American & Canadian Passenger Train Operations on your model railroad

[AntonioFP45]

[:)] Hey, Amigos!

Having ridden passenger trains in my early childhood, I've always enjoyed watching them cruise by.

[8D] How many of you run some type of passenger service on your layouts? Do you enjoy modeling the local, long distance trains, commuter, or a combo of these? Heavyweight cars, MU Railcars, Streamliners, Subways, Trolleys or a lone RDC on a branchline? How many cars are on your passenger trains?

Pre-Amtrak & VIA Rail, or modern? I like the fact that VIA in Canada still uses the classic Budd cars and seem to take good care of them.

Freight is emphasized so much more in this hobby but running "varnish" can add so much more to making operations interesting on layouts regardless of size or time period. [:D][:)][8D][:I]

With good looking passenger cars available from several manufacturers HO and N scales, it's so much easier now!

I sure like those Walthers HO Budd cars! Am still buying them one by one.[;)] The Proto NYC subway cars are beautiful. I rode the prototypes as a kid!

[Roadtrp]

I love passenger trains and that is what my first train is, although I plan to add a freight train in the next month or so.

I'm running an F40PH locomotive with 4 full-length dome/lounge cars. I would have liked a Superliner set, but the only one I could find in N scale was from Kato, and that was more than I wanted to spend on my first cars. So I thought the full-length domes at least looked similar. I know there has probably never been a passenger consist of only full-length domes anywhere, but if anyone asks I'll say it's an excursion train on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It's my world, right? [:D]

[Anonymous]

I voted for pre-Amtrak passenger trains and freight, though I have little freight rolling stock. Passenger trains are my FIRST love and have always been. I'm nuts about streamliners and that's clearly evident by the number of passenger cars (and the locomotives that haul 'em!) in my train room. Heavyweight consists get equal treatment. I collect Amtrak equipment too and often will run a vintage consist on one track and Amtrak on the other. I like to pretend that trains of the past are still operational--and that Amtrak was created in later years to supplement the old because the demand by the traveling public for passenger trains is so tremendous that the privately held railroads can't accommodate the legion of riders! When I have the extra space, I want to incorporate a large station with at least 10 stub-end tracks feeding into it. Imagine the explosion of color and equipment from many different railroad companies. I also can't wait to get a my hands on the HO scale Super Chief currently offered by Walthers![:D]

[RhB_HJ]

I've been modelling Swiss railways for a l-o-n-g time. Lots of passenger trains and the freights better get out of the way for the crack trains.

Used to be like that in NA many, many years ago, too.[;)][:D]

[ClinchValleySD40]

No passenger equipment on the railroad anywhere.

[michaelstevens]

Lots of passenger equipment, available on my layout.

4 ea. long Amtrak consists and a CSX business train for US sessions, then

7 ea. British passenger sets (steam and/or diesel), for when I revert to "a modicum of normalcy" !!

[Anonymous]

I voted pre Amtrak and Freight, but I actually mix it up. I run PRR trains as well as Amtrak. I like passenger trains and I'm am working toward a true Union Station - PRR, B&O and NYC.

[cacole]

I run Proto 2000 Illinois Central A-B-B-A sound-equipped HO-scale E-8 locomotives with a 15-car IC passenger train on the Cochise & Western MR Club's layout in addition to freight trains pulled by mostly steam engines. The C&W's basic theme is the transition era, so members are free to run whatever they want.

[johncolley]

Cacole and AntonioFP45, I agree 100% In addition to my 50 plus car freight with 4 unit FT and sometimes a 2 unit FT helper 2/3 way back, I have a 15 car Great Northern "Empire Builder" pulled by my new BLI E-7. The sound is fantastic and I am getting a second unit the end of Jan. On my now 2nd re-build layout I will have a passenger yard with commissary, Pullman facility, and post office spur on one side of the main and freight yard with engine service on the other. Ought to keep me going another 15 or 20 years. johncolley tholcapn sailnrail Port Townsend, WA

[Anonymous]

I have several Amtrak trains running on my layout. An E8 AB set with 8 to 10 cars most of the time. Another E unit running 4 or 5 cars plus several F7 A and B's. This is the normal set up. I have passenger equipment for UP, RI, SOU, ATSF that make appearances or get changed out. My Freight most of the time is RI and BN.

RMax

[CP5415]

How about all of the above in regards to the poll.
Since it's my railroad, I've decided to run CP, D&H, B&M, VIA & Amtrak for passenger service.
For intercity service I'm going with all of the above.
Commuter service I have a CP & B&M Proto RDC3.
For excursion I have a CPR 4-6-2 with matching maroon heavyweight cars, a Virginia & Truckee 4-4-0 with matching cars & a NYC FA2 that will be used for excursion service
as well.
Call me crazy, but I just don't want to see the same equipment on the tracks all the time.
I like to see variety.

Gordon

[Anonymous]

My CSX layout will have 2 Amtrak runs aday (Amtrak's Chicago-Grand Rapids Pere Marquette) along with a few steam excursions.

[Anonymous]

4884bigboy, you're right. Amtrak wasn't around until May 1st, 1971. My model railroad will have Amtrak and freight, with business trains behind an A-B-A set of F units and excursions behind Pennsy K4 Pacific 1361.

[Anonymous]

I am going to have a pair of CNW commuter trains. Hopefully powered by BLI E7's.

[leighant]

I only have doodlebug service on my small layout representing a Santa Fe secondary line in East Texas. Hope to have a "big" layout someday with a Mission-style station, 3 major Santa Fe Texas trains, the East Texas doodlebug and a slightly anachronistic connection with the Texas Mexican.

The Passenger Schedule at Santa Vaca

7:30 AM TexMex#2 arr from Corp Christi/Laredo(via Belt Railroad)
switcher grabs sleeper from TexMex#2
7:55 AM #16 TEXAS CHIEF arr from Karankawa
#16 motive power pulls clear of head end cars
switcher places sleeper on #16
switcher pulls baggage-express from #16
adds baggage-express & RPO
8:00 AM #5 Mail train arr from Kansas City (Norton staging)
#5 power pulls clear of head end cars
#16 power couples back to its train
8:10 AM #16 TEXAS CHIEF dep for Chicago(Norton staging)
** TEXAS CHIEF NB and CALIFORNIA SPECIAL SB trains making rolling pass in
double-track territory
outside station
switcher grabs 2 baggage express cars from #5
8:15 AM #76 CALIFORNIA SPECIAL arr from California (Norton staging)
8:20 AM #5 Mail train dep to Karankawa
9:05 AM Motor #205 EastTex dep for Lost River (staging)



6:10 PM #206 arr from Lost River (staging)
6:45 PM #75 CALIFORNIA SPECIAL dep for California(Norton staging)
** trains pass in double-track territory
outside station
7:00 PM #15 TEXAS CHIEF arr from Chicago(Norton staging)
7:10 PM #15 TEXAS CHIEF dep for Karankawa
8:00 PM TexMex#1 dep for CorpChristi/Laredo (STUB)
9:10 PM #6 Mail train arr from Karankawa
9:25 PM #6 Mail train dep for Kansas City(Norton)

As you can see, I LIKE passenger operations.

[Anonymous]

As I model a fictional museum line, I run short passenger services as tourist trains, along with the odd freight (CSX has track rights on the line as well). These are either formed of a couple of superliners or a bilevel cab car and coach.

[AntonioFP45]

Leighant,

NIce! Couple of years ago, Model Railroader featured Chuck Hitchcock and his Santa Fe based layout. He runs on a prototype type schedule simialr to what you just listed. A lot of switching manuevers on a tight schedule keeps things "cooking" on his road.

[rf16a]

I usually ran freight about 97% of the time with occasional passenger trains pulled by a Pennsy K-4s or a PRSL AS-16, however, I just purchased a Broadway Limited Imports Pennsylvania Railroad T-1, so I'm dusting off my passenger cars and instituting additional passenger service.

I'd also like to eventually add PRSL RDCs and a Doodlebug to the passenger fleet.

Someday I may add an Amtrak train with lots of roadrailers and MHC's, but for now my limited hobby budget will go to PRR equipment.

[cnw4001]

I operate on a club layout and have a variety of passenger trains. I have a complete L&N Hummingbird or the Pan-American, depends upon what you want to call same. I have a CNW 400 with a pair of E's on the point, a CNW Bi-level commuter set pulled by an F. I can run the California Zepher (Superliners) or the Capitol Limited (Superliners again), Three Rivers complete with Road Railers and express cars, pick any Heritage (single level) Amtrak. Power for the Amtrak stuff varies from the SDF45's with the red nose to P40/42's or P 32's or F40PH's. If I'm in a nostalgia mood, out comes the Powhatan Arrow pulled by an N&W J. Just so our friends up north aren't left out I have a pair of VIA F40PH's pulling the smooth side (ex-CN) Continental with the all blue and yellow trim cars. To keep the Canadians on their way to work in Toronto there are a pair of six car Bombardier GO Trains, one pulled by an F40 and the other a GP40T. (Also in GO livery) I may have missed something here but If I'm not clogging up the line enough my wife can roll by with her NKP Passenger train pulled by a pair of PA's or perhaps a NKP Berkshire. Rest of the club folks have a combination of PRR and B&O passenger which occasionally come out on the line but they're the freight haulers who are always holding somewhere for a varni***o pass them. Oh, almost forgot, from time to time we have a SNCF engine pulling a LePost demonstration train over the main and in addtion to the postal cars there are a couple of SNCF coaches on the rear.

The benefits of having a club layout as your "basement."

[Anonymous]

For the present, mine are totally passenger.

[AggroJones]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 4884bigboy

My UP layout will have passenger trains, but will be mostly frieght. the era is 1940-1960, and I think that's before Amtrak was around.

If you have some curves at least 24" radius, you should check out the new Rivarossi smoothsider sets. (If cash permits you) They are quite lovely, especially the 2-tone gray ones. [^] Headed up by an FEF-3, makes a spectacular train.

[Anonymous]

Although I voted pre-Amtrak and freight, I run a superliner set along with my Burlington Zephyr traain and am working on a MIlwaukee Road Hiawatha train (in N Scale). I just like seeing those trains stretch out on the layout. I alternate their movements with the freights, so there is always something moving.

[AntonioFP45]

Great responses and what a nice varitety!

I like a mix of freight and passenger. Mainly southeastern US, 1960s. Seaboard Coast LIne. All Rivorossi cars. Got rid of the Athearns. Planning to model 12 car versions of the "Champion" and the "Silver" series trains. I also own a 4 car Bachmann Metroliner set. The little 3-pole motor is a factory "junker" but the cars look great. I'm stripping them with 90% alcohol and repainting them into the all stainless steel Penn Central scheme using the "Alclad" method (check out the JUNE 2003 issue of MRR on painting pass cars to look more like stainless steel). I'm remotoring one of the Metroliner cars with a NWSL motor. I've like old MU Metroliner trains as they were known for running at 100 mph plus on the Northeast corrider under Penn Central and later Amtrak ownership. It saddened me when Amtrak retired and scrapped most of them. Their is supposedly one preserved somewhere up north, thankfully.

After having read some of your threads, I realize that I too like a variety of pass. trains. I've decided to get New York Central, New Haven, Southern Railway, and Santa Fe cars for short local type trains. I'm not rich, I'll just buy one at a time.

All cars will have interiors and lighting. Will be using white LEDs with the blue hue to represent flourescent lighting. They don't get as hot as bulbs and have very long life spans.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Amtrak is what my layout is designed around. The route of the Amtrak Empire Builder through the Twin Cities, makes for an interesting setting. Fron Chicago to St Paul Amtrak uses CP tracks, and from St Paul to Seattle it uses BNSF. Of course there is only one Empire Builder each way each day, but then most places in the US don't even have that much passenger rail service these days. But with 2 class 1 railroads, there's plenty of freight.

I hope its alright if I answered this one, I run O guage trains.[:D]

[Anonymous]

Since I am free-lancing with no particular era, (1930's and up), I have a mixed bag of both, although I am careful not to pull a combine. That just wouldn't look right now would it?

[ShaunCN]

I run a Amtrack pasenger train on my layout as well as the many frieght trains . My passenger trains stay short due to a small layout (11x4 feet) I have a Amtrack F7 a & b unit for power and 2 observation cars and a car with a curved end.(only one coupler on it so I guesse it goes on the end)????

ShaunCN

[Bobwright]

I run a Short Amtrak passing The Amtrak station at South Bend, my home town. I include one Standard passenger car from the "Hoosier Line".
The Erie has six passenger cars including "Pride of Youngstown", My High school town
Eight Pullman Standard cars follow a GG1 for my Pennsylvania runs.
On the B&O a president Washington 2-6-2 pulls 5 to 8 cars.
The UP has a Big Boy to pull about 16 freight cars.
My present task is to put together the Ford Stamping plant, the assembly plant and the head quarters building, Louisville my college town. These will be served by 5 automoble cars, 4 L & N historical society cars. Working on the Louisville Slugger Museum.
I is almost too much fun for one household.[:D]

[Anonymous]

I'll run mostly freights with some commuter, busness, and Amtrak trains. I'll run railfan trips with PRR K4 #1361. I hope to find two E8s I could paint for the PRR.

[Anonymous]

We have two passenger lines on our N-scale layout. There is a B & O passenger terminal and a "Woodstock Railway Co." (member's personal roadname). But the biggest use of the layout by far is the coal hauling from two separate mines. I believe plans are to use both the B & O and the WRR locomotives to haul each other's passenger cars. My dad told me that when he would ride the B & O up to Detroit, the train would disengage from the B & O loco in Toledo and a Pere Marquette loco would take the B & O cars the rest of the way to Detroit.

[Anonymous]

I run mainly 4-5 car business/excursion trains. Not much into freight trains.
Ch