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Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

sbbresale.ch

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Re: Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

#21

Post by bluGill »

voidUpdate wrote: post #7
mplanchard wrote: post #3

You can pay Amtrak to haul your train car around[0], so you’ve just got to figure out a way to get the car from Switzerland to the US, and then you can really get around in style. [0]: https://www.amtrak.com/privately-owned-rail-cars

Make sure you get one that matches American gauge and isn't one of the the meter gauge mountain trains

gauge is likely easy to change. Not cheap, but Amtrak demands expensive inspections and refurbishment to run, so the cost of changing the gauge is likely fairly small compared to the other costs.

Re: Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

#22

Post by wongarsu »

MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #18
voidUpdate wrote: post #6

Is it pickup only, or do they deliver as well?

When SBB has a bridge to sell you, you should pick it up in person.

When London Bridge was sold in the 1960s it was also on the buyer to pick it up from its original location and transport it to the US

Re: Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

#23

Post by bluGill »

kortilla wrote: post #4
mplanchard wrote: post #3

You can pay Amtrak to haul your train car around[0], so you’ve just got to figure out a way to get the car from Switzerland to the US, and then you can really get around in style. [0]: https://www.amtrak.com/privately-owned-rail-cars

Is there someone that does this frequently with a breakdown in costs and their experience? This sounds lit as a goal for an eccentric millionaire.

There are a few clubs that have cars that do this for a club outing. Members pay a small amount of dues, but the largest cost is labor - you are expected to help rebuild their cars. Most of the club money seems to come from renting the cars out.

The above is what I gather from reading their websites. However there is no club close enough to me for joining to be reasonable and so I didn't verify the above.

Re: Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

#25

Post by bluGill »

Svip wrote: post #10

If I was filthy rich, I'd buy a plot of land near a railway line (that is at least attached to the main lines), build my own siding, and buy one of DSB's IC3 MUs[0], maybe also an IR4 MU[1], so they can together ride on electrified and non-electrified tracks. Then refurbish their interior, install as many signal compatibility systems, and, for the IR4, have it support as many overhead voltage systems as possible. I h…

Most people do this as part of a club. You join the club and combine everyone's money to buy the things needed, and then everyone in the club can enjoy it.

Re: Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

#28

Post by dabluecaboose »

kortilla wrote: post #4
mplanchard wrote: post #3

You can pay Amtrak to haul your train car around[0], so you’ve just got to figure out a way to get the car from Switzerland to the US, and then you can really get around in style. [0]: https://www.amtrak.com/privately-owned-rail-cars

Is there someone that does this frequently with a breakdown in costs and their experience? This sounds lit as a goal for an eccentric millionaire.

There are clubs[1][2] of owners, and they'll generally rent them out to people. We looked into doing it for my bachelor party. Unfortunately, the cost is akin to renting a yacht for the same amount of time (On the order of thousands per day, minimum), so we quickly shelved that plan for an AirBnB.

[1] https://www.aaprco.com/

[2] https://www.rpca.com/

Re: Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

#29

Post by hydrogen7800 »

mwexler wrote: post #17

I just want the clocks. Mondaine tries, but they aren't the same. That 58.5 second rotation then pause is quite clever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_railway_clock

After my first visit to Switzerland, I knew I needed one of those clocks for my home. Unfortunately the ones available are cheap (though expensive) and don't have the second hand dwell at the top of each minute.

Re: Buy a train, bridge or tracks from the Swiss Railway

#30

Post by dhosek »

wongarsu wrote: post #22
MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When SBB has a bridge to sell you, you should pick it up in person.

When London Bridge was sold in the 1960s it was also on the buyer to pick it up from its original location and transport it to the US

I remember the day I decided to finally go see the London Bridge and I drove over it three times trying to find it.
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