I recently saw a documentary film about freight ships taking on paying passengers, an inexpensive, if spartan way of travelling. They don’t do it to make money, although these are paying passengers. It is merely a little known service they offer. Perhaps America’s railroads could offer something similar by tacking a caboose or coach onto the end of their freight trains. I’m sure there would be rail-fans interested in travelling that way!
I wonder what that would do to their insurance costs?
Not a bad idea, though.
With Amtrak’s timekeeping on some routes, the uncertainty of schedule when riding freights might not be all that bad!
With the steamship companies, the incremental cost is pretty low since they are already running a “hotel” for their crew. Maybe there’s a market for third party to sell passenger and auto-ferry or RV transport on freight trains. They’d set up the terminals and loading facilities, own and operate the equipment, and contract with the RRs for the haul. To the RR, it would just look like another block to be picked up and set out. Handle it on the head end to avoid the worst of slack action issue. Biggest issue is that Amtrak owns the rights to intercity passenger transport on their member frt RRs. But, whats to stop Amtrak from hiring a third party to do that kind of operation? Union contracts?
Maybe they could force the company lawyers to ride an E OT {call it Spartan Class]. Bring back the old days of train travel, mixed trains, drovers cabooses. Modernize it. Be the first in your RR club to ride a TED or FRED on rare mileage! [(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][oops]
I was thinking of something like a rail cruise for rail fans, not a way to get from A to B. Take a refurbished caboose, put in maps and schematics of the division to be travelled, train schedule, switching lists, and a scanner to monitor communications between crew and dispatcher. Surely there’s gotta be a market for something like this! And as to insurance costs, you just sign a release form accepting reasonable risks.
Considering how much slack is present in a modern freight with 3-5’+/- of slack per car spread out over 100-200 cars, I 'd pass on riding on the rear of one. Another problem: Fitting one’s self in the FRED! I know I need to lose some weight, but that’s a bit of a reach, me thinks![(-D]
doesn’t the Santa Fe Southern do something similar in New Mexico?
dd