Some rl trackplans

Washington, DC's Union Station is mostly stub-end, but looks to have a couple of through tracks as well.  North and South Station in Boston are also stub ends.  I suspect that you'll only find stub end stations where the railroad has NO choice at all.  It's always going to be much easier to run trains if you don't have to back up much...

I have not kept track of stub

I have not kept track of stub ended stations but from what I have read they were fairly common. I also would think a wye track would provide a good approach to the throat trackage allowing trains to leave in any direction. I might be wrong but as I remember Cincinnati and Chicago both had stub ended stations that trains would back into.

John Armstrong's book track planning for realistic operation has a chapter devoted to the various track arrangements at passenger terminals and discusses it in detail.

I do not believe that real railroads had near as many issues with traveling backward as do model railroads as they use lots of push pull operations today. I would suggest if your passenger train won't back up reliably you have issues with your equipment or track or both.

As to trackage in the throat you might want to put in a compound yard ladder from a two track wye that would allow you the best access and the longest tracks in a given space. It also has the added plus of putting the first class passengers closest to the station.

Stub ended ....

....Stations were fairly common. The Granddaddy of them all being St Louis with the 2 interleaved 2 track wyes connecting to the mains. Most of the Chicago terminals wee stub ended and then there is Grand Central in New York which was stub ended on 2 levels with a few loop tracks.

Reading Terminal

One of the last operating train sheds in the US was the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia.  Stub end train shed  not attached to a wye.  Inbound trains would pull in, unload and then the cars would be pulled off and the engines taken to be serviced and turned.  It is now a convention center.

thanks. is this arrangement

thanks. is this arrangement commonly done in the model railroad realm? ive seen a few pics floating around on web searches. my issue is if i construct one that will operate on a true wye, i will have an 8' penninsula jutting in the middle of the room. my alternate plan would be to have it more parallel with the mainline trackage where i have room to tuck it on an angled section of my main benchwork. only downfall would be the trains having to back in and depart in one direction. i would have room for a 5 car consist on the platform tracks

Stub end terminals

Hoboken terminal in Hoboken NJ is a stub end terminal in full operation today. Originally built by the DL&W it is right up against the Hudson river across from Manhattan. Access to the city is provided by ferry for passengers and car floats for freight. Trains such as the Phoebe Snow and later the Lake Cities as well as commuter trains made this a very busy place to be. There is still a wye about 2 miles to the west which could be used to turn equipment and a good size servicing facility for long distance and commuter trains. Today the 18 house stub tracks and a few storage stub tracks are still in use by the carrier... New Jersey Transit. The yard area and engine service facility are in daily use although a major overhaul was done a few years ago and a light rail added ... also stub end. Ferry service for passengers continues through the magnificent 100+ year old terminal building but the freight yard is long gone and is now the sight of shopping centers and high rises. Today push pull equipment is used but in the recent past on special rail fest days trains have been backed in ready for boarding and departure. This was a terminal terminal where it was the final stop and equipment was disassembled for servicing and  then reassembled for the next trip. Rather than seeing this as difficulty see it as an opportunity for operation. Google it for more info and pictures.  All the best and keep us posted as to what you do.

Add...

Los Angeles Union Station to the list of stub end stations

Stub End Terminals Have been Discussed Before

Stub end passenger stations have been discussed before on the forum. You should check out backing passenger trains and or search for other posts. One of the best modeling examples which has been mentioned several times on the forum is Cliff Powers' New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (an active AMTRAK station) on his Magnolia Route layout.

Link to videos of Cliff''s layout: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7B35115092150EA6

Vancouver BC

Vancouver used to have both Great Northern and Canadian National stub end stations.  The GN station was torn down circa 1965 and the GN trains moved over to the CN station.  Still sees VIA and Amtrak today, fewer tracks but quite model-genic if you are a fan of passenger trains.  VIA has their maintenance shop adjacent to the station, lots of switching there of VIA and West Coast Express passenger cars and locomotives.  

Marc Simpson

Here's the trackwork leading

Here's the trackwork leading to Union Station that OKGraem mentioned.  The train shed is the gray thing at the top of the pic..

My brain hurts.... Looking at

My brain hurts.... Looking at that

Prototype operations

Hi,

in Europe, stub ended stations are quite common in larger cities, but sometimes even in small places.

While today most passenger trains are operated in push-pull configuration, there still are some that have to "turn." Usually the train is pulled into the station by loco A. It stops a little shy of the bumper and once the train is stopped the loco is detached and pulls a little forward. Loco B is attached to the rear end of the train so that the train can leave the station quickly. This operation usually takes less than five minutes. Loco A leaves the track later and goes to a ready track to take the next train.

Should the train go to a yard or come from a yard, a switcher loco is used for that move instead of a "big" one.

Some stations had extra turnouts at the stub end to provide arriving locos with an "escape," but these have mostly been lifted.

Some stub stations have through tracks (e.g. Dresden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Hauptbahnhof). Personally I think this is the best you can get in station design. While reasonably compact, this provides for easy access to platforms (no stairs required, just a longer walk) and still allows fast through trains to proceed. It is also very compact. A model station with 1 through track and 2 or 5 stub tracks would look good and provide lots of operation potential.

There are smaller stations with as few as one stub and one through track or even just one or two stub tracks, the latter mostly to account for terrain (on a mountain pass with steep tracks on both sides that requires the loco always on the valley side). The former may be a junction station with trains from the branch ending at the stub track.

There are many models of stub stations. The challenge is to make them fit the layout Combined through and stub may be a good choice.

Have fun!

Bucharest Gara De Nord

i just came into that station a few hours ago. It's completely stub ended. Makes it very easy as a passenger to get to your platform. No bridges or tunnels for pedestrians. 

Matt

Munich Hauptbahnhof is a stub end station

I spent quite a bit of time around the Munich Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) when I was stationed in Germany. One reason that I suspect they aren't modeled a lot is because, with the required Wye's and yard throats, they take up a _lot_ of room. Here it is from above,  just the end - the yards actually go east all of the way out of the city, with tracks splitting off to the north and south along the way. 

Nice example

Hi,

Munich main station is actually quite an interesting example, as it really is three stub stations (badly) joined into one with three more through stations beneath (two for subway one for S-Bahn regional rail). In the map you can easily see the three parts of the station, what you can't see is the connection between the three being the outermost platform of the middle station. Also, lacking stairs and a tunnel further out (there is a baggage tunnel but it's closed to passengers) the walking distances can be quite daunting (400 meter platforms - that's a quarter mile!).

As to the yards, you have to take a look at Munich's rail corridor which is a quite narrow thing entering the city at the west (Pasing station) and ending at the main station. Much of the yards is quite spread out lengthwise, but there is the now closed freight yard among them. Also, many of the former rail places have now been converted to buildings.

Munich main station has been under renovation for quite a while and the above-ground parts are scheduled for complete re-building, though it's unclear when. Part of the problem is the afore-mentioned S-Bahn which has all eight lines passing through a single two-track tunnel below the city. This is actually the only heavy-rail through tunnel in Munich and it has heavy traffic with frequent disruptions. Last week the tunnel was out of service for half a day due to some piece of clothing causing a short on the overhead catenary, though aluminum toy balloons are usually the cause for that. If you want to do some act of mayhem in Munich, just put the tunnel out of service during rush hour... A second tunnel has been under discussion for years and it's blocking all the urgent improvements in the region from getting done.

Back to the main topic, there are lots of stub-end stations throughout Europe. London and Paris have quite a few each, Rome, Milano, Florence (Italy), Frankfurt, Stuttgart (soon to be replaced), Munich, Dresden, Erfurt (already replaced) (Germany), several in Switzerland, even Helsinki (Finland) are among them. Berlin (Germany) used to have several but they got destroyed in the war and were never rebuilt. Sadly, Deutsche Bahn is trying to replace those massive (20+ tracks) stub stations with small (4-8 tracks) through stations in major cities.

There are some quite fancy models of Stuttgart and Berlin (Anhalter station in the 1930ies), as well as the one of Rome being built in the Miniatur Wunderland exhibit. As far as I know, the models of Stuttgart and Berlin are focused on the station and the closest approaches, because similarly to Munich, the yards are quite a massive and spread-out affair.

But as I said before, there are quite a few small stub stations, especially in mountain regions. Only recently I've been to Meiningen  https://www.google.de/maps/@50.5734518,10.4208423,429m/data=!3m1!1e3 (Germany) which is a combination of stub and through station or to Schliersee https://www.google.de/maps/@47.7350592,11.8585777,764m/data=!3m1!1e3, a station where trains have to reverse to continue on the line.

There's the Station "Rennsteig" https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahnhof_Rennsteig (sorry, german only) which is on a mountain pass with very steep ramps. These ramps required the engine on the valley side of the train, so instead of running around at the top, they reversed the trains using a stub-ended station.

If you look at the prototype, you'll find a number of reasons for stub ended stations. Especially the smaller ones were usually built due to terrain restrictions or space restrictions. Look at a few examples and find a reason for a stub-end station that fits your modeled scene. You can make quite a convincing case for the railroad building such a station (of course, the main reason is because you want it

Have fun!

Stub End Passenger Terminal

One thing to remember is that it is you layout. I assume that you are not modeling a prototype or yo would already have the information you need.

I modeled a stub end passenger terminal because it was the only place that I could fit a passenger station. My layout is a freelance railroad set in a more rural area. The layout was built mainly for switching but I did want to have passenger service. The station in this picture is serviced by only 2 tracks next to a freight yars, but you can service as many as you want I guess.

 This is a plan I have been

This is a plan I have been tooling around with for a while now. Stub ended passenger terminal that is accessed from either the main line or a secondary branch line. There are also two tracks (middle right) that are run through so the station can be used either way. 

My plan for operating this station would be that an inbound train would pull into a track and terminate with the engine head in under the station concourse. After a set time (all passengers have disembarked) the power would be uncoupled and the cars would be pulled out and placed in one of the two car tracks for service. Outbound trains would be made up and shoved into the platform, then the power would be attached prior to departure. 

My understanding is this is the way Terminal Stations handle traffic.   

Questions on track plan

Hi Neil,

as far as I can see you have 4 platforms, 8 platform tracks (1 or 2 through) and 3 "holding/escape" tracks. I assume the 3 holding tracks are your train storage?

In principle, you're right, though I have some minor remarks First of all, yes, trains arrive, get pulled and put back later. But quite often, trains turn around without being pulled, so it's (a) train arrives, (b, optional) uncouple loco and couple new one, (c) train leaves on the return trip (or second leg of trip). Nowadays there are mostly push-pull trainsets, so step (b) is usually skipped. Trains only get pulled to the yard if there is lots of layover time or servicing needs.

Secondly, you've put your three holding tracks in between the station tracks and next to them. This requires two shunting moves: pull train from platform track, push into holding track. While there are stations like that (e.g. Lindau Hbf https://www.google.de/maps/@47.5457015,9.6804668,456m/data=!3m1!1e3) it is not normally done. Normally there is a "ready yard" which would be where the road to the fuel rack crosses the station throat. Moves to that yard are a straight pull (or a straight push back to the station). Did you consider putting the three tracks there?

Are you sure three storage tracks are plenty? You might want to hold an extra train that gets used during the nightly trip and/or some excursion train which will be used in the festivities to celebrate "100 years Jimtown main station" - there usually is a lot of storage tracks throughout the approaches to larger main stations. Of course you can hold this train in a platform track, too.

Lastly, I cannot see a connecting track from the branch at the left bottom of the image to the station, so trains would have to reverse into that station. That is intentional, right?

Have fun (and yes, it's your railroad!)

PS: have a look at Lindau Hbf (link above), it is a similar size to yours.

PPS: add a train service rack to the holding area, even if it's only some cables for "shore power", hoses for water and waste and ladders for the cleaning personnel to enter the train. Simple sub-scene with lots of effect

Thank you for the comments

Thank you for the comments Dark2star (add a signature block so folks can use your name) couple of clarifications on the plan. The Branch line is actually the track that runs picture north closest to the wall. Calling it a branch line is subjective as truly it will represent SP operations and terminate on the other side of the buildings represented there in a five track staging yard. So the SP passenger service will be head in only service. (the hand of god will set the cars up between sessions for the return trip) Power will be pulled and serviced. You make a good point about the engine service and the car yard. Space and reach was the factor here and ease of coupling and un-coupling. The layout is designed with a 30" max. reach and no backdrop is more than 36" from the front fascia. In the station there are four platforms which gives me 7 platform tracks and one through track. From top to bottom they are 

2 storage tracks. 

PO track

Arrival track

Escape track

Arrival track

Departure Track

Departure track

Local arrival/departure (smaller RDC or short consist)

Baggage/head end storage

Thoroughfare track

The fuel rack is small fuel, water and sand facility just for passenger power.

top left there is a run around and the small tail track would be intended as a switcher pocket. 

In my head at this time any trains coming into the terminal will terminate there. There will be no "same train returns" during that session. I'm modeling the late 60s so there will be more track there than passenger trains. It will allow me to use tracks in the station as staging for arrivals and departures. 

Nice Book

There is a nice book by the late Andy Sperandeo, The Model Railroader's Guide to Passenger Equipment & Operation. You might find some information in it.

My impression is what dark2star describes is the European way in doing things with a lot of train movements. The American way might be quite different. As German I'm not sure about the procedures.

But modeling the SP passenger service eliminates the push-pull trains. As far as I remember the layover times were relatively long when the station was at the end of the run. So the trains were pulled into the service yard.

Regards, Volker