Local Passenger Trains |
MARCH 2001
In past topics, we have discussed aspects of freight car operations during the steam-diesel transition era of the 1940s and 1950s. This month, we are going to look at the equally fascinating passenger train, focusing on local service. A local passenger train may be considered to have a run not more than a couple of hundred miles, operating by day, with no sleeping or meal accommodations. We will draw on specific examples of CNR trains in Southern Ontario to illustrate various scenarios. The objective is to provide modellers with the necessary information to create authentic miniature replications of local passenger trains on their transition era layouts.
Broadly speaking, a local passenger train may be broken down into two components: provisions for passengers and provisions for goods. In the first category, we need only concern ourselves with coaches; dining cars, sleepers, observation cars and the like are the domain of long distance passenger trains. The latter category, known as "head-end traffic", can be further sub-divided into mail, express and baggage. On local trains, mail is accommodated by combination mail & express cars possessing 30-foot Railway Post Office (RPO) compartments (see Mail & Express Cars). The express component of a local train addresses short haul needs (an express car or cars with attendants handling packages at each station en route) and possibly long haul considerations (sealed express cars, express refrigerator cars or box baggage cars, consigned to single destinations, possibly via connecting trains).
The most basic local passenger train carries a single combination car, which meets all three needs: mail, express and passengers. Examples include the Wiarton or Durham mixed trains in the Palmerston area (see the upcoming Steam Over Palmerston). Beyond that, our train differs according to the requirement of carrying (or not carrying) mail. A typical two-car train comprises a mail & express car (let's call it an RPO) and a coach for those runs serving a mail contract, or an express car and a coach otherwise. Allandale-Meaford trains 61 and 62 (see Steam at Allandale) and Palmerston-London train 171 (see To Stratford Under Steam and the upcoming Steam Over Palmerston) are typical of these scenarios. Similarly, a three car mail train would sport an RPO and two coaches or an RPO, express car and single coach; otherwise, an express car and two coaches. Common four-car scenarios are an RPO, express car and two coaches; or an express car and three coaches. And so on. These examples illustrate the basic building blocks of a local passenger train serving the immediate needs for the stations en route.
Now, to make things interesting, let us consider what could be added to the consist. As mentioned earlier, in a local passenger train there could be one or more extra express cars (conventional, refrigerator or box baggage), sealed or not. Our local may make a connection with another passenger train, in which case it could set out or lift a working (unsealed) express car. Pages 76 through 81 of To Stratford Under Steam describe this scenario happening at Guelph between trains 173 and 27; the upcoming Steam Over Palmerston will feature such a transfer at Park Head between trains 173 and M337. In these cases, the second express car loads shipments aboard until it is set out, after which time it also unloads. By definition, sealed express cars or box baggage cars (see CN Lines Volume 6 Number 3) are loaded for single destinations, and our train may set out or lift them at major centres en route, or hand them over at the terminal. Owen Sound trains 172, 173, 174 and 175 (see To Stratford Under Steam and the upcoming Steam Over Palmerston) often carried box baggage cars. Number 47 (see Steam at Allandale) routinely set out a sealed express car at Allandale, Gravenhurst or Huntsville. Finally, there may be one or more express reefers in our train, sealed and destined for connecting trains, or open for working along the way (such as during harvest time or when handling fresh meat or poultry from a packing house). Finally, an additional RPO car may be lifted or set out en route. At Allandale, morning train 42 from Midland lifted the postal car off number 60 from Meaford. At Blackwater, number 93 from Toronto surrendered an RPO to Lindsay-Midland train 603.
When assembling consists of local passenger trains for our CNR transition-era layouts, the magic number six is important. Above six cars, a passenger train required another flagman. As a result, short haul passenger trains did not exceed that maximum (which is welcome news for modellers), except between crew change points. For example, trains 10 and 11 operated with more than six cars between London and Toronto, with an accompanying flagman stationed at London. Numbers 41 and 44 often exceeded the six cars between Toronto and Allandale, with a flagman changing on and off at the division point.
Now, to make up our train. Sealed cars (box baggage, express refrigerator or conventional express) are seen immediately behind the engine, followed by the postal car (with the mail compartment oriented either toward the front or rear of the train). Working express cars, if any, are next. The rearmost portion of express accommodation, whether it be a full car or mail & express car, is reserved for baggage. Coaches follow the express section. Finally, it was not unusual for a passenger train to carry sealed head-end cars on the tail end (see page 35 of To Stratford Under Steam). This practice obviated the need for steam and signal lines to be re-connected after the car was set out (such work required a man from the Car Department to be on hand).
We'll close out this month's topic with another of Rich Chrysler's discussions of modelling CNR steam era passenger equipment, this time a coach. Rich is a friend and fellow modeller. His layout depicts the CNR from Hamilton to Port Rowan and Port Dover, circa June 1950.
Modelling CNR Heavyweight Steel Passenger Coaches
I needed a few standard heavy weight passenger cars for my Hagersville Subdivision of the CNR, circa 1950. Wanting to be as accurate as possible in my modelling, I chose to use New England Rail Service replacement windows. These styrene plastic window castings were designed to be used on the Rivarossi heavyweight Pullman cars, by cutting out unwanted window and panel sections and fitting the replacement windows and blank spacer panels as required.
I began by removing the stock six-wheel trucks. These are fitted with simple press-in tapered bolster pins, which can be carefully pried out. Having removed the truck assembly, the pin is refitted into the hole and glued in place permanently. When the glue is thoroughly dry, the pin is sheared off and dressed flat to the car body bolster mount. The truck centre is then drilled and tapped to accept a 2-56 bolster mounting screw. This is a much better and more trustworthy arrangement than the old tapered pin.
The truck assembly can be utilized by replacing the wheel sets with InterMountain 36" metal wheel sets. The truck-mounted coupler is carefully trimmed off, as body-mounted couplers are to be fitted later.
The roof and window glass is a one piece casting which is removed from the car body by releasing six tabs through the underfloor, and lifting it off. This leaves the main car body, including floor, sides and ends, as another one-piece casting.
I immersed the two pieces in brake fluid to gently strip all the old paint. This process may take up to a couple of days to fully soften and release some of the paint. An old toothbrush will help to remove stubborn paint around rivets and other pockets and protrusions. The castings are then washed thoroughly in clear lukewarm water with mild dish soap, rinsed and dried.
I studied various coach window designs and configurations, and chose one first class coach, built by National Steel Car in 1929, and one colonist coach, built in 1924. Both of these designs make extensive use of paired window sets, available in packages from New England Rail Service.
The first step is to carefully lay out and scribe the areas that will be cut out and removed in order to fit the new windows. These will include the area between the belt line, at the base of the windows, and the upper sill line, at the top of the windows. To remove the material, I use a Dremel 1/8" shank burr in a Dremel motor tool set at a low speed, so as to cut and not melt the plastic being removed. The burr will bore straight into and through the material, and will cut sideways to continue to remove material to the opening required. I stayed a few thousandths of an inch away from the scribed finish line, then cleaned out to the line with needle files. This allowed all the accuracy and control required to get a really nice snug fit for the window sets.
The windows are carefully fitted into the new opening, and spot-glued with a few tiny drops of gap-filling ACC such as Zap-a-Gap. I finished the gluing with Testors liquid cement run completely along all the seams.
The window material in the car will have to be cut away and new pieces need to be made up to suit the new openings in some cases.
I added separate hand grabs and entrance railings, coupler cut levers, safety chains, and air, steam, and signal hoses. The end of the underfloor was shimmed as required with .080" styrene to suit the coupler pocket mounting height. The shim was glued in place, and Kadee coupler pockets were positioned as needed. A centre hole was spotted, drilled and tapped for a 2-56 screw, and the new Kadee #58 scale coupler were installed. Care was taken to ensure adequate clearance for the coupler to fully swing and delay as required. Roof details such as vents, stacks, drip rails and hand grabs were added.
I masked and painted the car body sides and ends using Modelflex "CN Passenger Green". The roof, truck side frames and underbody were painted with Floquil's Polyscale "Steam Power Black".
Lettering is CDS dry transfer lettering burnished onto Microscale clear decal paper. The car body was sprayed with Microscale "Gloss" for best decal application. Once the decals were applied, set, and dried thoroughly, the entire car body was sprayed lightly with Floquil's Polyscale "Satin" finish.
The roof/window unit was then installed into the car body, and the car sent into service.
- Rich Chrysler, March 1, 2001
We will cover operational moves for passenger trains in a later topic. In the meantime, please drop me an e-mail at ian@canadianbranchline.com, and let me know of your progress in modelling your favourite local passenger trains.
Ian Wilson
March 1, 2001
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