passenger operations

[keeper1616]

Anyone know of a good way to design a layout for passenger operations? Or any resources of books etc that would help? Most of the layouts I've seen are designed solely for freight or designed primarily for freight with a secondary mission of passenger operations. There are substantial differences between the two and I am curious how other modelers have dealt with the problem.

[Otto Vondrak]

Well...

The problem is this. Passenger trains of any length take up a LOT of room.

I have seen layouts where they model the operations of a single station or terminal, with a mainline running through to staging yards... so you can simulate trains arriving and departing, switching out mail and express, connecting Pullmans, adding diners and replenishing diners, etc...

There was an article where Andy Sprendeo designed a layout based on NYC's Toledo Union Station. MR has run similar articles about building a layout based on a particular station or terminal's operations.

You could model commuter operations, if you kept your trains short. An engine and three cars would do. If you had a whole basement at your disposal, you could model a small terminal (four tracks), and maybe fit in three or four outlying suburban stations.

If you wanted to concentrate on passenger operations, you need to determine what you want to model. Do you want to have all the yards and service facilities off-layout in staging? Or do you want to model the coach yards, commisarry, and service areas? Do you want to model a large city station or terminal? Small suburban stations? Hi-level or low-level platforms? Steam? Diesel? Electric? RDC's? Electric MU's? For-profit railroad? Public commuter agency? Amtrak?

Sounds like you've been bit by the passenger bug, Cyrus. Been thinking about modeling something specific?

-otto-

[cbaker]

Model Railroader has published some passenger-oriented railroad designs over the years, and the John Armstrong book "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" features a wealth of technical advice for building a passenger-oriented layout. I'd recommend starting with those....

[Rick F.]

In John Armstrong's book of layout design there is a layout called the Delaware an Ohio. It's made primarily for passenger operation with some freight. This is what I'm basing my layout on. It's 14 x 20 in N scale. My layout will be in HO scale so it will be about twice as big as N scale.

Rick