The other day at a small train show I bought the Roundhouse Overland Passenger 4 car set which includes a combine, coach, sleeper and a business car. In what order would they generally be coupled together?
Jarrell
as a rule – and rules are made to be broken – but as a rule the baggage, express, and mail cars come first on a passenger train --that is why they are called head end cars – so in your case the baggage compartment of the combine would be first after the tender. You would not want passengers to walk through the baggage compartment to get to the rest of the train.
Since the end of the combine is coach seating I suspect that after the combine most railroads would put the coach, then the sleeping car (people who pay more). The business car or observation/lounge car would in most cases be at the end of the train.
IF there was a dining car, which there is not, but if there was, you typically do not want coach passengers strolling through the sleeping car or lounge or parlor cars on their way to eat, so the dining car is often placed between the “upper classes” and the “lower classes.”
Dave Nelson
Thanks Dave for the information. On this train, I wonder why it is called a Business car and not an Observation car. I wonder if Southern Rwys called them that for a reason or if it’s just Roundhouses way?
Anyway, thanks again.
Jarrell
An observation car is available passenger seating, usually at a markup from the usual fare.
A business car is a traveling office for railroad personnel going about their salaried business. When operated as part of a passenger consist it will always be the last car, mostly to keep paying passengers from passing through but also to allow the division superintendent to observe the condition of the track.
Frequently, the only way to tell one from another is to look at the outside graphics.
Business cars do not ordinarily operate as part of a fixed consist. They are run when, as and if needed - and not only on passenger trains. It would not be unusual to see one behind the caboose (or substituting for FRED) on a freight, or traveling alone behind the lightest locomotive available.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan n September, 1964)
As other have mentioned, the typical order is mail/express/baggage cars, then coaches, followed by a diner and then the sleeper.
Your ‘business’ car can be used as a sleeper/obsevation car on the end of the train as well. Business or Office cars are usually observation type cars with some bedrooms and a conf room/lounge at the end. They were assinged to terminals and used for inspection or company business by the railroad officers. Why MDC/Roundhouse labeled them as business cars is a decision they made…
Sometimes ‘observation’ cars would have a kitchen/diner built into the forward half and a lounge in the rear half when used with a day train(no sleepers).
Jim Bernier