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Privately-Owned Rail Cars

amtrak.com

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Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#41

Post by jonnybgood »

nordsieck wrote: post #34
chiph wrote: post #17

This is my "if I won the lottery" dream. Which it would have to be, since everything about it isn't cheap. Purchasing a Pullman car then upgrading it to Amtrak standards will cost at least $300k. Any interior upgrades are on top of that (renovating the galley with modern appliances, adding central air since some cars used block ice for cooling). Amtrak requires you add 480v head-end power (but you will likely want a…

> This is my "if I won the lottery" dream. Could you explain a bit more about why you would want this? This seems strictly inferior to buying a box truck and converting it for "van life".

A private rail car with your own chef and other luxury amenities is inferior to a truck with a bed in it that you have to drive yourself?

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#42

Post by aliqot »

csande17 wrote: post #31
public_defender wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would a criminal record be relevant at all? Other than prior convictions for train robbery, I guess.

I, for one, would rather not be murdered on the Orient Express.

Bring some extra soups, what's the harm? Criminals have the best bedtime stories.

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#43

Post by ak217 »

I once was on an Amtrak train that was delayed by 6 hours because of this crap. It started with a 2 hour delay while they were hooking up someone's private car, and missed its timeslots on the rest of the route, then the crew timed out, and the delays snowballed (and the train had a skeleton crew for the rest of the trip).

A few years ago, they banned this practice because of these types of issues. If they're reintroducing it, get ready for more delays and more completely unreliable Amtrak service.

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#44

Post by [deleted] »

blueflow wrote: post #19

In germany, the privatisation and segmentation of the railway company has created many "interface points" where private entities can rent vehicles or use the tracks. This resulted in a vast amount of companies specializing in engine renting or vehicle transport, like Captrain/ITL or MRCE. The diversity in companies results in a big variety of color schemes. Train museums use these possibilities to run extraordinary t…

[deleted]

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#46

Post by esaym »

To add more info....

Sometime around 2018 or so, I was looking at renting a private car. Prices were all over the place, from $2k (but you had to provide your own chef (or something like that)) to $5k (chef included) for what I'd consider decent accommodations. I was wanting something big enough to fit 5-10 people to have a hackathon. There were several companies that offered this service and all of them were towed behind amtrak. But right in the middle of trying to figure all this out, amtrak announced some "changes" and that drove the cost up a bit and I think several of these companies simply closed shop or greatly reduced their service area so I dropped the idea. Splitting the charges between 5 or 10 people seemed like a fun idea though.

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#47

Post by Spooky23 »

nordsieck wrote: post #34
chiph wrote: post #17

This is my "if I won the lottery" dream. Which it would have to be, since everything about it isn't cheap. Purchasing a Pullman car then upgrading it to Amtrak standards will cost at least $300k. Any interior upgrades are on top of that (renovating the galley with modern appliances, adding central air since some cars used block ice for cooling). Amtrak requires you add 480v head-end power (but you will likely want a…

> This is my "if I won the lottery" dream. Could you explain a bit more about why you would want this? This seems strictly inferior to buying a box truck and converting it for "van life".

I had an opportunity to ride one of these. It was like a private jet except you can live out of it in a way. The train experience is pretty awesome.

Also, rail rights of way are ancient, so you land in the center of major cities.

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#48

Post by chiph »

zachlatta wrote: post #32

Some of you might be interested in The Hacker Zephyr, a cross-country train hackathon with 42 teenagers from across the world. We worked with Amtrak and an amazing team of train enthusiasts to get 3 vintage train cars on The California Zephyr’s route across the US. We started in Vermont and ended in Los Angeles, traveling 3,502 miles over 10 days. Short documentary: https://youtu.be/2BID8_pGuqA Planning documents and…

With Starlinks new in-motion service you could have really great connectivity on those trips.

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#49

Post by reaperducer »

There is a surprising number of big name entertainers who are afraid of flying, and either have their own rail cars, or rent them.

You will occasionally see them parked on the siding by Symphony Park when they're playing Las Vegas.

Re: Privately-Owned Rail Cars

#50

Post by xwdv »

drfuchs wrote: post #20

We rode the New York Central 3, a private car built for a Vanderbilt a century ago, cross country, attached to the rear of the Lake Shore Limited, changing in Chicago to the California Zephyr. A great experience, watching the scenery go by for 4 days, with a 270-degree view from the sitting room in the rear. Basically, there are hobbyists who buy and upgrade these cars, and try to break even on chartering trips on th…

You must be a distinguished individual to have traveled this way!
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