I’ve just learnt of these commercial palaces on another thread.
Does anyone have pics, links and/or know of anyone who makes an example in H0 please?
I gather that they were moulded on site (seems strange to me) and then tipped up and into position. Does anyone have details or pics of this process?
Come to that; when did Amtrak start to install/use them? Are any still in use?
TIA [8D]
Here’s a photo of the one in Huntington, PA: http://www.railfanusa.com/pics/mine/building_3.jpg. (More interesting buildings can be seen on this page: http://www.railfanusa.com/pics/buildings.html. Here’s another one in St. Louis, MO. I don’t think anyone makes an Amshack kit, as they seem to be a non-standard building. Amtrak built these, when they no longer needed (or wanted to maintain) a large, and sometimes decrepit, station. When Amtrak took over, quite a few large stations were literally falling apart–the former owners wanted out of the passenger business, and simply didn’t take care of them.
“Amshack” is kind of a generic term for Amtrak’s cheap little stations. They can be anything from a small shelter not much bigger than a glorified bus stop along the side of the tracks to a single-story tilt-up building, or a portable building set in place that ends up being permanent, or a small cinderblock structure. They typically have a flat roof and are devoid of ornamentation. The earliest were put in place in the early 1970s when Amtrak came into being, perhaps as a temporary measure while awaiting renovation of older, larger stations that were ill-maintained. They are still in use all over the country, depending on the city.
This model would be pretty close for a large Amshack if you cut the upper stories off and just used the broad first story section:
I couldn’t get the railfanusa.com link to open (not sure why?), so I googled a few more - here they are:
http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtStationS/SacoME.jpg
http://www.hebners.net/amtrak/amtStationS/StLouisMO.jpg
-ken
I could have sworn that I have run across a model of an “Amshack” in HO. I will have to look around.
I was stationed as Scott AFB for a few years, and it always amazed me to see that Amshack in the shadow of Union Station. There were rumors of Amtrak returning to Union Station a few years ago, but I don’t see how they could do it. The area under the shed is occupied by a Landry’s and a large pond, and the building proper is a mall. There are still a few tracks in Union Station, but they are occupied by that excursion outfid and some older rolling stock. Oh well, back on topic.
Walthers produced a single story, glass enclosed Amshack in HO. But the kit is long out of production.
Nick
I thought it was Walthers. Thanks for the confirmation (at least I know I ain’t goin’ crazy).
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The Lionel version of the Amshack is O Scale proportioned, but it does give everyone an idea of what they look like.
Andrew
Back from the lands of computer frustration and work…
That Heljan building is the one I was thinking of “updating” my fictional station with. How’s that for a good guess? [8D]
The Saco train stop raises the questions… do city platforms match train length? … and… does the conductor tell the engineer which car to stop at a short platform or the customers/passengers where to ride? (When does he/she tell the engineer? During the journey (by internal phone???) or at the previous stop?
I love the St Louis building and the ground deail in the foreground.
Thanks all [8D]
First off, welcome back Dave.
Platforms do not always match train length. Train length varies to much. Out this way, SEPTA runs two or three car MUs on the off hours, and 4 car MUs or 5 or 6 car loco hauled trains during peak hours.
From what I remember about SEPTA opertions, the leading end of the train always stopped at the same place. If the trailing cars stopped beyond the platform, the passengers walked forward to a car stopped at the platform. Most mass transit riders know the drill, so little instruction is needed.
Nick
Yeah look for a model of a Bus Shelter, park it next to the tracks and you have an Amshack…
When Amtrak ran through Belleville Il, they used that exact shelter. If I remember correctly, that is also the same kind of shelter used in Biloxi MS, if it is still there.
Several months ago, I took the Amtrak from Toledo to Emeryville, CA. I saw a wide variety of stations. Some such as the one in Toledo are still the large stations left from the glory days of passenger trains. A few were just little shacks. I seem to remember a few in the Indiana leg of the journey. I looked out the window for a station and all I saw was a platform with a shelter. There may have been a small depot on the other side of the track but I missed it. In Omaha, soon after coming into existence Amtrak moved out of Burlington Station into a little shed that was nothing more than a double wide built at the east end of the Burlington platform. That has since been replaced my a slighly larger flat roofed station.
It is my understanding that in the UK, train platforms are elevated in order that passengers can step directly from the platform onto the train? In the US, train platforms are generally not elevated in this manner. Passenger train crews carry little stepstools (normally painted yellow) and set them in front of passenger doors when the train stops. Commuter trains generally don’t do this, they have lower entry doors with a couple of steps up into the main compartment, and ramps for disabled passengers (in the modern day.) Because passengers step up instead of entering via platforms, it is generally not necessary for the platforms to match train length.
There are some other conditions: on Amtrak, at stations where there are very short platforms and getting off the train outside the platform would be difficult or uncomfortable, either the conductor designates to the riders which cars may be used for exist (passengers proceed through the train to the designated cars) or, sometimes, exiting is done in two moves: first the passengers in front are unloaded, then the conductor signals the engineer to move forward (by inter-train phone or walkie-talkie) and the passengers in back are unloaded. Since this sort of thing is generally a regular routine, the engineer knows which stations have short platforms and is ready for them, but the conductor tells the engineer when to actually stop and start.
Thanks for that Jetrock [:)]
Yes in the UK almost 100% of platforms are full train length for the maximum train length that will normally run the line - even if that train only runs the route once each way each day. In my whole life I have only ever known one station where trains regularly made a draw-ahead move to detrain/entrain the second half.
When we begin to plan new / longer stock all the platforms and even the signal locations have to be examined and reset/rebuilt.
When they brought in the sliding door London urban stock it was after a massive resignalling and platform extension programme. I wasn’t paying that much attention at the time but I think that the actual work took about 2 years.
Then again at the same time our urban (London) system went DOO [Driver Only operation] so the end savings in not having to have guards [conductors] was massive and long term.
There’s no way we could mess about with steps… the booked stopped-to-start time at any platform unless a seperate timing is shown (usually only at junctions and terminals where trains have to wait for routeing) … is 20 seconds. This was fine with the old slam door stock… about 1/3 the doors were starting to open before the train stopped, train stopped, everyone tumbled out, next lot piled in, doors slammed, train left. Done. With fewer doors on sliding door stock everyone has to swap places which takes time - like a very intimate dance at a crowded club with complete strangers - not popular. theoretically the faster acceleration times and harder braking possible with the new units balanced this out but I believe that adjustments have snce been made. (Some adjustments have been made with a slap by young ladies).
(Even on the old stock delays and summer heat could cause fights to flare up. My Dad was on a train where someone started to get a bit stroppy… at the next stop the trouble maker was eject
Generally the only time a draw-ahead maneuver is done is when detraining on part of the train would be unsafe or impractical: if part of the train is on an elevated rail line with no walkway at all, or on top of a berm, or if the ground outside the track is swampy or a sharp hill etcetera.
I’m not sure of exact times but most commuter trains run on a pretty tight schedule here too: local “light rail” stops are generally only 15-20 seconds. People can, for the most part, make it up the stairs pretty quickly, as there are only two or, at most, three steps. Other than the “Capitol Corridor” train I don’t deal much with diesel commuter trains, they generally have pretty short stops (a minute or so) and where the platform isn’t long enough they normally disembark by opening only a limited number of cars. So far as I know, only the long-haul Amtrak trains do a “draw-ahead” maneuver to exit all cars: commuters generally don’t. So that sort of maneuver would be appropriate for long-haul passenger trains, which tend to be much longer (with baggage, crew, chair, diner, lounge and sleeper cars) than commuter trains, which are typically just a few cars.
