I’m wanting to assemble a typical passenger train for a typical short haul type service. I seem to remember that Model Railroader published at least one article on the subject some years ago on quite short examples of consists but I’m unable to find it.
I would appreciate any help. Especially if anyone has information which would cover the CB&Q, NP or GN.
Ken H.
I found an article in the May, 2003 issue, titled “8 Pike-size Passenger Trains”. One of the examples is the GN Red River train. It went from Minniapolis, MN. to Grand Forks, ND. The years were 1950-1968.
A search of the archive editions, using “passenger consists” came up with 190 results.
The one I mentioned above was number 1 on the list.
Mike.
Depends on what the train does.
Does it carry mail? You will need a lockable storage-mail car. Essentially, a baggage car.
Does it pick up, drop off, and sort mail? You will need a car with a “postal apartment”. These come in lengths of 15’ 30’ and 60’.
You can combine the two above operations in a baggage-mail car.
If there isn’t much storage mail, it might be carried in the postal section. Then the baggage section can be used for baggage. You cannot use a storage mail section for anything other than storage mail.
There may also be separate express cars. I’m not knowledgeable about express. So I don’t know a lot about who did and who didn’t and how it was handled. Seems to me a couple of express packages might go into the baggage section.
And then there’s baggage. Kind of self explanatory.
And coaches. Also self explanatory.
But, in addition, you MIGHT have food service. As in a diner, but more likely a cafe section of a general-use car.
Also, some of the higher end trains might have a lounge area.
All that said, the shortest train you would likely have is one car: a combination baggage-coach.
If you’re into the mail business, a likely small train would be a baggage-mail and a coach.
From there, you can keep adding cars and partial cars until you have a huge train.
Ed
A all coach train would consist of baggage cars,maybe mail express cars and mail storage cars.There may be a snack bar coach in the consist as well.
Depending on era a local passenger may have a combine and 2-3 coaches.
The OP doesn’t mention an era, so there is no limit to the imagination building this.
The GN train I had in my first post was powered by an E7A, pulling an RPO/baggage car, two, 60 seat coaches, a conductors coach, and an observation/cafe/parlor car, all painted in the Omaha orange/Pullman green colors.
I run a short commutor train, baggage, 2 coaches, some times 3, with the drink/snack cart that moves from car to car, kind of mimicking the Amtrak Hiawatha, between Milwaukee and Chicago.
But, it all depends on his era. They have some steam trains in the article, as well.
Mike.
EDIT: Just wondering what a conductors coach was all about? A place for the conductors to hang out ? I thought they kept busy walking the train.
Mike and all, thanks for your responses. The May 2003 article mentioned had a reference to an article by Mike Schafer in 1980. That turned out to be November 1980 and was the article I remembered and was trying to find. I didn’t realise it was that far back. My, how time flies.
Very much appreciated.
Ken H
That is a great article, Ken. I just went through it, then I went through the rest of the magazine. It always amazes me the interesting things you find, going through these back issues.
Keep us posted as to what train you come up with.
Mike.
Mike, I’ve got to be a bit flexible here. None of my usual shops stock anything suitable in my choice of roads. Con Cor list suitable coaches on their web site. But they do state that anything listed on their site is not necessarily in stock so I’m about to send them an email. I’m not particularly confident though. I can see myself repainting and redecaling coaches yet.
Ken
I’m sure you already do this, but keep in touch with Ebay. Never know what may come up, and a search on Ebay now and then, could narrow the field a little.
Mike.
A number of years ago I saw a photo of a Chicago-Denver passenger train that consisted of a loco and a single coach. Of course that was an exception rather than the rule.
Mail requires a dedicated car or section of a car which are sealed off in route. What are commonly called baggage cars are actually baggage-express cars which carry express parcels (REA) as well as passenger baggage. For a lightly traveled route these might combined in a single car or a baggage-coach combine.
Typical three car consists I have seen are an RPO, baggage-express, coach. Just about any 1, 2, or 3 car combinations could be realistic as the example in the first paragraph indicates. There is no requirement that your train handles mail although I would think that would be less common since mail was often what kept the railroads from losing money on their passenger trains. There were even some mixed trains in which the only passenger accomodations were in a combination caboose-coach.
What I find interesting are the ads and the prices. Have you ever had the experience of going through one of those old issues and spotting something that looks like a great deal and then you start looking for the company’s website and that’s when the reality check happens.
For the Santa Fe, this web site http://santafe.gmbus.com/ gives a lot of information on passenger consists. To me, one of the most interesting (sad?) cases was the fate of the #7/#8 Fast Mail Express. It had always been a long train with a mix of baggage, mail storage, RPO, and express cars, with one baggage/coach or coach. In September 1967 (I assume after the USPS mail contract expired), before the train was canceled in October 1967, it consisted of one HW coach. I vaguely remember having once seen a pic, with an Alco PA pulling the lone coach.
Despite being age challanged I model in N. I stumbled across a Kato boxed set for the CB&Q’s Silver Streak Zephyr at a US mail order shop. According to Wikipedia the Silver Streak did the daily round trip fromLincoln to Kansas City and return and only ever consisted of a single loco and five cars. The consist was EMD E5A - Baggage - Baggage/RPO - Coach - Coach - Diner/Parlor Car. The Kato set contains the complete train so it’s already on its way to Oz.
A named train wasn’t exactly what I had in mind but it’s the right length and I think I’ll be pleased with the purchase.
Ken
I’m not familiar with what’s offered in N, so I went to the Kato website to see what you’re getting.
Wow! Lovely. If it were offered in HO, I’d be tempted.
Congratulations,
Ed