Passenger Operations: Part 3

 I have been very interested in building a passenger servicing facility that one would normally associate with a terminal Facility. I thought it was not plausible. A couple things happened that changed my mind. The single biggest thing was I moved the Western-most modeled portion of my layout to Charleston, WV. On AIR2 I now model “East Charleston, WV” as the Western “City” on my layout. “Littlerock” became the name of the yard located there. This move made it easier to accomplish my goal of a rail to river barge coal transfer facility, but what I also found out was that those connecting railroads that we will be transferring cars to and from as a safety valve to level out the work intensity for operators of differing abilities, ran a number of passenger trains that originated and terminated in Charleston.

It would now be plausible to have a passenger terminal facility at Littlerock Yard. Dreams do come true!

I do not want to add a number of passenger trains to the modeled portion of my layout, any passenger trains added to the schedule would be trains that were built in Littlerock, then ran the short distance, through yard limits, into western staging. That I am looking for is a new switching opportunity for the Passenger Service Facility. Additionally this will act as a safety valve for transfers of passenger equipment to support operations at my Passenger Facility: REA, USPS, CREAMERY, etc.

This job would be called the “Passenger Foreman”. He would be responsible for the following switch areas:

1) Running passenger trains into and out of West staging on time (Trains entering and leaving East, South, and WM staging would be the responsibility of the train crew assigned to the train).

2) organizing the Coach yard.

3) Post Office

4) REA

5) Creamery

6) Commissary for diner service

7) Pullman Co. Sleeping car service

8) Business car service*

9) Make up tracks

10) passenger car RIP track

11) Pullman Car set out track (Sleepers need a place to rest waiting to make a connection)

12) Passenger Depot** and House Tracks

The servicing facility would include a Pullman Co. Commissary building. I’m assuming this would take care of sleepers as well as servicing and turning around dining cars. 

Some sort of small RIP track facility that would accommodate two or three 85’ cars.

 A laundry for car linens. Which brings up an interesting point. Do we assume on sight laundry facilities or are linens brought in, by rail car of course? If we do the later we gain the added play value of switching that car in and out. One of the major selling points of a passenger service facility is the added play value derived from switching it. 

So passenger cars need to be cleaned, repaired, Re-stocked with linens and food. From the late Andy Sperandeo’s book,  he notes a Car Washer. I’m not so sure about this, but if a car washer detail could be accommodated, so much the better.

What I can now add to the op session is the building of base consists for passenger trains that would be departing Littlerock, heading west for destinations in the West and MidWest. Various cars, that I already own***would be stored in the coach yard. Very simple consists will then be built; RPO, Coach, Diner, Sleeper, Obs. 

Passenger locomotive Power would probably reside in the large engine facility over in Littlerock Yard Power from that house completes the train. This train would then be  moved to a spot on the A/D track opposite the depot and it should depart, within yard limits, on time and run into west staging.

This passenger terminal will allow me to make transfers of solid strings of express reefers and/or boxcars, in the guise of transfers from connecting roads. This idea came about because in the past passenger operations alone gave me very hectic, busy “moments during each session, punctuated with longer, much longer periods of near total inactivity. Assuming during a regular session two scheduled mail trains have done their thing at Littlerock and are now out on the road. We’re one hour into a five hour session and the Passenger Foreman job is now settled down into a four hour nap. He has spotted the two cars at the post Office, two at the REA, and four express reefers have been handed off to the East Charleston Commercial Switch job. 

If the Passenger Foreman  WANTS TO he can call for a transfer from one or more of the connecting railroads. He can then, at his own pace spot and pull additional cars for all the industries under his responsibility. After a while he can collect some cars that will become transfers to the connecting roads, which he can, if he chooses, run. These safety valve transfer runs, originally designed for various freight jobs, can accomplish the same thing for the Passenger Foreman job.

* Over the years I have built a small fleet of business cars. Each is named for a city on the “Greater Atlantic Inland Railway. They regularly ran on freight trains on AIR1. All, except one, are heavyweight PS 3-2 Observation cars painted pullman green with black roof’s, lettered in Duluth gold, and numbered in the 800 series.

 One car, I went to unusual, for me, lengths. It is a 85’ Pullman Palace Observation Car with a steel under frame. It has marker lights, hand rails, grab irons, it’s painted Tuscan with black ends and roof. It has a brass and rubber diaphragm. It has an interior, and It’s decalled with green clerestory glass, Dulux gold lettering and  scroll work. This lovely car is named “Helena” after my wife, and everyone is exceedingly uncomfortable when this car is assigned to their train.

**I plan a very modest passenger depot. Probably wood construction, single story.

*** I know this will be unusual to many of you, but I own, and for some unknown reason, continue to buy passenger equipment. I just completed, recently, a thorough inventory of my stock and locomotives. I own in the neighborhood of 165 pieces of passenger equipment, 70’- 85’. This does not count express boxcars or express reefers!