Establishing Priority

Delivering the goods rapidly keeps customers, and that means designating certain traffic as Priority. Note that except for Express (which always moves fast), Priority does not necessarily mean moving at high speeds, only that other traffic needs to get out of their way. Wrecker dispatching always has the Highest Priority over any other traffic. Passenger, RPO, and VIP traffic is usually next, with all other priority traffic falling below that.

Regular Passenger Traffic

While many reminisce on the glamour trains of the 50s and assume that passenger service has now vanished, the Modern Era is actually well suited to O-scale passenger modeling due to the inherently shorter, and far more colorful, Commuter train networks that are sprouting up everywhere. Courtesy of Amtrak, long-haul passenger trains are still running, and their less frequent schedules are a definite boon to modelers.

Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (*.pdf) - {Union Stations were sometimes managed by a local Terminal Railway}
Electric Railway Sleeper Service (*.pdf)
Modeling Passenger Operations (*.pdf)
Layout Design with a Passenger Train Emphasis (*.pdf)
Modeling 21st Century Commuter rail service (*.pdf)
Modeling Commuter Rail Service (*.pdf)
Railroad Station Planbook (*.pdf book) - {Hotels are often closely associated with train stations, sometimes being an actual part of the station building itself}
Station Stairs plunge through platform awnings (*.pdf)
Platform Vehicles (*.pdf)
~ Amtrak
A half-century of Amtrak (*.mp4)
The unique Amtrak Autotrain (*.mp4)
Amtrak's Iconic Iconography (*.mp4)
Modeling Amtrak (*.mp4)
Adding Amtrak Passenger Service (*.pdf)

Other Priority Traffic (ranked by speed)

Note that on 3rail layouts it is preferable to block all of your baggage and other non-passenger carrying high-speed cars together into their own separately scheduled Express Freight Train (this includes priority traffic requiring numerous stops, such as for Milk collection or Livestock resting). This both shortens passenger trains and expedites car Forwarding.

Express
Track Testing (*.pdf)
Bullet Train (*.pdf)
Express Delivery (*.pdf)
Electric Railway Express Delivery (*.pdf)

Perishables
Perishable Transport (*.pdf)
Electric Railway Perishable Transport (*.pdf)
Milk Transport (*.pdf)

Expedited
Railway Postal Service (*.pdf) - {technologically defunct since 1977}
Electric Railway Livestock Business (*.pdf)
Piggyback Service (*.pdf)

Special Routing
Circus Trains (*.pdf)
Military Trains (*.mp4)
Presidential Travel by Train (*.pdf)
Handling Business Cars (*.pdf)