4 ms·

A decade ago a friend of mine rented a private rail car (for cost---he knows the owner) for a family trip/birthday present, and I got to ride on it for a few ho

by spc476 1y ago

A decade ago a friend of mine rented a private rail car (for cost---he knows the owner) for a family trip/birthday present, and I got to ride on it for a few hours as it was being positioned (https://boston.conman.org/2015/08/05.4 https://boston.conman.org/2015/08/05.4). I didn't get a price from him, but it was clear it was pretty much the cost of a new car. The car he was renting came with a lounge, three state rooms, bathroom, dining room, kitchen and two crew members (cook and porter, with their own sleeping quarters). Their trip was from Miami to Chicago back to Jacksonville (where the car is stored---I rode on it from central Florida to Boca Raton as it was being positioned prior to the start of the family trip; because it was running late, I didn't get a chance to eat lunch on it, sigh) over the course of a week or so. If I could, this is how I would travel, but of course, this being the US, it's not really a viable means of transportation.

zdragnar 1y ago
> but of course, this being the US, it's not really a viable means of transportation. Surely if the problem with roads and cars is that private transportation takes up too much room, then widespread private train cars by everyone would be equally problematic pretty much anywhere in the world.
- bluGill 1y ago
  Long distance routes do not take up that much room - most people don't do it often enough. You wouldn't want this for getting to work every day - that wouldn't work. Though a train car can safely follow closer than a auto so it would still be better than private autos.
  - selectodude 1y ago
    It’s not unprecedented. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_553 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_553
    - stockresearcher 1y ago
      From what I remember they ran that car on banker/stockbroker hours - the average commuter would have never seen it. Part of the draw, I'm sure, is that Metra allows alcohol on trains. So you've basically got 50+ friends drinking together on the way home, every day. Speaking of which, I thought I heard something about them bringing back the bar cars to increase revenue. (For those that don't ride the train in Chicago - it is BYOB. In the old days they actually had a public train car with a bar and bartender you could purchase from).
      - brianwawok 1y ago
        End of bar car was sad. They did have bars in the station that would sell in Togo mode, which was mostly good enough.
      - dugmartin 1y ago
        When I lived in suburbs and worked downtown in the ‘90s they used to sell bottles of beer out of big iced tubs right outside the rail siding down in Union Station. It was usually a fun ride back to Downer’s Grove.
handfuloflight 1y ago
> If I could, this is how I would travel Why?
guywithahat 1y ago
I feel like the private rail car costing as much as a new car is the main reason you can’t live like this; not because you live in the US
Hilift 1y ago
Nice! Florida had the Henry Plant line of rail 100 years ago. Back then it was the main serious mode of transportation. https://www.floridamemory.com/fpc/memory/onlineclassroom/railroads/documents/plant/large/plant-system1901.jpg https://www.floridamemory.com/fpc/memory/onlineclassroom/rai...

by spc476 1y ago

zdragnar 1y ago

> but of course, this being the US, it's not really a viable means of transportation. Surely if the problem with roads and cars is that private transportation takes up too much room, then widespread private train cars by everyone would be equally problematic pretty much anywhere in the world.

bluGill 1y ago
Long distance routes do not take up that much room - most people don't do it often enough. You wouldn't want this for getting to work every day - that wouldn't work. Though a train car can safely follow closer than a auto so it would still be better than private autos.
- selectodude 1y ago
  It’s not unprecedented. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_553 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_553
  - stockresearcher 1y ago
    From what I remember they ran that car on banker/stockbroker hours - the average commuter would have never seen it. Part of the draw, I'm sure, is that Metra allows alcohol on trains. So you've basically got 50+ friends drinking together on the way home, every day. Speaking of which, I thought I heard something about them bringing back the bar cars to increase revenue. (For those that don't ride the train in Chicago - it is BYOB. In the old days they actually had a public train car with a bar and bartender you could purchase from).
    - brianwawok 1y ago
      End of bar car was sad. They did have bars in the station that would sell in Togo mode, which was mostly good enough.
    - dugmartin 1y ago
      When I lived in suburbs and worked downtown in the ‘90s they used to sell bottles of beer out of big iced tubs right outside the rail siding down in Union Station. It was usually a fun ride back to Downer’s Grove.

handfuloflight 1y ago

> If I could, this is how I would travel Why?

guywithahat 1y ago

I feel like the private rail car costing as much as a new car is the main reason you can’t live like this; not because you live in the US

Hilift 1y ago

Nice! Florida had the Henry Plant line of rail 100 years ago. Back then it was the main serious mode of transportation. https://www.floridamemory.com/fpc/memory/onlineclassroom/railroads/documents/plant/large/plant-system1901.jpg https://www.floridamemory.com/fpc/memory/onlineclassroom/rai...