Can anyone tell me if its true and why Amtrak will not or cannot pull a refurbished caboose?? Is it a length or weight issue? I know this sounds hokey but if one were fixed up with a decent paint scheme why wouldn't they pull it??
Trucks, air appliances, wheels, couplers, own power source for anything that needs power, length, weight, suspension, and anything else I left out. Not complient with Amtrak operations.
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Other than looking silly and riding like a HUMMV, check www.aaprco.com for some of the Amtrak compliancy rules. I'm sure many private roads, especially short lines, would welcome you without Amtrak-izing it. AAPRCO members do run some non-Amtrak cars.
Hays -- AAPRCO 8003
At one time the Santa Fe Railway had pool cabooses that could withstand the rigors of 79-mph running at the tail end of the Super C. I should think that Union Pacific's "cadillac crummies" (CA-5 through CA-10) could handle the same speeds. But there's an important difference between cabs and passenger cars.
Amtrak may have a requirement stating that the trailing coach or sleeping car door of its equipment must safely match the end door of the private equipment thus allowing any Amtrak employee safe passage between cars - whether a train was stopped or moving. Given that a caboose has two open platforms - one on each end - there's no way this requirement could be met.
Besides the issue discussed above, there's the additional issue of heating. An oil-fired Caban caboose stove will eventually run out of fuel - probably before the next locomotive fueling point. That and a limited amount of sink water could make for a pretty spartan conditions.
Oh, and one more thing: don't forget your ear plugs. Riding in a caboose at high speed can be mighty noisy!
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