad you can mimic in 'close-enogh' fashion) if possible. The money goes to a good organization and the info you get (and photos) will be almost priceless. I intended to belong for one year so I had access to their library of information, but 4 years later, I still look forward to thier magazines (and discounts on models and other railroad related items...which make good gifts).
In that same issue, there is an article on The Pullman Company and Its Porters. It pretty much covered the Pullmans from the beginning to the end. Again, not relavent to my modeling, but interesting to read.
http://delray1967.shutterfly.com/pictures/5
SEMI Free-Mo@groups.io
I'd consider looking at the B&O Grant Street station in Pittsburgh. It was rebuilding in the early 50s, so it was well documented in that timeframe. It was a stub terminal, too, if that matters. Also, it was fully equipped as a major city station, but significantly smaller than the enormous PRR operation a dozen blocks away and the P&LE station on the other side of the Mon River. PRR was huge because, well, PRR and P&LE was where the long distance and prestige B&O traffic went. Grant Street was for commuters, locals, and long distance that terminated in Pittsburgh.
The B&O historical society had a lot of photos and a track diagram in the 1998 Q1 issue of their magazine. The track diagram they printed is rather small, but I suspect its a shrunk down one.
Welcome, Robert
Looks like you have lots of good information here from the posters above... here's a view of the Cleveland Union Terminal coach yard and station layout. You can never have too much information!
Hope it helps you out, Ed
All good info, thanks! I'm doing a freelance line that uses then SP&S as a portion incoproating thier early 50's passenger service. I'll look at Portland and Vancouver historical resources to see what I can find. There is also a good SP&S Yahoo group, so inquire there. Due to space restrictions I'm not after big or complex, but I like the wash racks below and the idea of restocking supplies from a platform. I should be able to accomplish both of those.
Thanks again everyone!
to the forums, here's some more links that may be of use....
http://trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Toronto/COACH_YARD.htm
http://trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Toronto/JOHN_ST_PIG_YD.htm
and at the start of this 1954 film there's a very brief shot of the cars being serviced. (not much to go on but..)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRVEOZphmDQ
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Here is a drawing of the ATSF coach yard in Chicago in the early 1950s.
You can see the passenger car storage tracks, the car washer facility, the roundhouse and turntable, and the service and repair buildings.
You can also see the balloon track around the entire coach yard, permitting switcher engines to turn around entire passenger car consists.
Dearborn Station in downtown Chicago, with its 10 stub end passenger tracks, is outside of the drawing to the right.
Rich
Alton Junction
ROBERT BARNETT Does anybody know of a good photo resource for passenger car service facilities? Im looking for something that I might be able to include in my early 1950's era HO layout. Thanks!
Does anybody know of a good photo resource for passenger car service facilities? Im looking for something that I might be able to include in my early 1950's era HO layout.
Thanks!
In the following link, you can see a portion of the ATSF coach yard in Chicago. The storage tracks are on the left, the car washing facility is front and center, right behind the passing freight train, and the diesel servicing facility is in the background with those two open doors. The other buildings are car servicing facilities and administrative offices.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7547061@N02/3789734331/in/photostream/
In the second link, an overhead photo of the area shows the entry to the coach yard at the lower right. In that photo, you can see the roundhouse and turntable. The facilities shown in the first link are not visible in that second photo link, but they are right below that long bridge crossing the coach yard.
http://burnhamplan100.lib.uchicago.edu/node/2773/
This is typical of a passenger car service facility. It will include a coach yard to store passenger cars, a car washing facility, roundhouse and turntable, a car shop and a back shop.
Hope this helps.
zstripe Dearborn Station, Chicago 1920's to roughly 90's. Many roads converged in Chicago:
Dearborn Station, Chicago 1920's to roughly 90's. Many roads converged in Chicago:
Kalmbach has a good softcover book on modeling passenger trains and IIRC, it includes photos and explanations of servicing facilities. Andy Sperandio wrote it.
Victor A. Baird
www.erstwhilepublications.com
Regular maintenance and supply restocking happened during layovers at the ends of runs. Cars were cleaned. Things that needed emptying were emptied. Linen stock was replaced. Diners were restocked. I think Pullman often had their own crews for maintaining their sleepers. And diners were often pulled from the train and taken to a commissary for the restocking. The train was only broken up as far as necessary and typically dropped at a coach yard. There was usually paving between the tracks so that supply and maintenance carts could have access.
So, for the above operation, you need a commissary building, probably a Pullman supply building, a railroad maintenance building. And probably some smaller ones, too. And a coach yard.
The other kind of service facility would be for cars that needed significant repairs where the cars were pulled from regular service. There, you're talking about car shop buildings.
Both of the above operations tend to be located in big cities, and tend to be "spacious".
If you don't want to go so extensive, and your urban location happens to be a bit, uh, smalltownish, your operation might be happening at a midpoint of a passenger run. The train wouldn't be broken down, so you'd need an extra track or two maybe paralleling the station tracks where a train could lay over for awhile.
Simplest would be a midpoint restocking of the diner while the head end cars are unloading/loading. Then you could get away with a small commissary building and some tractors and carts. You could also add a small adjacent building for "emergency" short term run-through maintenance. Keep in mind that all of this has to fit in the time the train is stopped for other things--maybe a half hour.
Ed
Robert Barnett,
To The Forums.
As other's have said...Google is Your friend in a lot of instances.
When You type in Your query, make sure You add Images and You will get many pic's on the subject.
http://monon.monon.org/bygone/chicago-dearborn.html
Have Fun!
Frank
Welcome!!
Well I would first look to the historical societies that include your prototype. They usually have lots of photos. You can also google for the name of the station and separately the road name you want to model. I have done it many ways.
https://www.google.com/search?q=1950s+railroad+passenger+stations&client=firefox-a&hs=8M1&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=1RxJVKj2FcS-8gGUn4GYCw&ved=0CCIQsAQ&biw=906&bih=642#rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&q=passenger+stations+1950s+railroad+
Above is a quick google showing some various pics of very different types of stations.
Richard
Hi Bob. Welcome to the forums
What RR(s) are you interested in and/or tend to model? I find google Earth a great resouce for checking things out when it comes to model RR. I have check out many RR facilities with it. Measuring things like turntables, length of sidings and also repair/MOW facilities. In Vancouver at the CN yard I often view the rather nondescript building that serves CN, Via and Rocky Mountaineer passenger equipment. From the street level view I get a good look at the washing equipment they push the coaches through.
For photo's ( I am not sure where on the planet you live) I go to City, Provincial and National Archives, where I can access thousands and thousands of excellent photo's of just about anything from the comfort of my own home. Below is an example.
Good luck.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."