Speaking of Passenger Service

[nkp_174]

Our German counterparts seem to be far more likely to model large stations and passenger service than freight service. This is partially because we are mostly familiar with freight service, while they are more familiar with passenger service.

The action on a passenger layout is at terminal stations. In between terminals, there was usually little more than picking up/dropping off a dinner or a sleeper en route. But at a Terminal, you had far more interesting operations. For example, Cincinnati Union Terminal: Since it was the end of the line for the Southern, N&W, C&O, PRR, and L&N, all of their trains were broken down by the Terminal switchers (Lima 0-6-0s) and the road power was sent to the Terminal roundhouse for service. While the NYC and B&O didn't terminate there, many of their trains did and so the same still applies. Breaking down a train consisted of taking the head end cars to the express/mail facility north of the main building. The rest of the passenger cars, after emptying, were taken to the passenger car servicing area (load up the fresh food on that diner and sweep up the crumbs!). Through cars, mostly sleepers, had to be removed from their arriving train and placed on their departing train. Another form of action is variety. At CUT, you'd have PRR T-1s and K-4s, N&W Js, C&O 4-6-4s, Southern Ps-4s, B&O 4-6-2s, NYC 4-6-4s, and L&N 4-8-2s. It is hard to justify such a variety on any freight layout. Of these, the NYC, N&W, B&O, and PRR all used the same trackage north out of the terminal for several miles...which was shared by B&O freight trains.

My Oahu Railway will have a heavy passenger train component, but the 70 mile long line had no diners, sleeping cars, or passenger interchange service, so the operations won't be as neat as they could be. But, it will have a passenger terminal and so there will be an opportunity to keep a crew busy building a breaking down the passenger trains. The principal advantage of including a sizable portion of the heavy passenger train schedule (40 scheduled trains per day) is that it increases the challenge for all of the switching crews. I've experienced this affect operating on others layouts, and they are great for large Op-sessions. I'd even like to us computer control to automate a passenger train or two in smaller op sessions to add this challenge.