Passenger car arrangement

[Anonymous]

I have 12 passenger cars,
1-Baggage Car
1-Railway Post Office
1-Combine Car
3-Coach Cars
2-Pullman Sleepers
1-Diner Car
2-Vista Domes
1-Observation Car
Can anyone advise me as to how these cars would haved been arrainged in order as if this train, with this number of cars, a railroad line would have placed them to run?
(Exp: Baggage,Post office,Combine, etc.)
Adrion

[Sperandeo]

Hi Adrion,

A typical passenger train consist from your cars might be arranged:

Baggage
RPO (positions of thse first two might be reversed)
Combine
Coaches
Diner
Sleepers
Observation

I didn't mention the domes because they're placement depends on their type. If they are dome coaches they would be ahead of the diner with the flattop coaches. If a dome lounge, there would most likely be only one and it would be just ahead of the diner (or maybe just behind).

Dome sleepers were pretty rare so they probably don't enter into consideration. If you can tell us the scale and make of your dome cars someone might be able to identify the prototype and know specifically what kind of accomodations they had.

What I've described would be typical of pre-Amtrak passenger trains, but of course for every generalization there are specific exceptions.

best wishes,

Andy Sperandeo
MODEL RAILROADER Magazine

[BR60103]

To add to what Andy said, I saw the Canadian this morning and it was in that order (just one baggage car though, no combine or mail). There were 2 dome cars which are used as small diners for coach passengers and maybe sleeper passengers.
One dome was between the coaches and the sleepers and the diner and the other dome were scattered in about a half dozen oe more sleepers. The tail end car was, as always, the dome/lounge/observation car (which has a few sleeping compartments as well.)
If there's a private or business car, it runs behind the observation, ruining the view.
David