so how do you get a privately owned train car and get it to the tracks or etc?
from this page it sounds like you own it but Amtrak keeps it parked at their switching stations or something
from this page it sounds like you own it but Amtrak keeps it parked at their switching stations or something
I think you wait in a remote bit of Nevada for a train to pass, and trigger a rock fall which causes the driver to slam on the brakes and bring the train to a stop just short of the rockfall.
Then, you and your posse jump out from behind some rocks and fire your revolvers in the air, and the driver sticks his hands up. There's much celebration, and back slapping as you discover the train also happens to have a massive amount of gold bullion on board.
The rest is a bit blurry, can't remember seeing what you then do, but it probably involves filing down the serial numbers on the frame or something like that?
Cop walks up to the window and asks for their license and registration please. Another shootout occurs followed by a multi-track multi-train police chase, but everyone needs to stay on their respective train tracks.
On a little platform on wheels, with a see-saw type manual propulsion. And the police are waving their billy clubs and gaining on you!
That's pretty much it.
The serial numbers are on the axle bearing covers, BTW.
> The argument of the railroads is... okay, you have our train. Now what? You either go forward or you go backward, and we know where both those directions go.
[credit: thanatos_dem]
There was some discussion on the process here a few years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19505897 written shortly after Amtrak complained "These operations caused significant operational distraction, failed to capture fully allocated profitable margins". It's not an easy process.
Operating, maintenance, and storage costs dwarf the capital costs within a few years so unless it’s rusting in a backyard, the expensive part is using it rather than buying one. Storage alone costs $30k-50k a year.
Which considering how many can travel in one might not be terribly expensive.
I've only seen one of these trains once, and it was an ordinary train. I've no idea what the cost would be.
There is still hope for those cars. If you want to pay for it a ridding company can transport anything from anywhere to anywhere - they will get the correct permits and then load it on a trailer - this is easiest and most common, but not cheap. In some cases you can get an override from the RR to tow it - they can put new wheels under it quick enough, and then put it at the end of the train on a slow month (which is to say they will avoid their busy routes were something breaking would cause problems), again not cheap, but possible and sometimes the RR will subsides the cost if the car has historic value. If there are tracks you can restore it where it is and then the RRs will take it again.