Expensive Private Car Move in Dallas, TX

Wow, this had to cost some serious money. Across a DART rail line twice onto the UP mainline and then onto TRE.

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It probably did but if you wanna roll with the ballers you’ve gotta put down big chips.

I would expect that there are standard Switch Charges that get applied to the movement.

You don’t move private cars on nickels and dimes.

deleted as member is offended

If they have been inspected by the proper authorities and all their systems work as required by the rules.

Which carrier(s) will handle them is open to question.

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I frequently see Patrick Henry Creative Promotions’ two cars on the back of the Texas Eagle. They run on the BNSF and UP at least. https://www.patrickhenrytrain.com/

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Amtrak is the hauling carrier as the cars are on an Amtrak train, despite whatever carriers tracks the trains are operated upon.

I believe, but I could be wrong, that Amtrak is the authority that is setting car standards for passenger cars to handled in trains. Class 1’s office cars must be up to that standard if the cars are to be operated on other than the owners rails.

What a surprise. I clicked on the website. Scrolled the detailed description, thinking nice but I’ll bet there is no price listed. WRONG.
I have heard it said, some “establishments” …one should NEVER enter as there will be NO prices listed. Why? You should know this place is expensive. Price should be no matter to those who enter.
Sure would be nice to take a ride. Note: if on the Texas Eagle, it would traverse my neck of the woods. Neat. regards mike endmrw1215251031

I think NYC #3 is a former Conrail Business Car if I am not mistaken.

The going rate is between $5000-7000 per day per private car for rental. Switching charges are extra (I asked 3-4 years ago and that is what I was quoted by an owner). The price above also includes either the owner or hired hand also riding along via the trip. Probably basic catering is included as well. You can run on non-Amtrak contracted tracks but that is a variable charge potentially not within the limit above and only if the host railroad agrees to the movement. Parking fees for the car on a private railway car track works pretty much similar to parking an RV in a campground and varies by station location but there is a parking fee per day to just have the car sit on a private railway car track.

Run of the mill switching charges of just having a host railroad locomotive waiting to meet the Amtrak train and pull the car off the Amtrak train and place it on a nearby siding or vice versa. My rough guess would run about $3500 for each incident to have a crew and locomotive available for basic switching (just a rough guess on my part). Pretty confident the above switching costs are probably north of $20-25k somewhere. The two locomotive DGNO trip to Fort Worth over TRE is not cheap, that is quite a distance…I think that qualifies as a special train or deadhead movement but I am not a railroader so can only venture guesses here.

The issue Amtrak has with the whole service is sometimes the host railroad does not meet the Amtrak train and so Amtrak is left with a private car at the station stop which is not intended to go further and the train is delayed while they wait. In other cases, Amtrak is late and the local switch crew leaves with the locomotive to go do other tasks.

Have actually observed this whole private car switching operation once or twice between CP and the private car owners that use Milwaukee to store their cars. It’s been a while since I watched it. Video link below you can see the Charter Steel cars on their inside the terminal private car track in Milwaukee. You can also see the Caritas (Friends of 261) private car on the outside the terminal private car track. I am guessing their is a price difference for the outside vs inside track. Both have access to HEP connections I believe as well as fresh water.

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My guess is he is based in Houston and primary clients Oil or Energy related because all of them can afford this and probably put in the petty cash category. :cowboy_hat_face:

Patrick Henry Creative Promotions address is 1177 West Loop South, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77027.

The two cars carrying Patrick Henry colors go for $15,500 a day. They can sleep 10. A third car designated Santa Fe can be added, which brings the cost to $22,500 per day. Three cars can sleep 18.

I saw the cars on the back of No. 21 earlier this year. It appeared they were being dead headed, perhaps back to Houston.

For the high rollers in these discussions, who probably are keen to book at least two cars for their pals, I found Amtrak’s Conditions for Movement of Privately Owned Railroad Cars on Amtrak by typing “amtrak’s requirements to haul private cars” into Google Search.

I’m pretty sure Amtrak will never set out a private car at an intermediate station. Private car owners that wish to have their cars pulled on Amtrak trains need to get their car to one of a number of specified terminals (i.e. Sunnyside Yard in Queens). Amtrak will then add it to the specified train, where it will remain until it gets to a destination Amtrak terminal where it can be removed.

Passenger cars can be moved in freight trains, but they cannot be occupied. And it is probably best if one carefully packs up and removes the fine china before handing a car off to a freight RR.

When it comes to Private Cars - if you have to ask how much it costs in ownership, maintenance and/or transportation - YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT.

Private cars have always been in the realm of the disgustingly wealthy.

The owner of the private car handles all that. The renter just submits a desired trip itinerary to the owner. The owner does the arrangements and issues a quote for the trip back to the renter. Mentioned above, the owner or an owner representative stays with the car for the trip to handle issues that might arise. Renter just pays a fee and enjoys the car. Details handled by owner or owner’s representative.

I suspect the AAPRCO cars might be cheaper, I think Patrick Henry is run as part of a larger sales and marketing business and his clients might be more B2B vs Owner to General Public. Though I am sure he handles both.

Also, some have reposition moves where they sell a lot cheaper than the rental fee to defray the costs of the reposition.

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I think the term you are looking for is set out at a non-Amtrak designated station for private cars. They setout and pick-up in Milwaukee as well as Twin Cities which are intermediate stations by my definition. Also, I think it is all negotiable. Pretty confident you could get Amtrak to agree to anything if you are willing to pay and have your ducks in a row.

Amtrak guidelines are just that.

I remember long ago I was told Amtrak would never stop at a local station in Wisconsin that had not seen passenger service since 1971. Turns out the local high school convinced Amtrak to do just that for a field trip…one of the kids on the trip’s Father was Ed King (CP Dispatcher in Milwaukee at the time and a long ago writer for TRAINS Magazine).

For your reading pleasure.

It’s interesting to see John’s Cars in the video. He had ads in Hemmings Motor News 30 years ago that stated that he needed passenger railcar equipment and parts. His business was installing American-made engines (usually Chevrolet) into the V-12 Jaguars of the 1980s when the engines got old and unreliable which naturally, being British was bound to happen.

Back in the railroad operated passenger days I seem to recall that the charges for moving a Private car was 22 First Class fares between origin and destination. With accessory charges being billed as they were accrued. Private car operation at any time in history is not something to be undertaken by those that are light on financial footing.

It’s too bad one cant occupy passenger cars as here it would result in much faster transit for the passenger then getting on a Via Rail train. That constantly pulls into a siding to let the freight trains pass.

What I was going to say has already been posted.