Operations: simulating passenger loadings

[Anonymous]

Why not focus on the switching aspect, every passenger train has to move the RPO to the post office at the station, the dinner car has to be moved to the diner track for restocking, sleepers/coaches not needed for the next stretch are stored and inspected. observation cars are added or removed and restocked. sometimes cars are taken off the train that just arrived and tacked onto another train getting ready to depart. And the loco's need to head to the garage for inspection.

Then there's the enroute splits, Train A is heading to Point 1, but is carrying cars destined for Point 2. So tarin A drops 6 of it's 14 cars at a siding, Train B heading to Point 2, but coming from a different city than train A, picks them up and continues the journey. There's also the double train split, Train A has 2 loco's, and 12 cars. 6 cars are destined for point 1, the other 6 for point 2. Train A splits at a junction, with loco 1 taking 6 to point 1 and loco 2 taking 6 to point 2.

There's a lot of action possible with a passenger train. This makes for some interesting timing situations, you can't leave a string of passenger cars sitting on a siding waiting for it's train for to long, so that second train better be on time. which means the timeing between 2 stations better be good. and passengers get antsy if they're sitting in the station to long, so you need to get that train out of the stion in a relatively short time as well.

[ksax73]

Great post! It's rare these days to see posters take an interest to passenger train operations let alone the scarcity of the number of modelers in the hobby.

The loading passengers aspect is virtually left up to the modeler's imagination. If I'm in the mood to delay a train due to loading times I just do. Sometimes there might be a distraction outside and I go check it out while the train I am modeling is at a station. I will incorporate the real time lateness of the train into my operating session and attribute it to police activity or anything related to real life issues that affect passenger train service.

[chateauricher]

Yes, CNW4001's description of Algoma Central's (ACR) regular passenger service between Sault-Ste-Marie and Heart (Ontario, Canada) is quite interesting. The train litterally stops in the middle of the mad bu***o drop off or pick up passengers and their baggage.

Now, I use the term "baggage" loosely. ATVs; snowmobiles; appliances; building /construction materials; camping/hunting/fishing gear and supplies; mail and groceries; and even bagged game are very common. I was fortunate to watch as they loaded a pair of ATVs onto the baggage car. A folding ramp was lowered so the ATVs could be driven up it into the baggage car. One only hopes they hit the brakes at the top to avoid going out the door on the opposite side of the car ! [:o] Talking with the conductor, he was telling us that they prefer to have at least 24hrs notice for all flag-stops; but will stop for someone who waves them down. Of course, this all means that the schedule is totally worthless once the train has left the terminus (at either Sault-Ste-Marie or Hearst). Only the departure times (from Sault-Ste-Marie or Hearst) were accurate.

The fact that the ACR also crosses the main trans-continental lines for CP (at Franz); the CN (at Oba) and the ONR (at Hearst) means that we had to wait for their trains to pass before we could cross.

Tour trains to the Agawa Canyon; floating bridges; hunting and fishing camps; ATVers and snowmobilers all make the ACR one amazing railroad operation. Check out their website for more info ... http://www.agawacanyontourtrain.com/

[BR60103]

At our station, the VIA train is usually loaded and has to wait while the taped message plays out in English and French.
On our GO line, the platforms seemed to alternate between the north and south side of the line, so that the conductor had to change from one side of the car to the other to open the doors, and had to reserve 2 sets of seats for his work. (They now stay at the doors of the "accessibility car" to put out the ramp. There's another operating kink -- the accesible door has to match the raised section of the platform -- that's about twenty feet of flat area.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm, interesting question. I never considered the fact that different loadings or lengths on passenger trains could affect how long it waits to load and unload at stations. Very interesting. I only have 5 passenger cars, and I typically stop for about 2 minutes at stations. But after this I may vary my operations. Great idea!

[cnw4001]

Originally posted by Dayliner

Thanks for your ideas, guys. I had no idea there were others interested in "optimizing" passenger ops in this way.

no platforms to speak of). VIA does it with the Canadian quite regularly.
Unfortunately, my passenger service (right now at least) is limited to a single RDC.


Since you're obviously in Canada you might want to run the occasional Sault Ste Marie - Hearst train. All sorts of interesting possibilities there including all kinds of flag stops. Last time they put off a stove and refrigerator at one after loading it at Hawk Jct. Another interesting possibility is assuming it is fall and your Hearst train takes the "second section" of the Canyon Train north and drops it at Agawa and then the southbound picks up the "second section" and takes it back to Sault Ste Marie.

Dale

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