Large passenger terminal operations

[Thai1On]

I'm starting to see my Cincinnati Union Terminal route coming together and I have a question about passenger terminal operations.

When a train comes in at the end of it's run what usually happens? Does the engine uncouple from the train and go to the service area or the the locomotive take the train away to some spot to be serviced? The station I doing is a through station. I'm guessing there is a different procedure for a pull in/back in station.

In general I would like to see what the process a passenger train goes through to be readied for the next day run back?

Dave

 

[kws4000]

Based on a total cumulative of 20 minutes of obseravtion over the past four years in Chicago on Amtrak:

Train pulls in. Passengers unload. Baggage unload. Cleaning personell get on. Train backs up to serviceing tracks. Bad orders are cut out. Lcos run round to serviceing. Amtrak locos are pooled, so the same one is never used on the same route twice in a row except for short-hauls.

Some trains may just sit in the terminal because the short ones have "cabbage cars" or NPCUs on the other end.

For the cars, the food/TP has to be restocked, septic tanks emptied, water filled, HVAC checked, upholstery vaccuumed, kitchen cleaned, and general tidying up. Crew cars need to be packed up and the new crew settled in. Anything you do to clean up at home just gets done in a few hours over a six-hundred-by-ten foot double level area.

Don't quote me, I'm just SWAGing it here.

If you read the original Thomas the Tank Engine stories, the road locos don't do any shunting, they just pull the trains. And at least the passengers are forgiving if the trains are late

 

[Thai1On]

Thanks KWS, I think I'll add a passenger car service building to my route so I do have any unhappy customers riding my rails.

I'm a little surprised that I don't have anymore responses. I would think this would be standard at any passenger station? Anyway I was wanting ideas to add a bit more fun to my terminal route. Thanks for your help!:wave:

 

[magickmaker]

Depends on the era. In the steam era, in particular the Cincy terminal, the process could be quite lengthy, and it depended on the time. We'll say this is early morning, around oh...Four or Five AM to allow for interesting operations.

1.) The train arrives and pulls into the station. Those passengers not in Pullman tickets debark. They make their way to the concourse to wait for their baggage to be unloaded.

2.) The locomotive will pull off and head to the round house to be turned, and serviced.

3.) Terminal switchers pull off the baggage and mail cars, sending the first to the baggage track, and the second to the Railway Post Office terminal.

4.) As the other switcher is pulling off the baggage and RPO, another one with a steam heat boiler, gently pulls the sleeping cars off the train and moves them to another platform. This platform has heating and is used to keep the cars warm until the passengers wake around nine or so to debark.

5.) With the sleeping cars pulled off, the rest of the train is broken up and taken to the coach yard. If there is an observation tail car, it will be pulled to the turntable to be turned for the return trip before being taken into the coach yard to be serviced and cleaned.

6.) In the coach yard, the cars are cleaned and serviced, with the diner car being refurbished and the kitchen car having its stores replenished.

Building the train:

7.) Building the train is pretty much done in reverse order as above. Typically the locomotive is kept stewing in the shop tracks until the very last moment. This allows it to be refueled and its water topped off before it's sent out. A holster will move it to the platform, coupling to the train and then turn it over to the road crew who will take it onto its journey. The process is same for diesel, though in some companies it would be left at the platform to wait, as opposed to being in the shops.