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How many Amtrak passenger cars do people run on their Amtrak pike? I was thinking maybe 5 for N Scale? Does that sound reasonable. Cafe car, couple passenger cars, etc.
Depends on your location usually. For your New England layout, 3 or 4 would be a maximum, there were no 10 car superliners in the 70's. 3 coaches being towed around behind an F7 would fit perfect for your layout.
I am liking the sound of that. It's economical if nothing else. I probably though will drop the 70's setting for the Amtrak. I was going with the 70's theme before because I wanted to use older box cars. When did Amtrak start in New England because the Boston and Maine was in operation around then wasn't it?
Amtrak has been operating in New England since pretty much the very beginning. Amtrak was founded in 1971, the Lake Shore Limited started operation under Amtrak in 1975. It has two sections. One section, runs from Boston, MA to Albany, NY. The second section runs from New York City, NY to Albany, NY where the two sections are coupled together and go west to Chicago.
The Boston and Maine was doing commuter and branchline commuter service into the 80s. The B&M dropped branchline service in the late 70s, and sold all commuter operations to the MBTA in the mid-80s.
Amtrak also started through-train service to Boston, MA when the Northeast Corridor was finished and electrified all the way to Boston. In 2001, Amtrak opened a new route from Boston, MA to Portland, ME called the Downeaster.
The Downeaster runs along the former Boston and Lowell Rallroad main line (now the MBTA Lowell line) up to Wilmington Junction where it merges onto the Boston and Maine main line.
Thank you for the history. It makes sense now after reading your post. I ride the Downeaster quite a bit. It is a great take. I live in Lowell, MA so I get on in Haverhill (my sister in law lives near the station) and head off with my wife to Portland. So I am very familiar with that route but not so familar with the others. I will need to get down to South Station and take the Accela to DC. I have always wanted to.
Even today, i still only see about 3-4 Amfleet cars behind a P42 in phase 5. This is the Ethan Allen though. I have no clue about your part of New England. In VT i still usually only see about 4 cars. Watch some youtube videos of Amtrak on the lines you would like to model and just count the cars, that should help.
Thank you for the history. It makes sense now after reading your post. I ride the Downeaster quite a bit. It is a great take. I live in Lowell, MA so I get on in Haverhill (my sister in law lives near the station) and head off with my wife to Portland. So I am very familiar with that route but not so familar with the others. I will need to get down to South Station and take the Accela to DC. I have always wanted to.
The MBTA Lowell line is the old Boston and Lowell Railroad main line. The B&L died in the steam era so the B&M bought it as a branch line. The MBTA Haverhill line was the old B&M main line. The Downeaster goes up the Lowell line and then takes the Wildcat Branch to cross over to the Haverhill line at Wilmington Junction because of the way the MBTA trains are scheduled (they didn't want the Downeaster stuck behind a commuter train)
I should really go into Boston one time and ride the Downeaster straight through. I used to take the Reading Commuter line into Boston (when I lived in Reading) so I am kinda familiar with that line. I am familiar with the Lowell line to Boston as well. And I am pretty familiar with the Downeast from Haverhill to Portland. Maybe my late summer thing to do will be just to ride the T lines here and there and just get a good feel for them. Not a bad way to spend some time. I have never been on the Fitchburg line nor have I ever gone over to Salem via the T.
Even today, i still only see about 3-4 Amfleet cars behind a P42 in phase 5. This is the Ethan Allen though. I have no clue about your part of New England. In VT i still usually only see about 4 cars. Watch some youtube videos of Amtrak on the lines you would like to model and just count the cars, that should help.
I think I remember counting the Downeaster as 5 cars one time but now that I think of it I can't remember if there were 2 loco's. Well, other than the two loco's occupying the seats my wife and I were in, of course!
I live in upstate NY, so i really dont know what the downeaster usually has for a consist. Keep in mind, im 14, so i really dont remember much in the way of trains from about '99-'10. I do remember seeing an F40PH once though.
Well in NE there are a few Amtrak trains and typical consist are 4 - 6 Amfleet cars. The Vermonter usually has 5 cars 4 Coaches and a Cafe with either 1 P42 and a Cab car or 2 P42's, one on each end to facilitate the direction change in Palmer, MA. Springfield - New Haven Shuttles usually have 2 coaches or a coach and cab car with 1 P42. NEC trains out of Boston are the standard 7 - 8 car consists of amfleets. The between Boston and Albany changes so much its hard to keep track, lol. I have seen 3 cars and up to 6 cars. Usually there is 2 coaches and a amfleet cafe or horizon dinette. Or you can see a baggage 3 coaches, cafe, and a viewliner sleeper.
Here is a compilation of Amtrak on the NEC and some pics of the Lake Shore in West Springfield, MA.
cool thank you! I am going with like maybe 4 or 5 cars. One will be a cafe car (I love the cafe car on the downeaster) and maybe a luggage car. Then I am going to have a drink, put on some Dylan or Woody Guthrie and watch the thing go around the track... maybe I will shut the basement lights off and watch the thing light up... or maybe I will just listen to the music and sit there like a lump.... whichever is easiest.
Lake Shore Limited in the present say runs with 2 P42/P40DCs or a combination of the two, a heritage baggage, a viewliner sleeper, two to three amfleet 2 coaches, and a horizon dinette car.
Sometimes the train runs with three engines, or just one. Sometimes if a Downeaster engine or a cabbage (NPCU) needs to be sent for inspection, they'll tack it onto the Lake Shore Limited. Engines are tacked behind the two engines in the front and in front of the baggage car. Cabbages are tacked behind the engines if they are going to Chicago. They are tacked on behind the dinette if going to Albany.
