Passenger train layout. Good idea?

[AggroJones]

If your in N scale, you should have plently of room for passenger operations. Wide graceful curves, a long yard, big platforms. All of that stuff.

[ksax73]

All I model is Passenger train service and I virtually have NO space.

I model the present era of Amtrak and what I would like to do is double the size of my layout in my room (won't happen anytime soon if at all until I move out into my own place).

So what do I do to make it work? I prefer operating prototypical 8 and 12 car train sets but that doesn't work right now so I reduce my consists by a half. Instead f an 8 car Regional, I'll stage a 4 to 5 car regional. Instead of a 6 car Acela train set, I'll use a 4 car set. My Superliner set is 1 Sleeper, 1 Diner, 1 Sightseer Lounge, 1 Coach and 1 Transition Sleeper.

Because there's virtually no space, these compressed consists give the illusion that they are allot longer than what they really are. This is just enough to keep me somewhat satisfied.

In my opinion freight wouldn't do much better on my layout as I would want to run freights as long as I possibly could. Granted switching operations wouldn't require this but there's allot more freight cars out there than passenger cars and I would want my layout to reflect that.

I could go on and on but I do have to get some work done, lol.

My 2 Cents.

[Anonymous]

How's this for a wild idea? Model a tourist line! I once designed, and still may build, a loop to loop tourist line in N scale, loosely resembling something in Colorado, with mountains and cliffs and tunnels, but in standard guage because it's easier and I'm not a rivet counter. Two trains could use a passing siding in the middle, similar to operation on the Cumbres and Toltec narrow guager. You could put a cave or waterfall or other tourist attraction at that point or at one end. Also at one end, cars could be shuffled around in a small yard, too, without much trouble, and you could put the servicing facilities there. You could also call it a railroad musuem preserving an old stretch of track. That way, you could have passenger cars from many different extinct roads on the same train, or you could customize them with your museum's name. Many will think this is crazy, but I don't. I think it would be super cool.