Speaking of Passenger Service

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Amtrak service is so sparse as to be invisible to very many modelers these days. That said, passenger service is very cool. I particularly like the British-pattern halts and terminals on the late great Carl Arendt's website. A narrow shelf terminal (possibly along the lines of the late lamented CNJ Newark Terminal) would be a great place to show-off arriving and departing RDC's for USA purposes. The gates and news stands are icons, and can be modeled in quite small spaces; nevermind the RDC's simply disappear into hidden staging, and then arrive from same. My onions. Ric

Another possibility could be Atlantic City's NJT terminal. It only has 5 tracks, and the typical NJ Transit train is 3-4 cars. They only feature longer trains on days like the Atlantic City Airshow (even then, I want to say it wasn't significantly longer, maybe a 6 car train). The trains only ever run push-pull out of Atlantic City, and depending on when you model, you can find an excuse for interesting equipment.

Late 80s-early 90s had Amtrak F40PHs with Metroliner Cab-control cars, as well as NJ Transit F40PH and GP40FH-2s running three car sets.

If you model a few years ago, you might need to dig up some GP40PH-2s, but all the Comets are available either as the Walthers "Horizon" commuter coach (Comet II), or IMW Comets IV/V/ Bi-levels.

In particular, the ACES train ran with ex Amtrak P40DCs (painted in NJT's new scheme) with special Bi-level commuter cars (one of which turned into a VERY fancy lounge/parlor car), and an ALP44 electric tacked onto the "rear". The ALP44 would push-pull the train under wire, and the P40DC would Push-Pull on the Atlantic City line. Either locomotive could be used as a cab control car when the other was running.

Certainly, seeing an electric locomotive operating outside of the wire must have been a strange site! (I only ever witnessed this train twice, both times as it sped away from Newark Penn Station, under wire on the NEC).

If you "selectively compressed" the line, You could almost get away with modeling the PATCO as well, though that's for another post.

A video-

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Ex Amtrak P40DC (occupies NJT's former GG1 roadnumber slot!) Pushing towards Atlantic city, passing the Woodcrest PATCO station. The consist is a Comet IIM coach, two Comet IV coaches, and a Comet IV Cab-control car.