Passenger cars

Okay okay, don't kill me. I only had to post these cars to show what the ES-4 [link] pulls on its home rails. Semi-rambling explanation is probably about to commence, so don't feel obligated to actually read everything here.

The main thing about these cars is that they are high. Quite high. In fact, in place of traditional folding steps, they have upholstered staircases leading up into the passenger compartments. Because the end doors are substantially higher than those of more traditional coaching stock, these cars really can't be mixed into standard service, or vice versa. Note the Valdeen Express on the letterboards (more on that in a moment).

'So', you may ask, 'why? What good is a car that wastes so much space underneath it and can't even be pooled?' The only reason for the design of these cars is, frankly, prestige. A passenger boarding a train of these cars enters up an elegant, red-carpeted staircase reminiscent of a hotel hallway. The vestibules themselves are decorated much like a foyer or lobby. Once inside the car itself, the passenger is given a view unparalleled by other cars (think Amtrak Superliners compared to Amfleet) and is treated to a smooth ride at speed thanks to tall-wheeled trucks.

These cars are also wider than standard equipment, making for a good deal more "elbow room" inside. However, their width and high center of gravity do not jeopardize their safety. This is because they run on broad-gauge, well-surfaced, high-speed track. You can hardly feel them rolling once they are.

As for the individual cars illustrated up there, the top one is a standard first-class coach and the bottom one is a three-level lounge car, which includes a restaurant/bar, rec room, and observation deck. Other cars I may or may not get around to illustrating are the sleepers, diners and solarium cars that round out a full train. These other cars, outwardly, look very similar to the coach save for window spacing and size.

And back to Valdeen Express. All these cars and the ES-4s that regularly haul them were developed for Valdeen Railways, a fictional line that runs through the Valdeen Valley. The company's express equipment is painted gun-metal blue, silver, and white, though the scheme looks horrible in this "lighting" (I have a bad habit of drawing things with the sun behind them >< ). The company also has a fleet of lower-riding passenger cars that it uses for much more common and mundane service.