This is so much more baller than a private jet
“I am rich but I don’t need to rush around the country to keep being rich”
I’m gonna take my time and enjoy the ride. If you need me, come meet me on my train. I’m pulling into Kansas City tomorrow. See you there. Meanwhile I’m gonna have a cocktail and play some video games.
If I had to choose one, it would be the private rail car for sure.
Am I the only person without a personal train car? Am I surrounded by people in top hats and just don’t know?
I started a conversation the other day with some friends about if I ever ran for President and needed to travel the country, what impact would there be if I decided to go super old-school and get a Presidential train car.
Side conversation; Airforce 1 is the Airliner the Pres flies on. Marine 1 is the helicoper. What would be the train designation?
Choochoo McTrainFace 1
US-CAR 1 or uscar 1. We’ve had several before so it’s not particularly an abstract.
They’re all named after great explorers, Marco Polo, Ferdinand Magellan etc.
So theoretically if we got a new president who was into using trains to get around we could have a high speed uscar1 named Neil Armstrong or Yuri Gagarin?
Correct though it’s unlikely any president will travel by train again given the best security is people simply not knowing where you are going or when. Being trapped in one direction is a big no no.
You KNOW that they’d have a fleet of helicopters, AWACS, fighter jets and vehicle escorts just hanging around the side of the running train.
imagine getting to be late for school because your bus got stuck at a Presidential Train Crossing, and being able to see the copters and jets fly over.
Was it McCain who said that he’d campaign in every state but was said to have regretted it because the time to travel to Hawaii, Alaska and a few other states (Idaho etc) were kid of a waste?
Land Sealion.
I mean Trainforce1 is right there, but Landforce1 sounds good too
Awful for security. Your whereabouts would be known at all times, and the USSS can’t protect every mile of track.
It would be a statement, that’s for sure.
Major problem is that Amtrak has the lowest priority on our rail network. Getting to a campaign rail-stop on time would be almost impossible without greasing some palms. So you’d have to hook up with a cargo rail line or something like that.
Locomotive 1
Amtrak 1
For like 30 seconds I was thinking ‘car’ meant automobile and I was picturing like someone’s SUV hitched to the back of a train.
I should get some coffee.
But how much is it?
- Short hop (300 miles, 1 car): Mileage = 300×$4.72 = $1,416, but you’ll pay the $2,296 minimum (plus any parking/switching).
- Regional trip (500 miles, 1 car): 500×$4.72 = $2,360 (above the minimum). With one night of standard parking, ~$2,583 before any special switching.
- Overnight long-distance (1,000 miles): ~$4,720 for one car. Two cars on the same request price ~$8,340 (first car $4,720 + second car $3,620) before parking/switching.
Good god!
Guess I’ll keep flying for the time being.
What advantages does this train have over, say, a motor car – which I could also afford?
You don’t have to drive the train
But what if I want to?
25% discount
well, you’ll notice how the private shower provides ample hot water, while … … gently massages your buttocks. well, count jerkface, shall we discuss the …
You are basically in a moving apartment, with bed, shower, bathroom, fridge, ability to cook…
It’s out of my price range, but I certainly could see the appeal.
The car will be way faster and more open ended in terms of where you start and finish, so it’s far more practical if you just want to get to where you are going.
This one of those hobbies that sounds so cool but so impractical to get into. Like it makes getting a boat sound like a cheap and easy hobby.
i hope america, and by extension, amtrak is still around when i retire, because this is cool as hell.
after the civil war of 2028 the railways were damaged beyond repair to destroy supply routes to the Federalists in DC. making it impossible for trains to travel more than 10 miles, if you were even lucky enough to find a working engine.
don’t worry though, there are plenty of trains in Europe, but in order to get on one of those you’d have to be a pow, and you likely won’t survive the destination.
If we have a civil war that destroys the railroads only the worst outcome would avoid massive improvements to rail infrastructure. It’s still absolutely crucial to pur indistrial capacity. A fascist victory would have low speed rail redesigned for precision scheduling. A progressive victory would get high speed rail between major population centers, expansion of intraregional rail, and reconstruction of the industrial rail network. Balkanization would wind up with progressive areas considering high speed rail to be vital.
Like if the west coast ditches, we’ll probably continue towards the San Diego - Seattle line because when all your major population centers are in a row and reasonably spaced it becomes obvious to do it.
But yeah currently American rail is more functional than the governmental and political landscape.
Yeah iirc thats an old holdover from when that was how rich people got around
Well, shit. Now I want to be rich
Do it!
should be called Amtrak Barnacles
Ok. Mr Burns
No joke, at least back in the 80s some wall-streeters did thIs from my home town in Nj to NYC every day. Complete with full bar.
The thing I haven’t read in this thread: how do you get your personal trail car to the station, and how do you move it about on your destination?
It sounds cool but very inflexible.
with hookers and blackjack?
as many as your car can carry.
Who wouldn’t want to take a private cartage? Id get one for baboo too.
How much does a rail car cost, and what is maintenance, inspection, etc like? This is still something of the very wealthy.
From some searching, they’re also available for charter. Still not something for a person of average means to do on their own, but maybe a group of upper-middle class people. Some Amtrak routes go through some incredibly scenic areas. The one that comes to mind in my neck of the woods is the Empire Builder. It would be a luxury experience for sure.
Yet slower, and far less convenient than air travel. Sight-seeing aside, I honestly don’t know who this is for.
Maybe there’s a train-enthusiast club out there that has a small fleet of rail-ready cars?
Slow, sight seeing and not flying is exactly the point.
I would literally rather eat a bug than fly anywhere, unless i absolutely have to.
My guess is that this is a holdover from when rich people did have train cars (and sometimes even full trains!).
I would bet there are still a couple of rich people living out their train fantasies.
Definitely a case of the journey being more important than the destination.
Because they love the experience. Trains are really a lot of fun.
Yet slower, and far less convenient than air travel.
you should be aware there is a non-insignificant population that despise air travel. whether it’s personal issues (fear, stomach problems etc.,) or they really hate the TSA…
I have another thread in here talking about cost, but just the mileage fees for a trip on a car you own can be a significant percentage of the cost of chartering a plane. If you rent the car it can cost significantly more.
Owning a private rail car is a bit like owning a superyacht; it’s not a particularly fast or practical form of travel but it can be luxurious and fun so people with money do it anyways.
The German state railway company sells their used trains here: https://www.db-gebrauchtzug.de/
