Why aren't there private railcars and locomotives?

Question

I have always wondered why there are private planes, boats, cars, but why have I never seen a private train? Is it too difficult to operate personally? I would think this is the problem, but when you think about it, private plane owners go through the same thing with air traffic and all.

Answer 1

Many wrong answers :( Folks, don't make stuff up that isn't true, when it can be easily researched.

Yes you can own a private railroad car. So many people do that there's a trade association and a print magazine devoted to the subject: http://www.aaprco.com/Private_Varnish/varnish.html They haul all their cars to a location (changes every year) for a decadent convention!

If you want Amtrak to haul it around, you must maintain it to a standard they specify. Their price won't kill you (typically 20x the non-discounted coach fare) but you'll get nickel and dimed a lot by switching charges at each end. Amtrak can also do special moves and special trains, using their equipment or yours, even on non-conventional routes.

You can get the freight railroads to haul you too. Moving your coach as "just another freight car" is reasonably priced, after all, freight is their business. If you want a special movement just for you, that's a bit more :) But it certainly does happen, for instance the 2007 AAPRCO convention is in Omaha and it looks like a freight railroad is actually competing with Amtrak for the business of moving coaches to Omaha.

Finding a parking place is not that hard, though you are likely to have an industry or railway museum as a neighbor. Having a "special" relationship with a short line railroad doesn't hurt either.

Answer 2

In the UK it is possible to own a locomotive privately and run it on the main network. Some individuals and preservation societies do this, using the loco to haul an excursion train (often the train is privately owned too). These always sell out when advertised and pay for themselves as such trains are immensely popular.

It's also possible to have a private train, i.e. for personal use and run it on the main network. The cost is prohibitive so only the very rich can afford it. The Queen however has one provided by the state.

The old rail companies used to have saloon carriages which they would hire out for private use. These came complete with an attendant to serve meals, drinks etc. Again the very rich could hire a complete train.

The other meaning of 'private' is a company into which the public can buy shares, i.e. a Public Limited Company, which is not 'private' at all (confusing?!), it is only so-called because individuals can legally invest in and profit from it as opposed to a state-owned concern run by a board appointed by the government. British Rail used to be state-owned but has now been superceded by Network Rail, a state-owned not-for-profit company which owns the tracks and infrastructure on which the 'private' train operating companies run their services.

These operators own locomotives and/or rolling stock and have to bid for franchises every few years to continue operating the various routes and services.

Answer 3

Ringling Brothers Circus has a private train which is over half a mile long. It is used to transport staff and equipment between venues. I saw it in Las Vegas last September.
There is a private railcar which is based at Barstow, Ca. This has been restored from the Canadian Pacific Railroad Directors' saloon with an electric generator added. It has 2 guest bedrooms, shower room, kitchen, dining room, catering staff bedroom and observation balcony. It is available for hire.

Answer 4

Technically, they are ALL private. Railroad land is private property as are the cars and locomotives.

There are quite a few people that own private railcars for their personal travel and leisure. It is expensive, but there are quite a few out there. You can own your own private car (usually an old but restored unit) and can tack it onto a regular Amtrak train or a special train that some railroads run for the AAPRCO.

I suggest you check out this site of the American Association of Private Rail Car Owners for more info.

http://www.aaprco.com/

Answer 5

There are still some private cars out there, but it is a fairly expensive proposition. The railroad charges between 1 and 2 dollars a mile to haul them.
Some years back I ran into a guy that had a couple of them, one was restored and he was working on the other. The one he had finished was beautiful, he had over a million dollars in it.
There are some problems with owning one though, like where do you park it? You don't have the mobility of a plane or a motor coach, you have to go where the tracks are.

So, with the expense, and the other problems associated with the rail cars, that is why they are reduced in numbers.

Answer 6

A private TRAIN would cost way too much. And you'd still have to negotiate with every railroad company for use of their tracks when you went through their territory.

Private rail cars used to be fairly common for really rich people. They'd take a pullman car and turn it into a rolling luxury apartment. Then they'd pay the railroad company to hook their car onto a train going in the right direction.

Nowadays you'd have a harder time negotiating that. And why? You could buy a land yacht RV and hire a driver and you'd still pay less. Or just charter a jet.

Answer 7

Private cars definitely still exist. It would be really expensive to operate a whole private train, and it would be way harder to get space on the rails than it is to get airspace, simply because there is WAY less rail space than airspace. I know for a fact that people still operate private cars and have them hauled by Amtrak because two years ago, I was taking the train from Plattsburgh NY, to NY NY, and there was a private car hooked to the end of the train.

Answer 8

there are private railcars 100% of all tank cars are private cars

here's some thing the next time youre at a crossing look at the reporting marks on the cars ( the letters ex. BNSF/CSXT/ )
notice any car reporting marks ending in the letter X. the X means the car is private own . but keep is mind csx trains may have csx is big letters on the train but it reporting marks are csxt or nyc

Answer 9

Buster Keaton, the famous slap-stick comedian of yesteryear,
used to travel by private railcar, one that he owned personally.

There is in fact a market for private railcar rental. Anyone can rent or own a private railcar and have it attached to an existing train for a fee.

Here is a company that charters trains and railcars to groups and individuals
http://www.privaterailcars.net/

The Private Rail Car
from $7,500 per day for 8 guests for 700 miles

The Private Train
from $140 per guest for 800 guests for a 400-mile round trip

brochure
http://www.trainchartering.com/trainchartering_brochure.pdf

Train Chartering Website - Europe (same co.)
http://www.trainchartering.com/


The Train Source
http://www.stangarner.com/privatec.html

The Private Train That Took Wounded Vets to the Army Navy Game in 2005
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/v/vet-train.htm

Royal Canadian Pacific
http://www.rextravel.com/rail/rcp/rcpintro.htm


A GUIDE TO BUYING A PRIVATE RAILROAD CAR:
A PRAGMATIC APPROACH
http://www.railmerchants.net/buyersguide/present1.html

The American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners, Inc.
http://www.aaprco.com/


Treasure on the tracks
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061010.wrailcar11/BNStory/specialTravel/

Private railroad cars provide step back in time
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-09-11-train-travel_x.htm

Salisbury Beach restoration
http://www.trainweb.org/carl/SalisburyBeach/

Smithsonian article - Easy Riders
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issues/2004/september/interest.php

Rial Serve - Private Rail Cars
http://www.railserve.com/Private_Railcars/

Answer 10

Whose rails would you use? Could you imagine the fees you would have to pay for use of the rail system? Especially since every extra pricate car would mean more for them to keep track of while doing their own schedule.

Private planes rarely have to deal with much air traffic unless theyre landing or taking off. Remember, there is no mobility in the rails, so you have to keep track of everything no matter how small constantly.