PC: Passenger Train models

["Gerhard A. Stuebben" <stuebben@xxxxxxxxx>]

>As for the lack of passenger train modelers.  I think that is actually very
>sad considering (in my opinion) Passenger trains can be so much more
>exciting than freight.

I agree, but they are much more difficult to model than freight.  Since the
cars have windows, if you really want to superdetail, you need to put in a
complete interior.

Then there's the matter of car length and the minimum radius of trackwork.
See the NMRA's "RP-11" recommended practice for trackwork at
http://users.vnet.net/paulrver/rp-11.html.  If you want to run full length
80' passenger cars with diaphragms (NMRA classification "O"), you'll need
58" minimum radius curves in O and 32" radius curves in HO.

Finally, there's train length.  A 10 car passenger train and locomotive will
be 25' long in O Scale -- half the length of a very large layout!

In conclusion, I suspect that passenger trains are rarely modeled for the
same reason that 86' auto carriers are seldom seen -- lack of layout space.
This is the flip side of the coin of why narrow gauge railroads are
disproportionately popular.

Gary Stuebben
Dayton, OH