Typical Passenger consist order

Herc Driver

Active Member
Hi Everyone, I've tried to find a picture of this to answer my own question - but can't locate the exact one I need. Here's my question...what is the typical order of passenger cars? I'm trying to capture the order the Southern Railway used with the E8/9 diesel. I have a baggage car, two coaches, two sleeper cars and a dining car. What order were they typically lashed together? I know the baggage normally followed the diesels, but what cars are next? Thanks everyone.
 

Attachments

  • P7270509.JPG
    P7270509.JPG
    61.1 KB · Views: 108

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
In steam days, first class was furthest from the engine, often including a rear observation car. This was carried over to first/second generation diesel on many roads. Today, my (limited) travel on VIA1 (First Class ViaRail) seems to indicate that first class is either at the front or back, but never in the middle.

With your combination I would be tempted to go baggage, coach, sleepers, dining, (first class) coach - if the coach is suitable for a first class car.

Andrew
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
MasonJar said:
In steam days, first class was furthest from the engine, often including a rear observation car. This was carried over to first/second generation diesel on many roads. Today, my (limited) travel on VIA1 (First Class ViaRail) seems to indicate that first class is either at the front or back, but never in the middle.

With your combination I would be tempted to go baggage, coach, sleepers, dining, (first class) coach - if the coach is suitable for a first class car.

Andrew

Would coach passengers have had access to the dining car? I ask because, coach passengers having access to the dining car would change the order slightly so that coach class passengers would be able to get to the dining car without going through first class section cars.
 

Herc Driver

Active Member
MasonJar - great link and just what I was looking for! (How did you ever find that one???)

I have the Kato 4-pack set (which uncouples quite a bit due to bad couplers that I'm still waiting for Kato to send replacements) matched with two Con-Cor cars. My line didn't start Southern Railway, but it's looking that way more and more each day. I like running "excursion trains" by UP, SF, and Southern. It's amazing how many railroads still operate great looking smooth sided and cooregated side passenger cars all across the country - and almost every day it seems.

Thank you very much!
 

brakie

Active Member
Herc,It would depend on the class of train and era..Remember not all trains had Pullmans,sleepers or observations..Some was all coach trains..Some was all Pullman..Some carried RPOs and others carried mail storage cars..What's your givens?
Also remember the passenger car sets doesn't come close to a real passenger consist..
=========================================================
Russ,To answer your question yes,coach passengers could use the dinner car.
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Russ - I guess that depends on the class of sleeper - are all sleepers considered "higher" class than coaches? When we travelled on VIA to the maritimes, we were in coach, but we went through the sleepers (the kind where the seats turn into beds) on the way to the dining car.

Herc - one word: "Google" ;) :D

Andrew
 

brakie

Active Member
Andrew,Don't know how you fellas do it in the North Country but,here in the South Country sleepers could be found at the end of the train IF they was to be set out en-route at one of the schedule City stops..
Passenger operation is very interesting and goes much deeper then most modelers realize.:D
 

Herc Driver

Active Member
I started with a simple question and have been shown there's more to it than I first thought. Thanks guys for helping me see where to start the information search...It will be interesting just how much information I can dig up on the way Southern Railway ran their passenger operations around my area. Thanks to all for the insight, and I'm going to do some info digging. Excuse me please..."I need to google.":thumb:
 

Herc Driver

Active Member
Part of an answer

I found this information from a Southern Railway employee on a google search..."In 1967, the Southern Railway began combining the "Crescent" and their other premier north south train, the "Southerner", on certain portions of the north-south run. Finally, in 1970, they were officially combined, given new train numbers (1 and 2), and renamed, "Southern Crescent". During the "Southern Crescent" era, there WERE two other passenger trains on the Washington, DC-South run which were combination freght and passenger trains. One ran Washington, DC to Lynchberg, VA, carring a heavy weight coach or two and a string of piggybacks. It was simply called Number 7 and 8(long before, it was called the "Birmingham Special". The second train was called the "Piedmont", and it carried a mixture of lightweight and heavyweight passenger equipment, along with a string of piggybacks on a Washington, DC to Atlanta run. The "Southern Crescent" was a streamliner, with all stainless lightweight equipment, sleepers, coaches, diner, lounge, and even a dome car from Atlanta to New Orleans. It ran with usually four green, gold and imitation aluminum E-8 locomotives."

So based on this...I need two more E8's and a dome car!!!
 
Top