Where can I ship a car direct by railroad, from southern California to Albany NY?

Question

I want to ship a car, a 2007 Toyota Corolla, from southern California, to Albany NY, by railroad. I will take the car direct to the rail head.

I would like to ship a car by rail.

Answer 1

Rail is probably a poor choice to ship a single automobile.

For one thing, it is probably prohibitively expensive, unless you have unlimited funds and price is no object.

There is also an excellent chance the vehicle may become damaged or vandalized.

Time may be a constraint as well, and, freight cars do get lost from time to time, adding even more delay.

It is likely you will need special insurance for this shipment. This may not be required by the carrier you are considering but one would be foolish not to make absolutely sure that any loss is covered.

There are several companies, specializing in auto transport, that will haul your car from coast to coast, as well as picking up from and delivering to your front door. This is what I would recommend.

Good luck.

Addendum: There is a major intermodal facility in Long Beach, handling mostly container traffic. You may have to ship the car in a container, which is safer, but in that instance you would be contracting for shipping by truck, for all intents and purposes, even though the "truck" would travel by rail. Contact a nearby trucking company.

I don't think they do any loading of auto-racks there. You really don't want the car exposed. It will likely be stripped bare by the time you see it again, and that is no joke.

Answer 2

I have no idea. Good luck.