Passenger train density and consists on the NH Shore Line ('50s)

[OldEastRR]

As the deadline for the Rapido OG car orders approaches, I'm trying to figure out how many I can reasonably buy without going broke (probably other people are doing the same). All 18 pre-'55 cars would be great but impossible to afford. I'll need to have a decent amount of passenger trains to simulate the NH. Considering not only all consists would be both their east and west runs, but some trains can be re-used as different trains in the schedule, what would be considered a half-way decent consist for a NH OG car train? I mean of the OB cars specifically, and not counting any baggage, RPO, heavyweight coaches, parlor cars or the such also in the train. (There'll also be PRR pool trains, NH camp trains, the Merchant's Limited lightweights, and RDCs for passenger traffic). I realize that OG grill cars may be available in the future but I'll dig that financial hole when I come to it.
The layout will be a twice(and a half)-around continuous double track main in a space of 11x9 feet, so they can't be really long trains (luckily for my budget).

[bbussey]

I'm set in 1956 autumn, so all of the New Haven schemes offered on the Pullman Bradley Light Weights (the correct name) in N are appropriate for me.  Contrary to the date ranges on Rapido's page, various green cars existed to the end of the 1960s.  I ordered 9 cars in total:  three Hunter green, two Pullman green, two Forest green, and two New Image.  One each of the Hunter green and Pullman green cars will be converted to smokers.  The smoker conversion is easy and inexpensive to do, so there's no reason to wait for the future Rapido variation to be released.

The grill cars weren't around that long, and were converted into 10-window coaches before full-length skirting was removed from the cars.  My understanding is that the full-length skirted model will not be released in N due to truck clearance, so that eliminates the grill cars.  I can't see Rapido even considering the prototype in either HO or N, given that New Haven was the only owner and it was short-lived.  Same scenario for the Bangor & Aroostook RPO, which is a cool-looking car but won't be seen in N unless it's kitbashed.

I love varnish, so I have 12 consists planned and in various stages of completion.  Seven intercity, two locals, two Shoreliners, and one commuter.  One of the intercity is the Senator, with is all-PRR.  The Shoreliners are all RDC, and the commuter is all washboards.  That leaves six intercity and two locals.  Of the intercity trains, most of them consist of sleepers and parlors.  Of required coaches in general, half of them will be P-S fluted smokers.  So my breakdown of PBLWs to total cars in my consists where they will be present is:  Cranberry (3:3), Federal (1:11), Local 58 (2:6), Local 64 (1:5), Montrealer (2:11).  Consists where there are no PBLWs will be: Commuter (0:3), Owl (0:10), Merchants Limited (0:9), Senator (0:10), Shoreliner 442 (0:3), Shoreliner 464 (0:20, Yankee Clipper (0:10).  Head-end cars (baggage, express reefer, RPO, mail storage) in each consist are: Federal (2), Local 58 (2), Local 64 (2), Montrealer (2), Owl (5).

[OldEastRR]

So these cars were mostly on locals, commuter trains, and secondary trains. My layout will cover routes from Boston to Providence to Attleboro and on to staging/NYC. I also have a single track section. Guess that means I go heavy on the Osgoods. I'll have to convert some to smokers, forgot about that.
Is your Merchant's Limited a brass train?

[bbussey]

No.  They were used on nearly all the intercity trains.  There were other name consists I am not modeling that featured a higher ratio, particularly those that traveled inland and north and east from New Haven away from the Mainline and the Shoreline.  The Springfield and Cape Cod trains, for example.  I'm only modeling the consists that ran on what is now the Northeast Corridor, between Bridgeport and New London, and most of those consists are the long-distance trains that mainly consist of sleepers and parlors.  Non-sleeper intercity trains had a much higher ratio of PBLWs.  Seasonal trains and specialty trains featured them exclusively.  The 11-window version was specifically for the commuter trains, so the 10-window model would be a stand-in for that service, albeit it a very good one since most people would not realize the wrong prototype was being used.

Buy the unnumbered cars for those you will convert to Smokers, and use the condensed Futura numerals from any of Microscale's New Image diesel decal sets to number.

No on the brass Merchants Limited.   That will be the last one I complete, given that it will be all New Image and P-S stainless, and will have to be scratchbuilt.  The only equipment I have currently for that consist is the diesel motive power.  The Senator also will have to be scratchbuilt.  All the other consists are in various stages of completion.  The Federal is closest to being finished, just need to finish four more cars and the electric power.

[OldEastRR]

The Senator was all Budd corrugated cars, right? Like the Congressional?
As for the smoker conversions, I was wondering if you're going to re-do the interiors, since the Rapido cars are lighted. I have a couple of Lynch books on the NH and Dougherty's, and I'll use the pictures to help build my consists.
But as one of the Prototype Police, how are you going to justify running the Cranberry on your stretch of the line?

[ljudice]

Fascinating info....  question - what is a NH Camp Train? 

[garethashenden]

Fascinating info....  question - what is a NH Camp Train?

Trains from New York city to New Hampshire or Maine. They took boys to summer camps.

[bbussey]

The Senator was all Budd corrugated cars, right? Like the Congressional?
As for the smoker conversions, I was wondering if you're going to re-do the interiors, since the Rapido cars are lighted. I have a couple of Lynch books on the NH and Dougherty's, and I'll use the pictures to help build my consists.
But as one of the Prototype Police, how are you going to justify running the Cranberry on your stretch of the line?

Yes on the Senator.  The cars can be fabricated using Kato Broadway Limited Inn cars as a core and etching new side detail below the letterboard.  The obs needs the roof end cap from the business car.  I've had it planned for a while, but it's not near the top of the project list.

Probably not on the PBLW interiors, as I will be pulling the light boards out anyway if they are included.  I'm running in the daytime.  It will be expensive enough to get that operational, with three urban areas on the layout, without having to worry about lighting all of the structures and infrastructure.

Justified by Rule #1:  it's my layout.   The train is too cool to pass up.  There are other anomalies I will have as well (such as having the Montrealer run through New London), but I won't be straying too far.  The equipment still will be prototypical.  I also have some steam and eventually will have an I-5, so I can back-date to pre-New Image every now and then for variety.

[OldEastRR]

Trains from New York city to New Hampshire or Maine. They took boys to summer camps.

The good thing about these trains was they were made up of heavyweight sleepers from railroads all over the country. Pennsy, UP, NP, N&W, Pullman, NYC -- a good way to make a train on the NH without having to use only what few NH prototype cars there are available, as there are lots heavyweights in other RR's colors.

[bbussey]

There was a heavy Pennsy presence in New Haven consists in general, due to the many through trains to/from Washington, just as a sizable amount of NH equipment traveled to Washington regularly.  There also were through-sleepers from other roads such as B&M, BAR, CN that ran through New Haven regularly.  Many of these can be represented accurately in N currently.   Pennsy in the form of baggages, RPOs, P70 coaches, heavyweight sleepers, and lightweight sleepers available through various manufacturers.  CN's 10-5 Bay-series sleeper was assigned specifically to the Montrealer and is available in green/black through Rapido.  Baggages of other roads also traveled New Haven rails to Boston in the Owl and other NH consists, such as the 60' olive green ACL car offered by WOT.  Three of the MTL heavyweights (12-1 sleeper, 28-1 parlor, RPO) are accurate for New Haven and can be painted accordingly.   So by the end of this year, it will be possible to put together very reasonable representatives of various NH consists.

[pjm20]

NH equipment also strayed onto the PRR west to Pittsburgh. The Quaker ran from Boston to Pittsburgh and would be cool for any SPF to include in their passenger trains for a little change in color. Unfortunatly finding information on this train is impossible, and I mean impossible as I have looked for hours upon end to find more information past where it ran and when it stopped at said places. 

[bbussey]

The Quaker/New-Englander would have followed the same route and would have made the same stops as the Broadway Limited did between New York and Pittsburgh.  Here's an average circa-1950 weekday westbound consist:

(2) MS-60
(3) B-60
(2) P-70 or PBLW
(2) Heavyweight 12-1 sleeper
(1) Heavyweight diner

Extra cars were added / dead-headed on Sundays and Mondays, mostly B-60, MS-60, M-70 and BM-70.

I don't have full timetable information, only that which is relevant to the NH.  But the Quaker left Boston at 22:40, arrived in New York at 05:10, left New York at 05:25, and arrived in Philadelphia at 07:34.

[pjm20]

Danke!

[OldEastRR]

If we're talking about colorful trains on the NH, let's not forget the Vacationer, which ran not only PRFR and NH passenger cars but ACL and SAL cars, which were pretty colorful. One thing that doesn't get mentioned much when doing layouts are the special or seasonal trains that went cross-country with a mix of different railroad passenger cars. Modelers should use these kinds of trains to give themselves an excuse to run on their layout some other railroad's passenger cars -- maybe not even a railroad their home road has a direct connection with.

[garethashenden]

If we're talking about colorful trains on the NH, let's not forget the Vacationer, which ran not only PRFR and NH passenger cars but ACL and SAL cars, which were pretty colorful. One thing that doesn't get mentioned much when doing layouts are the special or seasonal trains that went cross-country with a mix of different railroad passenger cars. Modelers should use these kinds of trains to give themselves an excuse to run on their layout some other railroad's passenger cars -- maybe not even a railroad their home road has a direct connection with.

Let's not forget the East Wind. Bit of everything Post-war, but very nice yellow and silver train in 1940 and 1941...