Why are Amtrak Modelers Far and Few Between in this Hobby?

[slotracer]

I'll toss one other idea out that I did not see anyone point to already.....operational opportunity. Although we all know freight operations generally present far more in the way of operating variety, Some passenger operations also present some operational interst, but that type of operational variety and uniquenses is all pre amtrack and the older an era it gets the more operational variety one has the opportunity to employ on a layout.

Earlier amtrack may have some opportinities to routinely swap blocks of cars at large sations if one models them, but modern amtrack is almost entirely made up of trains that go from a to b with little to nothing in the way of swapping cars at intermediate terminals. Passenger train operations from the earlier eras saw sleepers and pullmans swapped or added or deleted off trains routinely, as were baggage, mail and express cars. Add to this mail terminals, parcel terminals and even milk cars and local passenger trains and older era's offered interesting operational opportunities that intrigue modelers enought to model them. Look alike trains that merely run accross the layout from terminal to staging and back don't offer that and probably inspire less people to model them.

[dinwitty]

I have some Amtrak equipment, but I will not be modeling amtrak. I am sticking to the mid fifties modelingwise.
I may sell my Amtrak stuff to lighten up equipment and make room.

[METRO]

Actually, part of the freelance history of my line is that Amtrak suspended all operations in Canada after 9/11, and their equipment in Canada was either reassigned or sold to Canadian roads.

My freelanced Selenian Lines Commission bought several Amfleet coaches and a couple P40s to suppliment the line's existing fleet of P42s when Amtrak left the Dominion. So in a way I model what is supposedly ex-Amtrak equipment.

Cheers!
~METRO

[rayw46]

It's amazing how many have responded to this question. It seems that there is not as much stigma attached to modeling Amtrak as some may have thought and it's obvious that more people model Amtark that anyone may have imagined

I have a small 2' x 8' HO switching layout with a fiddler/staging yard at each end. All this discussion has made me want to put together a two or three car Amtrak train to run through on the main line now and again.

[simon1966]

Using a "fast clock" for MRR operations is fun and speeds up the action. To run Amtrak realistically, you have to use a "slow clock" it gets boring quickly and hence not too many modellers stick with it.

[Anonymous]

I think most of it has to do with the time period. The Transition Era is the most popular among modelers so this pretty much precludes running anything AMTRAK since AMTRAK didn't come about until 1970. I model CONRAIL of the 1990s and Include AMTRAK service on my layout but basically the freight operations are the major part. I think that's a big part of it too.

BTW nice pics Siberianmo. [tup]

[Anonymous]

siberianmo,

I like your Union Station. I am getting excited now as when I get to that section of my layout my Union Station will be above the rails (Foam), with a street scene. It will be similiar to what they do in Chicago where the train goes underneath the station, and passengers go up a flight of stairs to get to street level, and catch a bus or visit the city.

I for one am modeling an era (1970s) when Amtrak was just starting out. The only problem is I keep kicking around the idea of Amtrak as I already have 4 Milwaukee Road Heavy Weights, 3 CNW Bilevels, and am planning on more Milwaukee Road heavy weights for my excursion train (Steam Engine).

If I could add more tracks, I for surley would as I do sometimes regret selling all my Amtrak stuff. It seems once I sell it 6months later I find or get something else thats amtrak I like, and end up doing the same thing.

For me its setting my limits on what I can and cannot have on my layout and stored away, as I am limited on space. I have been seriously looking at trying to make a track to hide the darn Burlington Zephyr I got really cheap (Impulse buy and price I couldnt say no to).

So to shorten the story, if I had room I add a fourth railroad to my Union Station but due to trackage restrictions I can only have 2 major railroads that own platforms (CNW, and Milwaukee Road), with a possible 1 track platform for my Zephyr.


DON

[icmr]

Because we dont want our railroads to have derailments.



Victor

Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]

[slotracer]

I guess this has been hammered to death alreay but I just couldn't help resonding too. I think it's all pretty much been said, but when having a choice between variety and individual flavor and history vs generic, seen one, seen em all trains that are to may boring, unatractive and indistinguisable serving stations that have as much appeal as a gas station with no sense of lineage or history, most people will go for the former. Personally I find amtrack equip as interesting and attractive as a truck trailer and the trains have zero sense of any history, personality or variety. This is not a slam, model what you want, and prototype wise, what exists today evolved that way for a reason, there is no way we are going to treturn to what passenger trains where when they were truely great, but based on a person's choice of what to pruchase and invest effort and time into, most seem to go towards what offers more variety, style, class and interest....pre amtrack passenger railroading. Will AMtrak modeling grow....maybe somewhat, not on any layout I might ever do, but as the older modelers die off perhaps the younger modelrers who might model amtrack thereby increase in percentage and the hobby sees some growth in Amtrak modeling....maybe. I don't see people gravitating over to it who are already more interested in the era's where passenger railroading offered so much more. Railroad companies tied their identity to theri passenger traffic in earlier eras, to most of us Amtrak is a bus service that happens to run on a steel rail.

[csmith9474]

QUOTE: Originally posted by zgardner18

Being from San Diego and now living in Los Angeles, I've always wanted to model the tracks that connected the two cities, to concure with my love of the ocean. I started buying up San Diego Coasters, and Metrolinks, and I even bought some Athearn F59PHIs in the Amtrak West theme, but nobody has made the Surfliners as of yet. No problem, I will just paint them myself, but I then started thinking, I have a lot of BNSF and UP fraight that would be put to waste if I want to model that prototype exact. I would only be able to use a BNSF train or two. Lucky for me that dream of a big layout is far off in the distance.

I think that someone hit the nail on the head by saying that where they are modeling there isn't an Amtrak. As for me, I love the Surfliner but if I want to model the desert of mountains instead of the ocean, then that surfliner isn't going to be running. So I don't know.

Overland did a really nice Surfliner run. I don' t know what the availability of these cars are anymore, but it is something to consider. The price tag is a little steep though.

[zgardner18]

Being from San Diego and now living in Los Angeles, I've always wanted to model the tracks that connected the two cities, to concure with my love of the ocean. I started buying up San Diego Coasters, and Metrolinks, and I even bought some Athearn F59PHIs in the Amtrak West theme, but nobody has made the Surfliners as of yet. No problem, I will just paint them myself, but I then started thinking, I have a lot of BNSF and UP fraight that would be put to waste if I want to model that prototype exact. I would only be able to use a BNSF train or two. Lucky for me that dream of a big layout is far off in the distance.

I think that someone hit the nail on the head by saying that where they are modeling there isn't an Amtrak. As for me, I love the Surfliner but if I want to model the desert of mountains instead of the ocean, then that surfliner isn't going to be running. So I don't know.

[csmith9474]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45

GvDobbler,

Actually, the number of passenger train modelers has been growing in the past decade. (Contact the MRR staff to see if this is still true).

Think about this:

1. Why did Walther's make the enormous investment in producing those HO streamlined passenger cars in the variety of paint schemes?

2. What about the new Walthers and Branch Line heavy weight cars that have become quite popular?

3. Kato and BLI have introduced some beautiful passenger cars with metalized finishes.
That California Zephyr car that I saw at my LHS with functioning floursecent style interior lights was a knockout!

4. Life Like has sold thousands of P1K RDCs, and more paint schemes are coming!

5. Look at the attractive double decker commuter passenger cars available from Athearn Genesis (or RTR?) line!

On other posts, modelers on this forum have complained because Superliner cars are hard to find in some towns.

Guys, WAKE UP!

Sorry to be contrary fellas, but passenger modeling has indeed grown! Even some of the "die hards" in my LHS that ran "freight only" on their layouts now have some "passenger varnish" polishing the rails behind BLI steamers, P2K E units, or Athearn ALCO PAs. There have been plenty of passenger train related articles in Model Railroader magazine since the late 90s.

As for Amtrak, it's always being threatened. I was around in 1978 when Senator Brock Adams (r.i.p) tried hard to strip it down to just the Northeast Corridor. Sound familiar? During the late 80s Amtrak faced extinction again. Today, same story, different group of Yo-Yos trying to shut it down, especially at a time when its popularity is steadily increasing.

Even with David Gunn unjustly fired, I honestly don't think we're going to lose Amtrak. Most likely pressure from citizens on their congressmen will keep it going. Secretary Norm MIneta will likely be gone after President Bush leaves office.

Overall, unlike my teen years, quality passenger cars and locomotives are now available.

Enjoy them! [:D][8D][;)]

I model almost exclusively passenger trains myself. A lot of stuff I model, I have to build from the trucks up using products from several different manufacturers. Manufacturers like Precision Scale, Red Cap, Palace Car Company, Train Station Products, Cal Scale and NKP (brass car sides) really make modeling a fulfillin hobby for me. Most of the passenger trains I model are from the 1955-1965 era. The Coach Yard has also done a great job of getting some more obscure passenger equipment on the rails for me.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by LGBF7
Scale is N scale and I am looking for someone to build me a CN tower for my layout.

An N-scale CN tower would be 11.37 feet tall. [;)] That'd be something to see!

I live in the northeast corridor area so I've always been partial to Amtrak trains. My favorite set of rolling stock to this day remains my Athearn AMD103 Gennie in Phase III solid stripe colors (I like the fading speed stripes version, but Athearn's paint job for that one looks horrible), and its attendant set of Walthers Amfleet coaches (also Phase III).

Wish I could build me an HO P32AC-DM dual-mode version of the AMD103 Gennie, but that's an extensive kitbash and I got too many other things on my plate.

[emdgp92]

If I was going to model Amtrak, I'd pick the early era. To some, the rainbow colors might look odd, but that's how it was done then. I've seen photos of ex-PC E units with cars from PC, UP, BN, Southern, IC, ATSF and others...which si pretty cool :)

I find some PRR trains to be rather boring. Sorry folks, but I like a bit of variety. At least when PC came along, there was plenty of it--ex-NYC stainless cars, ex-NH stuff, plenty of PRR cars still in red (with *gold* worms!), along with the repainted PC rebuilds.

[Anonymous]

Siberianmo, love your Union Sta pic! My dilemma is worse. I model Japan prototypes and find even fewer model that style. My LHS carries only Kato track and accessories. I have to buy all my locos and rolling stock from overseas or from ebay. I did find one club in Washington DC that models Japan and their awesome.

Any other suggestions guys?


Kevin

[cnw4001]

QUOTE: Originally posted by LGBF7

While not Amtrak, I do model Via Rail, modern day, Toronto to Montreal corridor using the new P42 Genisis locomotives, but with normal Via coaches since nobody makes the LRC talgo cars they pull most of the time. Scale is N scale and I am looking for someone to build me a CN tower for my layout. I think the Via Rail colors are the nicest paint scheme for the P42's other than Amtrak's original one that faded away at the rear of the unit. Cheers MIke

I don't know if it's available in N but there is a Canadian company making the LRC's as resin kits. They look pretty good but are on the expensive side and they are truly kits. You have to do a lot of work to get them going. That CN tower would be neat.

[Anonymous]

While not Amtrak, I do model Via Rail, modern day, Toronto to Montreal corridor using the new P42 Genisis locomotives, but with normal Via coaches since nobody makes the LRC talgo cars they pull most of the time. Scale is N scale and I am looking for someone to build me a CN tower for my layout. I think the Via Rail colors are the nicest paint scheme for the P42's other than Amtrak's original one that faded away at the rear of the unit. Cheers MIke

[TomDiehl]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ebriley

QUOTE: Originally posted by adrianiu

I model the northeast corridor in Connecticut, and Amtrak is a must!

Well, the Northeast Corridor is about the only place where you'd actually be modeling Amtrack. In my part of the country to model Amtrack you'd have to model Amtrack on the BNSF or Amtrack on the UP, etc. since Amtrack does not own trackage outside of "the Corridor!", but is merely a tennent on the host railroads rails elsewhere. If I model the one or two Amtrack trains per day here, then I need to model the 30 or 40 freight trains on the same tracks. Nothing against Amtrack. I railfan it occassionally, but it's not fodder for my modeling at this time.

Well said, Ed. To take it a step back to the other part of the original question as to why it wasn't part of the poll, the answer is basically the same. If you model the era that Amtrak runs, you can easily have an Amtrak train run on any railroad, but you're not necessarily modelling Amtrak, any more than you're modelling a railroad on the other side of the country if you have a boxcar or a run through locomotive from them on your railroad.

Although I model a private named railroad based on the Reading, I can still run Amtrak trains (I have Metroliner and Superliner equipment in my scale), but it's not my primary railroad to be modelled.

[Anonymous]

i prefer excursion railroads such as the grand canyon railway which uses steam and vintage diesel power. but there's nothing like an amtrak F40PH pulling some amtk pass. cars. most people don't model pass. rr's beacause there's so much more rolling stock variety with freight. i have 3 amtk pass. cars and i plan to get a few more. since the real BNSF doen't have a historical loco fleet my BNSF rr does- a 2-8-0 cons. , santa fe FP7 and i hope to get the other FP7 if it still at the LHS.

[modelmaker51]

I model the D&H between Albany, NY and Montreal, Canada in the '70s & early '80s, so I get to model and run both the D&H Adirondack & Champlain and Amtrack. I am presently rebuilding a set of Jouef turboliners to more accurately represent them as they ran here. I also bought a Marklin ICE set (2-rail DC) and repainted it as the ICE 2000 as it looked when they demoed it up here.

[Anonymous]

For me it's a simple matter of being a steam fan. Steam era = no Amtrak.

However, I should add that I am unquestionably a 'passenger' modeler. I run both, but my layout, rolling stock, etc. are all skewed to passenger operations. If I were modeling the modern era, I'd certainly do Amtrak, I have no aesthetic or conceptual problem with it.

In fact, I find myself tempted to pick up the Acela set from Bachmann Spectrum to run about on occasion. It'd be a reverse-anachronism, but not that bad. And, hey, I am after all the supreme being of my layout and when the mood strikes me I do as I please, reality be dammed.

[ElectricMotive]

I generally prefer to model passenger service, and I think it's because it's what I grew up around. Sure, I have freight engines and cars, and sure, I run them, but most of the trains running at the club are freights trains going around and around (though a few of us are looking to start doing ops). At least a passenger train going around and around makes sense (as long as you're making station stops!), unlike freight trains.

For other people it's different. Plenty of people think that passenger trains are boring, because they're always the same (now how this differs from unit trains some people like to run escapes me). That's fine. This is model railroading, you do what you think is fun, and I'll do what I think is fun. It's just that the number of people who think Amtrak (and passenger) modeling is fun is less than those who think freight train modeling is fun. The important thing is, we can all be happy.

[Anonymous]

i dont know but personally its the fact or revenue seeing a long haul NS loco with a couple milllion dollars behind it is just way to cool

[tstage]

Amtrak locomotives (to me) lack any personality whatsoever...

Tom

[AntonioFP45]

GvDobbler,

Actually, the number of passenger train modelers has been growing in the past decade. (Contact the MRR staff to see if this is still true).

Think about this:

1. Why did Walther's make the enormous investment in producing those HO streamlined passenger cars in the variety of paint schemes?

2. What about the new Walthers and Branch Line heavy weight cars that have become quite popular?

3. Kato and BLI have introduced some beautiful passenger cars with metalized finishes.
That California Zephyr car that I saw at my LHS with functioning floursecent style interior lights was a knockout!

4. Life Like has sold thousands of P1K RDCs, and more paint schemes are coming!

5. Look at the attractive double decker commuter passenger cars available from Athearn Genesis (or RTR?) line!

On other posts, modelers on this forum have complained because Superliner cars are hard to find in some towns.

Guys, WAKE UP!

Sorry to be contrary fellas, but passenger modeling has indeed grown! Even some of the "die hards" in my LHS that ran "freight only" on their layouts now have some "passenger varnish" polishing the rails behind BLI steamers, P2K E units, or Athearn ALCO PAs. There have been plenty of passenger train related articles in Model Railroader magazine since the late 90s.

As for Amtrak, it's always being threatened. I was around in 1978 when Senator Brock Adams (r.i.p) tried hard to strip it down to just the Northeast Corridor. Sound familiar? During the late 80s Amtrak faced extinction again. Today, same story, different group of Yo-Yos trying to shut it down, especially at a time when its popularity is steadily increasing.

Even with David Gunn unjustly fired, I honestly don't think we're going to lose Amtrak. Most likely pressure from citizens on their congressmen will keep it going. Secretary Norm MIneta will likely be gone after President Bush leaves office.

Overall, unlike my teen years, quality passenger cars and locomotives are now available.

Enjoy them! [:D][8D][;)]

[ksax73]

A new pre-production model has been displayed on their website.

Here are some photos:








The release date is still unknown but Bachmann is still hovering around summer time. Here's their website:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com

[mustanggt]

I model amtrak- I have 2 P42's, 2 F40's, and several cars. And it's nice to see that other people model GO transit trains. So far I have the athearn cars, I just hope they can put out an unstreamlined F59. Now back to amtrak, does anyone know if Bachmann came out with the HHP8 yet?

[Anonymous]

At the risk of being stoned to death by the "anything goes" mind set; Amtrak is a colossal bore whether prototype or model (only an opinion). "Seen one, you've seen 'em all," isn't quite true but it will do until some better cliche comes along. Perhaps, it would be more kind to say: generic? Apologies in advance...Regards.

[Anonymous]

Good job Siberianmo. Those are some great pictures. Is that supposed to be a particular location, or is it freelanced?