This says a lot for the people responsible for planning the trip. I'm thrilled you enjoyed the ride.Check the internet. There is a private rail car association, and there are trips where you can ride private cars. Those are really cool. Look for a positioning move.
I rode the Caritas from CUS to NYP on the back of 48 back in the early 90's. I paid like 350.. Unbelievably awesome. There were 5 people on the car. Me, another railfan, and the cook, an attendant, and a mechanic/liason with the RR. I am not sure of these titles. I was advised not to expect much in food service when I booked, so I was prepared to brown bag, and called back to ask how the eating aspect worked. Well . . . there would be something or other and I would be able to eat. Ok, cool, I flat out did not care what I ate becaue the car would be on the back of the train, and it would have an open platform. I planned to spend the trip on this platfrom.
We left CUS with all of us on the platform. There is NOTHING better than riding on that platform, including you know what IMHO. We had dinner near SB. Well now the crew has to eat . . so we ate in style. When I boarded in Chicago, I saw the cook making the dinner roles from scratch. He was beating the batter IN THE STATION. We had those roles, steak, key lime pie, and wine. I dont drink, but I did have a glass then. The crew talked trains, and I just listened.
I returned to the platform as we left Toledo, and lasted until Sandusky. This trip was in early September, and it had been hot all day. As we entered the causeway to cross Sandusky bay, the temperature dropped, and a fog surrounded the train. Shortly after Sandusky, I went to bed.
I woke up about 5 and considered returning to the platform, but decided not to. I did not want to wake anybody on the car. At 5:45, i ventured out. A few minutes later the other railfan joined me. He was concerned that his activities in the next room had woken me. I told him I was already up at 5. We rolled through Buffalo as the Sun came up. It was cold out there, and we both said no to Coffee. We had been told the night before that taking containers on the platform was a violation of rules. We did not want to break the rules, Nor did we want to leave the platfrom. A few minutes later the attendant brought us coffee.
Breakfast consisted of blueberry pancakes that were light and fluffy yet still crisp. The bacon is the best I have ever eaten. I had 2nds and 3rds. It did not seem to botherr anybody.
We spent the rest of the trip on the platform, with a brief break for lunch. This was by far one of my greatest railfan adventures. I hope you get to do something like this someday.
I know the rules have changed, but occasionally I do see cars on the back of Amtrak . . . so good luck.
GP 35I'm thinking of buying or refurbishing my own private rail coach. :angry: No comment from you green.How much will Amtrak charge to pull my coach around.
Well I may have said coach, but with the economy and high gas prices, I was thinking more along the linesof aquiring an old park caboose. I could have it restored, upgraded with a restroom, kitchen, sofa, HEP, and viewing room in the Cupola.GP 35I'm thinking of buying or refurbishing my own private rail coach. :angry: No comment from you green.How much will Amtrak charge to pull my coach around.
If you're up to that, I'd like to get a ticket on your coach. I suspect it'll take some time to raise the funds, but I certainly want to be on board. I'll even fill in as a Service Attendant.
If it meets all regs, I dont see a reason Amtrak would say no. Can you image this catching on. An Amtrak train with 15 cabooses.Do you think Amtrak would pull a caboose? I have never seen it. Not sure if in that document is says it has to be a particular type of car, though.
Excellent! Lots of outdoor platform space. Put on some more scenic railings, and you're set to cruise in style!Maybe this type of caboose. I could bring the lawn chair and BBQ pit...lol
A caboose would be just so much more kewl. I doubt that Amtrak would care much what the car looked like, as long as it wasn't politically incorrect. I'll even volunteer to go get the beers from the fridge. I'll even volunteer to bring the beer. :lol:Well I may have said coach, but with the economy and high gas prices, I was thinking more along the linesof aquiring an old park caboose. I could have it restored, upgraded with a restroom, kitchen, sofa, HEP, and viewing room in the Cupola.GP 35I'm thinking of buying or refurbishing my own private rail coach. :angry: No comment from you green.How much will Amtrak charge to pull my coach around.
If you're up to that, I'd like to get a ticket on your coach. I suspect it'll take some time to raise the funds, but I certainly want to be on board. I'll even fill in as a Service Attendant.
You are welcoming aboard. No Service attendant needed, everyone grab your own beer from the frig. Just bring your railroad DVD's, camera, and plenty of rail stories.
Thanks, I will contact them.The two organizations that deal with private cars are the American Association of Private Railcar Owners (AAPRCO) and Rail Passenger Car Alliance (RPCA). I'm a member of both and they have all the information you'll ever need or want to know about rebuilding and operating PV's in Amtrak service.
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