Private cars back on Amtrak?

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frequentflyer

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Sunset Ltd into Tucson this morning had a green private car on the back, had a couple of old guys come out of for the long station stop. What car or group was it?
 
Bob Dylan said:
Its Tioga Pass. Heading for San Antonio on the Sunset, will layover for 3 days, then go North on the Texas Eagle #22/#422 on Tuesday (20).
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That is actually a Blue and Gold car. What a nice car if you ever get the chance to bump into the owner Norm he is a riot. I love spending time with him and listening to stories of the days of the EsPee
 
Private car ownership seems to have gone down due to increased costs and restrictions. But due to covid, it actually seems that privately owned cars would make more sense,

It would be nice if there was a competitor to Amtrak in the private sector that leased track from all the necessary railroads to build a competitive system on routes where it makes sense or to do new routes that Amtrak isn’t doing. There are so many unused rail tracks by passenger trains that could be used for such or sections that can easily be rebuilt. During the pandemic, I would think the desire for more space on trains would be more important now. A specific system just for privately owned railcars could make sense.

There hasn’t been that much private sector innovation in railroads that carry passengers.
 
adamj023 said:
Private car ownership seems to have gone down due to increased costs and restrictions. But due to covid, it actually seems that privately owned cars would make more sense,

It would be nice if there was a competitor to Amtrak in the private sector that leased track from all the necessary railroads to build a competitive system on routes where it makes sense or to do new routes that Amtrak isn’t doing. There are so many unused rail tracks by passenger trains that could be used for such or sections that can easily be rebuilt. During the pandemic, I would think the desire for more space on trains would be more important now. A specific system just for privately owned railcars could make sense.

There hasn’t been that much private sector innovation in railroads that carry passengers.
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Private car ownership hasn't really gone down because no one can unload their car. The difference is people have stopped maintaining them to Amtrak specs and a lot of cars have ended up in long term storage. My car is currently in storage as of this moment and it's not Amtrak'ed at all.

I agree it would be nice if there was a more competitive sense for routes Amtrak is not doing but that doesn't make a lot of fiscal sense. There aren't enough us to have private passenger trains and most of our cars aren't really good for that because very few of us own coaches.

I do think we could do a better job right now marketing our services than we are. But that's for AAPRCO to do with the Amtrak certified cars, not me with my car that isn't certified.
 
I would be interested in a private car for NYP to South Florida route. Saw on AAPRCO website a link and someone else has private cars available on limited date for Silver Meteor but its obviously rented along with other people. Wanted a full car that had more open space for less people that could be rented on demand for different days or perhaps one day I could buy my own. I realize most people don’t own private cars but a railroad could have their own specially configured cars with a lot more space than existing Amtrak and have those cars available preconfigured along with a more flexible private car program held to high standards for a more upscale and socially distanced travel experience.
 
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adamj023 said:
I would be interested in a private car for NYP to South Florida route. Saw on AAPRCO website a link and someone else has private cars available on limited date for Silver Meteor but its obviously rented along with other people. Wanted a full car that had more open space for less people that could be rented on demand for different days or perhaps one day I could buy my own. I realize most people don’t own private cars but a railroad could have their own specially configured cars with a lot more space than existing Amtrak and have those cars available preconfigured along with a more flexible private car program held to high standards for a more upscale and socially distanced travel experience.
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Here is the rough estimate for the Amtrak Charge Only. This is the lowest Amtrak charge possible.

2,780 Miles Comes Up To $10,675.2
Switch Charges Estimate $500 Per switch move with 4 Occurrences.
$280 for Waste Tank Servicing
$181 Per Night Per Car for parking.

And that is just the Amtrak portion of this. Then you have to consider car rental, staff wages, food, and other car specific things like deadheads, linens, and other expenses.

By the time your done with this it would probably be 25-30K on the low end of the spectrum. I believe the average rental rate is $2,000 per operating day so you are for sure at $8,000 with that.

If you are serious about doing this I can help you with it just shoot me a message and I can get the ball rolling.

My friend John is going to be running a fundraiser trip from Chicago to Florida this winter on a private car. I could also keep you updated when he does that.
 
Was just curious more than anything. Costs seem to be out of my price range for now. Yeah, CSX probably only allows Amtrak for private cars. Only CSX and Amtrak locomotives are probably allowed on their tracks or perhaps other freight companies on segments they already have existing relationships with and I doubt the freight railroads will allow private cars on their own locomotives.
 
Seaboard92 said:
Here is the rough estimate for the Amtrak Charge Only. This is the lowest Amtrak charge possible.

2,780 Miles Comes Up To $10,675.2
Switch Charges Estimate $500 Per switch move with 4 Occurrences.
$280 for Waste Tank Servicing
$181 Per Night Per Car for parking.

And that is just the Amtrak portion of this. Then you have to consider car rental, staff wages, food, and other car specific things like deadheads, linens, and other expenses.

By the time your done with this it would probably be 25-30K on the low end of the spectrum. I believe the average rental rate is $2,000 per operating day so you are for sure at $8,000 with that.

If you are serious about doing this I can help you with it just shoot me a message and I can get the ball rolling.

My friend John is going to be running a fundraiser trip from Chicago to Florida this winter on a private car. I could also keep you updated when he does that.
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When I win the lottery I'll be calling you. ;)
 
adamj023 said:
Was just curious more than anything. Costs seem to be out of my price range for now. Yeah, CSX probably only allows Amtrak for private cars. Only CSX and Amtrak locomotives are probably allowed on their tracks or perhaps other freight companies on segments they already have existing relationships with and I doubt the freight railroads will allow private cars on their own locomotives.
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I think John's tickets will be in the 2 to 3 Thousand Range. I'll be talking to him later tonight I'll ask about that. I'm working his dinner train in Georgia in the beginning of May.

Of course if you want to experience private railcars several are in service at tourist railroads now. Come ride with us at SAM Shortline in Georgia we have the Dearing, Wisconsin, and the JP Henderson down there in service.
 

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