Standard Station Platform dimensions - What did you use?

J Daddy,

I know you wanted information on train platforms from the 40’s but here is Caltrain’s current standards for outboard & center-island station platforms – platform height being 8” from top of rail, until they raise it to 48” in the next few years.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

http://www.caltrain.com/Assets...standards/SD3003.pdf

http://www.caltrain.com/Assets...standards/SD3004.pdf

Thanks Naveen, - that is great information. Yes all the platforms will be rising up for safety,,. interesting that the set back clearance is 8 foot 6 inches. This will increase  as the platform comes up...

Naveen what did you model on your layout?

Looking at the math - 1/2 inch foam brings the platform level with the rail height. Using my gargrave track and Midwest Cork roadbed, just need another 8 inches for standard platform height. so about a 0.17 inch shim... hmmm just shy of 3/16 nths.

If I double stack the foam to 1 inch from ground ... (easy to mock up) brings the platform a scale 24 inches above the rail head... not sure how that will look...

@J Daddy-- The 8'-6" lateral dimension from near track centerline (on the Cal Trans drawings) to which you refer is actually a safety clearance for a man riding on the side of a car, to any obstruction such as a pole or post.  This is written into many union contracts and generally is applied to new construction or any relocation of existing construction.

One of the largest groups affected by this rule are the catenary support poles of the former PRR.

--Frank

J Daddy,

I don’t have a train layout. I have been running 2-rail trains on a temporary loop on the floor in my basement for the last 4 years but lower back problems have forced me to put together tables & I hope to raise the loop off the floor in the next 4 – 5 years.

But I like real trains more than my O-Scale trains & I like to be informed of standards & specifications of the prototype trains & their infrastructure & that was how I came across the Caltrain standards. I like contemporary trains & Caltrain standards helped me in knowing more about these trains & if I ever get to build a 2-rail layout, I hope to leverage Caltrain standards to make this layout more realistic.

I looked at the sketch you posted & it looks like train infrastructure found in the UK or Europe. Do North American rail infrastructure use the dimension “Z”? Caltrain drawing S-3101, in the following link for drawings related to Stations & Facilities does not have this overhang.

Dimension “P”, (which could be used to calculate “O” indirectly) from Caltrain standards seems to be 15’ minimum, 18’ minimum if there is a fence between tracks.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Caltrain Stations & Facilities drawings

I just remembered a movie scene in “While you were sleeping” which might have shown a Chicago elevated train station that had this overhang. So “Z” does exist in North American rail infrastructure.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

for my concrete Buffalo Central Terminal platforms I used 1x4 pine lumber......I scribed them  every 6 inches with ballpoint pen,  painted them concrete gray, and added ⅛" white warning stripes on the edges....perfect height for passenger cars !!

I used the decking from an old Lionel platform as a guide and found the 1x4 lumber to be an exact match for both width and height.

Last night I mocked up a placement of 1/2 inch foam to represent  a platform at top of rail, and then stack another 1/2 inch foam piece to represent 24 inches above top of rail... I think I am leaning to the 24 inches above top of rail... your thoughts?

I like the platform reaching the passenger car stairs and it also hides (a bit) the high water gap between the trucks and the car body...

The plus side to top of rail is the platform can be brought in closer to the rail head...

Here's a pic of my 1x4 platforms.....any 1x lumber, as purchased, or cut down, will do....

  I think I like all car steps to be above the platform, but also as close as it could be. I guess today you'd call that "trip hazard height".

I think it's a tad high with two. Seems like a step down "pit" on the first step would be avoided .  No ¼" sheets to play with? Hardboard or paneling,, double stacked would be about ¼". One more step closer to adding Dimension Z (sounds like the title of a movie THE GOUL would show)...and the platform won't go flying if you sneeze.

  For dimension O on straights its 2¼" min. here. It isn't foolproof as I run some over width, over scale, Marx military loads. But it's enough room for me to carefully grab a car from between moving trains if I don't bend my knuckles out much, and as long as I limit wide loads to one track, I'm fine.

  I'd add an inch or more if any signs, scenery, signals, etc. were to go in between tracks.

John A posted:

Here's a pic of my 1x4 platforms.....any 1x lumber, as purchased, or cut down, will do....

John, Those look good, but I cannot see how the steps compare to the platform. Do you have another picture?

How did you make your shelter roofs and pedestals?  The look good.

also how far did you bring the platform in to the passenger car?

To J DADDY et al..... The bottom of my passenger car steps are ⅛ '' above the platform. The 1/4s are butted up to the ties of the Gargraves track.  They do not interfere with the bodies of the cars/engines.   My track is on strips of indoor/outdoor carpeting (about ⅛'' thick) .  I would not use the carpeting in the yards in the future.  The canopies are plexiglass, sprayed with texture paint.  The posts are from some MTH platforms I didn't like.