List of Passenger train ideas

MadHatter

Charging at full tilt.
I suppose we can use this thread for different passenger operations and to make your railway work more realistically. :thumb: Sorry for such a long post.

Normally a passenger train will be shunted into the station well before the time of departure, so that the passengers can get on and they can load the baggage and other important things. This will be done by the yards shunting locomotive which will fetch the coaches from the coach storage yard. (If it is a standard mainline train the consist should not need any shunting as they would keep the consist the same).

A few minutes before departure the designated loco/s will arrive and couple to the train, the drivers assistant will make last minute checks, such as check the vacuum pressure @ the back of the train (Must at least be 61kpa)- this is known as a break test.

The driver will then receive confirmation from the dispatcher by means of a green signal or a flag. The train goes on it's journey. @ all major stations there is a wheel tapper that sits just outside of the platform, while the train is passing he taps each wheel- if it makes a hollow sound (tonk and not tink) then the wheel is cracked and they must shunt off the coach immediately and replace it.

At certain stations the crew and/or locos will be changed too- you can immitate crew changes along route as well by stopping your train in a loop- if it's a single mainline- and carrying on after a few seconds.

When the train reaches it's final destination the locos will uncouple from the train and run around back to the loco shed or next train, after about a hour the local yard shunter comes to pick up the coaches, which will be shoved into the coach storage yard for cleaning, etc. Any other faulty coaches will be taken off and repaired. The baggage van will then be shunted again to the back of the train immediately.

The trip back is the same. And that is the way the standard South African Mainline passenger train is run.

To sum it up:
1) Train is fetched from coach yard and shunted into the platform, shunter leaves consist and passengers board.
2) Designated locos arrive in time for departure.
3) train goes along the route and stops at designated stations/ interloops- crews can swop along route and locos can be changed at stations.
4) Train arrives @ final destination, locos uncouple and move off.
5) Shunter comes to fetch empty coaches, does any neccessary shunting and leaves train in coach yard.
6) Trip is repeated in reverse direction.
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Modelling passenger operations can be just as challenging as freight, if you include all the servicing/turning/etc that goes on "behind the scenes" ;) Plus, you have to stick to the schedule!! :D

Andrew
 

doctorwayne

Active Member
Another consideration is head-end (express) traffic carried in regularly scheduled passenger trains, which may be dropped off or picked up at intermediate points, along with passenger cars dropped off for interchange with connecting roads. Also, some roads might operate a diner or dome car, or perhaps sleepers, only over certain portions of a route, dropping them at division points for return on an opposing train.
In end terminals, some cars, such as domes and observations, required turning before the return trip, while others, like sleepers and diners required cleaning and restocking before their next trip.
Solarium/lounge Tuscarora, pictured below, is the tail car on the EG&E's Grand River Chief, and is turned after each run.
TrainBrain234.jpg


Even lowly combine Willowglade is usually turned at the end of her run, as she's the passenger accomodation on the Dunnville/Lowbanks mixed train.
100_5709_437364.jpg


Wayne
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Wayne - good point(s) about head end cars and mixed operations too... One question - why would they bother turning the combine?

Andrew
 

doctorwayne

Active Member
MasonJar said:
One question - why would they bother turning the combine?

Andrew

It makes it easier for the Conductor to toss unruly passengers from the rear door of the vestibule. Local farmers were complaining that the bounced patrons were damaging lineside fences when they were ejected via the side doors. :D :D
Actually, the practice of turning the car is to lessen the impact when it follows behind either a stockcar or loaded coal hopper, although it's doubtful that the extra 30' make much of a difference. :D (The unofficial reason is that those CalScale markers have been c.a.'d in place on this car,:eek:ops: although some cars do have moveable marker lamps.)

Wayne
 

60103

Pooh Bah
VIA Rail in Toronto has done away with the switchers. The entire consist (loco+cars) is moved the 10 miles or so from Mimico yard to Union station. Usually there are 2 or more trains coupled together and possibly pointing in different directions. There may also be different locomotive types and different coach types in the same move.
 

Triplex

Active Member
Remember, even in the US, mixed trains weren't just steam-era. There was even mixed train service after 1971, though since Amtrak didn't run any, it was by the railroads that opted out. The last mixed train was the Georgia Mixed, which ended service in 1983.
http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=168123
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=174564 The last eastbound and westbound Georgia Mixeds meet. This was also one of the last non-Amtrak, non-commuter, non-tourist passenger trains of any kind - the Rio Grande Zephyr ended service the same year.

Canadian railroads lag behind the US in some ways. A mixed train still runs. The Ontario Northland, along with its straight passenger train the Northlander and excursion train the Polar Bear, operates the Little Bear.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=62754
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/2006_09_01/1024panoMR_LBdoublestacks_OO0P9159.jpg Yes, this is the head end of a mixed train, in 2006, with double-stacks.
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/1024mr6_1805_1603_LB_OO0P6405.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/1024mr6_littlebearMoosonerearOO0P6416.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_frtsection_OO0P3156.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_passsect_OO0P3155.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_lbposition_IMG_0252.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/1024mr_littlebeartail_IMG_2603.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_mixed_IMG_2594.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_freightplatform2006Mar15_OO0P0787.jpg A freight platform at the station.
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_trailertruckOO0P0693.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_passect2006Mar11_OO0P0678.jpg That isn't a mid-train locomotive; it's a HEP car built from an old locomotive.
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/800mr_ONRtrain421eveningarrivalMoosonee2005Dec14_MG_8118.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/small/640mr_rtcropMoosoneeONRStationTrain_filtered.jpg
http://www.lantz.ca/imagesmoosoneetrains/640mr_mattressCRW_5005.jpg
 

MadHatter

Charging at full tilt.
In South Africa we have one official mixed train, and Namibia has them all the time, they are run very unusually there, the passenger coaches (two to four of them) are put in the middle of the consist. In S.A. we put the coaches @ the back.
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Wayne has a variety of head end cars as well, that not only include the standard express and express reefer, but also horse cars, and other interesting variations. Wayne - can you provide a link?

Also common were milk cars, for which perhaps the B&M is the most commonly modelled example (at least in my area... ;)).

Andrew
 

doctorwayne

Active Member
MasonJar said:
Wayne has a variety of head end cars as well, that not only include the standard express and express reefer, but also horse cars, and other interesting variations. Wayne - can you provide a link?

Andrew

With pleasure :) , although be warned; this is a fairly long thread with lots of pictures. :rolleyes:

kitbashed headend equipment

Wayne
 

brakie

Active Member
Let's take a in dept look at passenger terminal work.
All right #3 is at the station,the passengers are off and their luggage/express is unloaded now what to do? Now the passenger terminal switch crew gets down to work.

Let's look at #3s train consist.
A/B/B/A set of E8s.
4 REA express cars
5 mail storeage cars (fancy term for baggage cars hauling sacks of mail.)
2 baggage cars.
4 coaches
1 diner
3 pullmans
1 observation.
Lets get to work!
A carman will uncouple the E8s so the engineer can run them to the diesel servicing area 3 mile away.
we couple onto the train on the head end after the Es cleared.
a cut will be made between the mail storeage cars and baggage cars.No need to pull the whole train-yet.
We spot the REA cars at the REA building for unloading.We then take the mail storage cars to the post office building for unloading.We return to the train and couple on the rear end this time.We did this by running around the train..
We make a cut between the diner and coaches.We take the pullmans to the pullman track for cleaning,inspection and restocking,we leave the obs there also..We drop the diner at the commissary clean out/inspection track for cleaning and inspection.
We return to pick up the Baggage cars and coaches and take them to the coach clean out and inspection track...Our work is finish for now.We recieve a call stating that the diner is now ready to go to the commissary building.We go and move the diner from the clean out/inspection track to the commisary building for loading.We now return to the pullman track and pick up the obs as it is ready.We take the obs to the turntable and turn the obs.We then go to the coach yard and dropped the obs on the track reserved for observation cars.We now return to pick up the coaches and take them to the coach yard for storage.We will drop the baggage cars on the baggage car track.We then go get the pullmans and take them to the Pullman storage yard which is part of the coach yard..We now go to switch the REA building.We pick up empty REA cars and spot them at the loading platform.We go to the Post Office building and switch that out.We take these cars to the inspection track.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Train Make UP.
It is now time to make up a train.This will be Train #8. We go and pick up the train consist from the Terminal Train Master.

Let's look at the consist of train #8.
Mail Storage:3599 and 3512.
Baggage cars 3600 and 3666.
Coaches:4587,4521,4322 and 4344.
Pullmans: Lake View,River View and Brooke View.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
If you notice there is no dinner or sleeper.These cars will be added enroute.Train #8 does not carry a observation car.
We now go to the coach yard and pick up the cars per the trains consist and take them to the station.After dropping these cars at the station we go to the Post office out bound storage and pick up the 2 loaded mail storage cars and return to the station and add them to our train..We now clear up and go have some coffee.About a hour and half before train time 3 E6s will couple onto the train and baggage men will start loading the baggage and express into the baggage cars.Train #8 leaves on the advertised.Still our work is not finish,we now return to the REA building to switch that out and then to the Post Office Building to switch that out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adding Cars:
Train # 17 is due in at 8:00pm.The 2nd trick switch crew has taken our place.Let's watch them add cars to 17.This crew will be adding 2 REA cars and 1 mail storage car and sleeper.They have already pick the cars up and dropped the sleeper on the next track over.The 2 REA cars are block ahead of the mail storage car and coupled on to the switcher. 17 arrives.The E9s are uncoupled by a carman and pulled ahead in the clear where they will be fueled and watered.The baggage men are unloading some baggage and express while the switcher moves over and get ready to couple onto 17.They get the ok to proceed,they couple the REA cars and the mail storage car to the train and uncouple,a carman will hook up the air and steam hoses.The crew now runs around the train while the E9s are backing into the train.The switch crew now couples on the rear of the train and a carman will cut the train between the coaches and Pullmans.Then the switch crew will pull pass the switch a brakeman will tthrow the switch and the sleeper will be added.They now return to 17 and couple the train back together.A carman will connect the hoses.The switcher now pulls into the clear.17 is now ready to depart on time.
 
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