DATA SHEET THE MAIN IDEA TYPES OF SERVICE. D9e.2 PASSENGER TRAIN SERVICE J. Craig Webb, MMR October 1999

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1 THE MAIN IDEA DATA SHEET Sheet #: Title: Compiled by: Issued: References: D9e.2 PASSENGER J. Craig Webb, MMR October 1999 Canadian National Railway's Passenger Car Equipment binder, 1967 Since passenger services are many and varied, and for every "rule of thumb" there are lots of exceptions, the information presented here has to be limited. Surveys Page: 1of 9 suggest most model railroaders work in the pre Amtrak/VIA era, so Ihave written this in the historic sense, although the basic ideas apply to these corporations as well. The information should help the average modeler to design an authentic, if generic, passenger service using off the shelf model equipment. Those who are trying to duplicate aparticular prototype can do further research through historic societies, the Kalmbach Library, and the many excellent books and magazine articles that have been written. TYPES OF SERVICE a) Short haul/commuter: These trains were generally coach only,with possibly abaggage car on the h ead-end. b) Medium distance: In addition to coaches and abaggage car, some sort of meal service would be provided. First class service was usually available, too. If it was aday train, this would be parlor car service. If the service was overnight, the first class service would be sleepers. In the United States, carriers usually contracted with Pullman for parlor and sleeping car operation. In Canada and Mexico, the carriers operated their own services, although Pullman often provided the sleepers on international runs between American cities and those north or south of the borders. Pullman couldprovide meal service aswell, but it was more common for individual railroads to have their own dining car departments. c) Long Distance: In addition to the cars in (b), long distance trains usually carried lounge equipment. In the heavy-weight era, this was often acar with an open platform, carried on the rear of the train. As speed increased, the glassed in solarium end became more popular, and then gave way to the rounded end car in the streamlined era. These cars were often asignature piece for the train, and carried the train's name on the tail end. Some companies preferred midtrain lounge equipment. Alounge nextto the dining car could serve as awaiting area during mealtimes. If sleepers were being added and subtracted during the run, amid-train lounge was more practical. During the streamlined era, various types of dome cars were added to long distance trains as well. d) Head End Equipment: This is ageneral term for baggage, express, and post office cars that were usually carried between the locomotive and the passenger carrying equipment. Trains in the (b) and (c) categories usually had amanned baggage car for passengers' luggage: You could take 150 pounds with you on afirst class ticket. This car would also receiveand set out small express shipments. Many trains also had aworking Railway Post Office car, where mail was actually sorted, received, and set off, as the train made its run. In addition, unmanned cars of express, bulk mail, special shipments, etc., could be picked up and set out at stations along the route. This was such abusiness, that many railroads ran scheduled express/mail trains that carried minimal passenger carrying equipment on the rear, often just acoach. e) Mixed Service: Where passenger service was needed, but population was very light, mixed freight and passenger service was offered. The p assenger carrying car was usually a baggage/coach combine, fitted with an independent means of heating, since it was usually carried at the end of the train, behind the freight cars.

2 Page: 2of 9 WORKING APASSENGER TRAIN Modelers often think of passenger trains as being fixed consists, and freight as the trains that are switched, but the majority of passenger trains used to be worked as well. In addition to the headend cars mentioned above, sleepers often would be switched from train to train to reach their destinations. Adiner might serve lunch westbound on one train, be set out at an intermediate station, and return eastbound on another train serving the dinner crowd. Even fairly small depots had layover tracks for express cars or sleepers. While arule of thumb for consists was head-end, coaches, diner, s leepers/parlors, the rule could be broken to make en route switching easier. An example of atrain that was worked is the Northland. Canadian National/Ontario Northland Train 87, which connected Toronto, Ontario, with anumber of small communities in Northern Ontario. This train ran into the VIA era, but the following description is from Usual Consist leaving Toronto; #1: ON diesel "A" unit facing north. #2: CN diesel "A" unit facing north. #3: Baggage Car, either CN or ON #4: CN Sleeper (Sections/Bedrooms/Roomettes) #5: ON Coach (reclining seats) #6: Snack/Lounge Car, either CN or ON #7: ON Coach (reclining seats) #8: CN Slee per (Sections/Bedrooms/Roomettes) #9: CN Sleeper (Sections/Bedrooms) Amap and description of how the train was worked follows.

Baggage cars that were to be manned had to have heat, washroom equipment, and asmall office area. Many baggage cars were for express, built mail, etc, and had avery utilitarian interior.

3 Page: 3of 9 EXAMPLES OF PASSENGER TRAIN CARS Note that most of the following cars were built in both heavyweight and streamlined form. The Head End: The most common cars in this category would be baggage cars and Railway Post Offices. Baggage cars that were to be manned had to have heat, washroom equipment, and asmall office area. Many baggage cars were for express, built mail, etc, and had avery utilitarian interior. RPO's had sorting tables, pigeon holes, and mail bag racks so clerks could work the mail as the car traveled. Some railways fitted box cars with steam lines so they could travel in passenger trains, and express refrigerator cars were similarly equipped. Baggage Car equipped for manned operation Railway Post Office Car

Page: 4of 9 Box Car throughbaggage service Combines: Combination cars were used where traffic was light enough that afull car of that type was an unnecessary expense.

Mostly during the streamlined era, many long distance trains carried a baggage/dormitory combine, which provided sleeping bunks and showers for the train's hotel staff.

4 Page: 4of 9 Box Car throughbaggage service Combines: Combination cars were used where traffic was light enough that afull car of that type was an unnecessary expense. The two most common were likely the baggage/coach, often used on branch mixeds, and the baggage/rpo where half the car was given to sorting mail, and the other to baggage and express. Mostly during the streamlined era, many long distance trains carried a baggage/dormitory combine, which provided sleeping bunks and showers for the train's hotel staff. During the Great Depression, as travel decreased many full cars were modified to provide two services: e.g.: diner/lounge, sle eper or parlor with buffet service, etc. Baggage- Railway Post Office combination car

Page: 5of 9 Baggage- Coach combination car Coaches: During the heavyweight era, coaches were quite utilitarian. Seating was of the flop-over back variety.

For economy minded travelers, long distance all coach trains were experimented with as well, examples being the Chicago-L.A.

5 Page: 5of 9 Baggage- Coach combination car Coaches: During the heavyweight era, coaches were quite utilitarian. Seating was of the flop-over back variety. Those for longer distances often had aseparate smoking room at one end. During the late 1930's, many older cars were upgraded with reclining seating and air conditioning. For economy minded travelers, long distance all coach trains were experimented with as well, examples being the Chicago-L.A. El Capitan, the Chicago-Florida City of Miami, and the New York-Florida Champion. These were usually composed of new streamlined cars, with wider spaced seating, and larger washroom space. Streamlined cars for shorter distances had more seating and less washroom space. Heavyweight coach with separate smoking room

Page: 6of 9 Streamlined long-distance coach Streamlined high-capacity coach Dining Cars: The basic dining car floor plan changed little from days of wood equipment up to beginning of Amtralk/VIA.

On lighter runs, diners sometimes were modified by removing some of the tables farthest from the galley.

6 Page: 6of 9 Streamlined long-distance coach Streamlined high-capacity coach Dining Cars: The basic dining car floor plan changed little from days of wood equipment up to beginning of Amtralk/VIA. There was adining room at one end of the car with either 10 or 12 tables, and agalley at the other end with aside-aisle passage around it. On lighter runs, diners sometimes were modified by removing some of the tables farthest from the galley. This space was usually filled with lounge seating, or parlor seats, so the car could serve two functions. During the streamlined era, some railroads tried two-unit diners for high-capacity runs. These usually had one full car as a dining room. The other car had agalley adjacent to the dining room. The other half of that car might be alounge, or dormitory space for the dining car crew. There were other variations. Most transcons provided some form of economy meal service in the streamlined era. This could be a 111car carried in the coach part of the train, as opposed to the diner which was in with the sleepers, or sometimes aform of combination car. The floor plans are so varied they are a research project in themselves.

Some cars had adrawing room at one end for passengers wanting privacy.

7 Page: 7of 9 Standard 10-table dining car Parlor Cars: Parlor cars had exterior window spacing similar to coaches, but inside there were two rows of large chairs that could swivel to any position. Some cars had adrawing room at one end for passengers wanting privacy. On light runs, parlor cars often had abuffet service as well, while coach passengers had to settle for sandwiches from the "news butch" who worked out of the baggage car. Parlor car with a drawing room

Curtain rods and curtains, carried in the upper, were then hung by the porter to provide privacy.

8 Page: 8of 9 Sleeping Cars: During the heavyweight era, the most popular space was the open section. This was two facing seats. At night, the cushions were pulled together to form the lower berth, and an upper berth folded out of the ceiling. Curtain rods and curtains, carried in the upper, were then hung by the porter to provide privacy. The most common floor plan was the 12-section, 1drawing room car, but the 14-section car was aclose second. For longer trips, where more passengers wanted private space, combinations of sections, drawing rooms, and compartments were used, such as 8-section, 1drawing room, 2compartme nt. There were several full room plans as well. During the '30's, as the streamlined era began, all room cars became the norm. While full roomette cars and full bedroom cars were developed, the most popular became the I0-roomette, 6-bedroom sleeper. On long distance runs, where some passengers still liked the economy of aberth, a variety of multi-space floor plans were produced, usually including sections, bedrooms, and roomettes (or the smaller duplex-roomette). Standard heavyweight 12 and 1 sleeper Streamlined 10 and 6 sleeper

Page: 9of 9 Streamlined sleeper with a variety of accommodations Lounge Equipment: As explained earlier, these cars were usually asignature piece for the service they were used in, so floor plans

Usually the lounge filled about half the car, and often had asmall galley adjacent for buffet/snack/bar service.

9 Page: 9of 9 Streamlined sleeper with a variety of accommodations Lounge Equipment: As explained earlier, these cars were usually asignature piece for the service they were used in, so floor plans were extremely varied. While some companies did operate full lounge cars, most preferred acombination lounge/sleeper so the revenue space would help cover the cost of running the car. Usually the lounge filled about half the car, and often had asmall galley adjacent for buffet/snack/bar service. In the heavyweight era, the sleeping space was usually sections, whereas in the streamlined era, bedrooms were more common. During the 1950's dome cars became very popular on the transcontinental services. Most dome cars were coaches, with reserved seating on the main floor. The 24-seat dome was considered non-revenue space. Full dome lounges were carried on such trains as the Chief; Empire Builder, Olympian, Hiawatha, and the Daylights. These usually had viewing seating on the upper level and aroom for snack/bar service on the lower level. These cars were normally for people on afirst class ticket only. Trains like the California Zephyr and The Canadian carried adome observation car on the tail end. These had lounge space at the rear, abar under the dome, and sleeping space in the forward part of the car. Lounge Car with sleeping space and galley equipped for mid-train service

DATA SHEET EVOLUTION OF PASSENGER OPERATIONS THE PIONEER ERA THE PALACE CAR ERA

DATA SHEET EVOLUTION OF PASSENGER OPERATIONS THE PIONEER ERA THE PALACE CAR ERA EVOLUTION OF PASSENGER OPERATIONS Passenger operations may be conveniently divided into five major eras: Pioneer 1830-1870 Palace Car 1870-1912 Standard 1912-1940 Streamlined 1940-1971 Amtrak 1971 -current