5 ms·
If you're wondering the most obvious thing: - Cost per mile: $4.72 - Minimum charge: $2296 There are also a huge number of other fees that I can't tell if yo
by dynm 1y ago
If you're wondering the most obvious thing:
- Cost per mile: $4.72
- Minimum charge: $2296
There are also a huge number of other fees that I can't tell if you'd need to pay in practice, e.g.:
- Additional Locomotive Fee (per loco mile): $7.54
- Amtrak Locomotive Daily Charge: $2513
- Head End Power Daily Charge: $3433
- Annual Administrative Fee: $574
https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/privatecars/Amtrak-Private-Car-Rate-Addendum-7-111824.pdf https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/p...
- daft_pink 1y agoPretty sure if you own your own $2 million+ private train car this is not a big deal.
- trillic 1y agoIf you have to ask you can't afford it.
- bluGill 1y agoThose prices seem in reach for a dream vacation that you save up for. You can rent railcars that are already approved. buying a custom rail car is possible but likely out of budget for normal people.
- TylerE 1y agoThe nice ones are almost all old business cars. The business car was used by the railroads for senior executives to move around their systems, and hold meetings.. usually contain a couple of executive bedrooms, a staff bedroom (they typically carried a cook and a steward, although the roles were sometimes combined). The rear half or so of the car is an open plan lounge/meeting room. The cars were usually built by a company like Pullman, usually from a time frame of roughly 1900 +/- 20 years. Huge money pits, with tons of (often quite ornate) wood m, etc. then add the cost of restoration (again almost all of these cars are 100+ years old), retrofitting modern electrical systems, air conditioning. Could easily be a million dollar project.
- bobthepanda 1y agoso basically all the problems of buying a castle or old chateau, but on wheels.
- TylerE 1y agoKind of. You don't have to worry about foundations, or sewer lines or frost heaves or masonry. So there are advantages. But I mean, just look what a nice one is like inside. Something like this one (Which I've actually been in) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ9TscDfHMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ9TscDfHMQ
- potato3732842 1y agoMore like an old Winnebago that wasn't built to a price point (which is both good and bad)
- socalgal2 1y agoNot really, you just need to get more people. The fanciest car holds 8, other cars hold 20 to 70 people. So if you divide the price the people it's not that bad. The first time I realized this kind of thing was a tour of a baseball stadium. They showed us the suites. I forgot how much they cost but if you got a bunch of friends together to fill one then they were in the same range as medium good seats. Example: https://www.mlb.com/padres/tickets/premium/suites https://www.mlb.com/padres/tickets/premium/suites Various prices, one is $4260 for 20 people. That's $213 each. Is that rich person's thing? It wasn't clear what the private car costs but, just guessing the Train Jam did this. https://trainjam.com/faq https://trainjam.com/faq You can see the prices for 52hr ride.
- jfghi 1y agoIn my experience the people who can afford everything are often the ones looking to pay the least at all times.
- bluGill 1y agomany of them got rich by not spending anything and investing what they had. Those habits don't die when you have money.
- a5seo 1y agoYou don’t get rich by writing checks. Except pg.
- TylerE 1y agoThe people doing this at this point are mostly rich rail enthusiasts. No one is doing this to actually get around. The most popular routes are the more scenic ones, like through the mountains. They’re not hitching a car into the Acela to go from NYC to Boston.
- voidfunc 1y agoYou do see these cars up in South Station occasionally attached to the Regional. Ive always assumed more of a Boston -> DC routing for those. Entertain some guests, get business done etc.
- lifestyleguru 1y agoThis is a cliche. Those rich enough that don't have to ask oftentimes pay less than those who are not rich enough.
- jazzyjackson 1y agoParking at a terminal really gets you too
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- ethan_smith 1y agoHead End Power (HEP) is the electrical power supplied from the locomotive to the passenger cars for lighting, heating, air conditioning and other amenities - essentially the "hotel load" that keeps your private car functioning while attached to the train.
- Llamamoe 1y agoWhy is it so much? I can't imagine a few lighting and heating fixtures using several thousands worth of electricity.
- Ambroos 1y agoPower generated on a train is probably significantly more expensive than power you can pull from the grid. Most of Amtrak's network does not have power so I assume they rely on generators on the train.
- bombcar 1y agoIt’s also called “hotel” power and is provided by the locomotive, but separate from “needed to run” power. A train can run with just air and the physical connection, hotel comes with the big “other cable” connected. Some private cars do NOT use it and instead have their own generator. In theory you could have one with no lights, etc at all. I’ve been on an Amtrak where it lost hotel power; nothing but emergency lighting until they got to a station where they could swap the locomotive. But the train kept running, and the conductor had to walk the entire train announcing stops verbally; with no PA system.
- mcculley 1y ago> with no PA system Wow. That is crazy and surprising. I can see losing air conditioning, but the PA should be considered mission critical.
- starkparker 1y ago