Western Railroad Discussion > Passenger Train Makeup

Can someone tell me what is the order of cars in making up a passenger train. Let's take for example the consist of cars that UP runs on their "fan" runs.
Jim

First, let's get one thing straight. UP's fan runs are NOT passenger trains in the traditional sense of the word. Yes they are trains, and they do carry passengers, but the resemblence pretty much ends there.

Second, it depends on a lot of things. Cross-country limited? Local? In between? Does the train run from starting to ending terminal and that's it, or does it split somewhere along the way? Pick up/drop of sections from/to another railroad? Exchange a diner/sleepers w/another train and go on to another destination with coaches only? Etc. etc., the variables are almost endless.

That said, the "traditional" pre-Amtrak cross-country train was typically something like this:

Company/Railway Express Agency headend cars
Railway Post Office
Checked Baggage car (a combine on some roads)
Coaches
Dining Car
Pullman sleepers
Observation/parlor/lounge car

The basic idea was to keep coach and first class passengers separated and the Pullmans as far away from the smokey-noisey end as possible. In later days there might be a coach snackbar-lounge car either ahead of the coaches or between the coaches and the diner. When Slumbercoaches arrived on the scene they complicated the picture somewhat. With the sleepers? Or with the coaches? Different roads put them in different places.

At least the Amtrak long-distance trains I'm familiar with follow the same pattern, although the basic order -- sleepers in front or back -- seems to be almost random. Typical is:

Headend mail/express
Checked baggage
Transition sleeper (employee dorm)
Coaches
Lounge car
Diner
Sleepers
Mail/express

Hope this helps.
lowwater

The Amtrak Coast Starlight typical px consist is, after the locomotives, baggage car, transition car (for the crew) sleeping cars for first class px, Pacific Parlor Car for first class px, dining car, view lounge car, then coaches. They used to tack Ambox cars on the end of the sb #11 but haven't for quite awhile. They may tack them onto #14 heading north out of Oakland.
C.

If you want to see a "crazy" train consist according to today's standards, here's what you'll find on the Empire Builder (east of Spokane, Washington):

2-3 P40 or P42 locomotives
2-3 baggage/US Mail cars
2 sleepers
1 diner
2-3 coaches
1 lounge
2 coaches
1-2 sleepers
MHC/other Express cars

Why are the sleepers both at the headend and rear of the train? Because west of Spokane, this train splits into two sections for Portland and Seattle. The split takes place sometime around 2:00 AM, so to minimize switching there are two sets of sleepers. This way, everything ahead of the lounge car is pulled forward (Seattle section), then one locomotive is detached and attaches to the Portland section. Baggage and Express cars switched as necessary.

On the return trip (which takes place at about the same time of night), the two trains are reconnected together for the journey east to Chicago. Because the Empire Builder is the only train through Spokane, there are no switch engines or switch crews to assist, just the road power, three tracks, and two trains. And about one and a half hours worth of time between the two trains.

The traditional makeup for a long distance passenger train was mail and baggage up front followed by coaches, lounge, diner, and sleepers. In later years, sleepers were placed behind the baggage car, putting them closer to the noise of the locomotives, which never made any sense to me. Other factors, like whether the cars go through or are switched to another train, also can determine where cars are placed.

Thank you all for your input and help. It is greatly appreciated.
Jim

One of the reasons for moving the sleepers to the front of the train was to try and get away from the whip-saw action on the rear of a train. Specifically on the Coast Starlite it was because coaches were cut off and added enroute. The real class act was when the Pioneer and Desert Wind were still running and combined with the Zephyr. The plan was to have the LA section on the rear as it's diner was the reworked El-Cap diner that was half diner and half lounge with the buffet line in the middle, even thou it was never used on that route as such. When the Pioneer did in fact get to Salt Lake first it worked prety good the other way around and it was a real mess. Also a pain triple spotting the train all across the mid-west. Andy