Passenger train with freight cars

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I've never really been a train watcher over the years, so I kind of thought that this would be a little odd. I guess it's not!
It's like someone said on here once "Give us an example and we'll give you a Prototype!"

[CP5415]

When my dad landed in Canada from England, he caught the train in Nova Scotia to come to Ontario.
He was the only passenger on the train, CN coupled a lone coach to the back of the freight train & my dad ended up riding the caboose instead of the coach for the journey.

Gordon

[cnw4001]

Another time years ago I saw a caboose in the middle of the train, rather than at the rear. There was also a guy sitting at the window. What possible reason could they have had for doing this? Who knows. [:D]

Georgia Boy

[cacole]

I have a Pentrex video about Santa Fe passenger trains in Kansas that had 10 or 15 baggage cars and only one passenger car. Santa Fe wanted to run only baggage cars as special mail trains, but Kansas law required them to put at least one passenger car on every train, so that car usually ran totally empty. It's not mentioned in the video narrative, but I don't think Santa Fe even sold tickets for these trains because they made only one stop -- Kansas City -- carrying mail and packages from the west coast. They stopped in Kansas City, transferred mail and packages at a mail terminal, and then returned to the West coast.

Short line railroads, even today, run mixed freight and passenger trains, so it would not be unrealistic to have a few boxcars at the head end of a short passenger train.

[Anonymous]

In the early days of Trains, many trains were composed of both frieght and passenger cars going to the same destination. This was due to cars being unloaded and reloaded onto other cars bound for another location, usually on another line. As soon as it became more feasible to just let the cars stay loaded and loan the car to the other line, dedicated frieght and passenger trains showed up.

It stayed this way for awhile, then came the need to expidite some goods faster than standard freight could handle, thus the express car, mail car, bank/payroll car, and other showed up. At this point you'd be hard pressed to find a true combination freight/passenger train, but occasionally you'd find a passenger car on the end of a freieght train, or a small set of frieght cars on a passenger train bound for the same location or carrying goods that were needed for specific reason.

There are times you may see frieght and passenger mixed today, usually a natural disater causes it. a set of passenger cars is coupled with a set of boxcars and/or tank cars carrying emergency good to a disater area. The apssenger cars would be carrying Military and/or releif workers, while the box cars would carry food, clothing and other nescecities, the tank cars would usually be water tankers bringing fresh water in.

So it would be perfectly normal if you wanted to model a mixed consist of passenger and frieght, if it fits your layout or era.

Jay

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by chewie8han

Would there ever be a need for a passenger train to hull freight cars as well? I'm thinking of doing an N scale train that would have both passenger and freight on it.

I don't know, but the other day on my way to work I saw an Amtrak train pulling four box cars. They were all at the rear of the train. It did look a little strange. When I was a kid which was like forty years ago, there were a few times that I'd see a freight pulling a few passenger cars along with their normal freight cars. I wouldn't think there was anyone riding in them. Another time years ago I saw a caboose in the middle of the train, rather than at the rear. There was also a guy sitting at the window. What possible reason could they have had for doing this? Who knows. [:D]

Georgia Boy

[Anonymous]

The Alaska Railroad has been known for its mixed trains for many years. There just isn't enough demand for passenger train service (except during the mid-May to mid-September "high" tourist season) to justify separate operation of passenger trains.

A typical mixed train consist would be:

Locomotive (passenger-service units, when available)
Power car (if freight-service loco units are used)(to provide steam or electrical power for heating the passenger cars)
1 or 2 baggage cars
A diner or diner-lounge
2 or 3 coaches
Any number of freight cars
A caboose.

In its later years the Rock Island also operated mixed freight and passenger trains in order to help reduce the losses from passenger operations. Consists were similar to the Alaska Railroad trains described above (including cabooses on the rear end). The Rock Island had a surplus of passenger loco units, so power cars weren't needed.

[Anonymous]

The Alaska Railroad has been known for its mixed trains for many years. There just isn't enough demand for passenger train service (except during the mid-May to mid-September "high" tourist season) to justify separate operation of passenger trains.

A typical mixed train consist would be:

Locomotive (passenger-service units, when available)
Power car (if freight-service loco units are used)(to provide steam or electrical power for heating the passenger cars)
1 or 2 baggage cars
A diner or diner-lounge
2 or 3 coaches
Any number of freight cars
A caboose.

In its later years the Rock Island also operated mixed freight and passenger trains in order to help reduce the losses from passenger operations. Consists were similar to the Alaska Railroad trains described above (including cabooses on the rear end). The Rock Island had a surplus of passenger loco units, so power cars weren't needed.

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Have you been looking in my workshop again?

You' d be surprised where an authentic looking set of Pacific Bell coveralls can get you..........

[vsmith]

Have you been looking in my workshop again?

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

You could also run Amtrack type passenger cars with Roadrailer trailer cars. I have seen Amtrack's running with several Roadrailers in tow.

Hmmm ..the Borracho Railroad mixed intermodal service.....a 2-4-0 with a combine, a coach, a horse car and three Contestoga wagon roadrailers....hmm the possibilities........

[vsmith]

You could also run Amtrack type passenger cars with Roadrailer trailer cars. I have seen Amtrack's running with several Roadrailers in tow.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking along the lines of about 6-7 passenger cars with about 10 freight cars in either Atlantic Coast Line or Alaska colors (scheme, whatever).

[Roadtrp]

The Amtrak Empire Builder that I recently took to Chicago was pulling both a private passenger car and a couple of material handling cars at the end of the train. To tell you the truth, what I assumed to be MHC could have been freight cars; I didn't really look at them that closely.

By the way... the private passenger car was a beauty -- a classic streamlined smoothside dome car. [:)]

[ndbprr]

Nickel Plate, IC and others tacked TOFC cars onto passengege trains in an effort to improve costs.

[dharmon]

If you are talking freightcars tacked on to passenger trains..Amtrak does it all the time, tacking express boxcars on to the end of trains. The Material Handling Cars (MHCs) are a bit different, being more like baggage cars. The difference I believe other than the trucks is that the MHCs are equipped with HEP and control receptacles so they can go between the loco and passenger cars, instead of just being tacked on the end. Usually this is mail and LCL package courier stuff.

If we're talking a passenger car tacked on to a freight train...or a mixed train, that was done also. Usually branchline service, with a coach or combine at the end in lieu of a caboose.

[orsonroy]

Many passenger trains hauled LCL or express boxcars, boxcars full of mail, and a few express reefers.

Local freights sometimes had a combine tacked onto the back of the train to accomodate local passenger traffic.

Mixed trains were scheduled passenger trains that also did local freight switching on route.

So yes, you can OCCASIONALLY mix freight and passenger service. These were generally short trains (10 freight cars and one combine is a good modeling length). The practice was dying off fast in the 1930s, and was basically gone by the early 1960s (there were a VERY few that lasted to Amtrak)

[Anonymous]

Would there ever be a need for a passenger train to hull freight cars as well? I'm thinking of doing an N scale train that would have both passenger and freight on it.