Interested in Starting a Private car or locomotive

[Anonymous]

Well I am. I have friends in the buisness. I tried purchasing an old Santa Fe dinning car. In the end it didn't work out. If any of you have any questions about this industry or what I would like to do, I am interested in partners or investors. Or if you just want to chat a little bit about something you've never heard of before. Go ahead and reply to this message. Or e-mail me at [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

I would think I would be out of my league. But, don't we all maybe have that secret desire to own (or a piece of) a private car?

Keep the faith and go for it!

[Anonymous]

Well alot of people due really have what people call the burn! It's not as far out of your league as you may think. I was only 19 when I did this, and now Im only 20. A lot of these rr cars go for the same price as a used automobile. Of course some are a lot more. It getting the car running that takes the bucks, not owning one as a hobbie itself.

[PaulWWoodring]

If you mean steam loco when you say locomotive, then I'm interested. I decided some time ago that that is the one thing I wanted to have a piece of in the hobby, be part owner of a steam locomotive big enough to sit in the cab of (as opposed to live steam size, which I'm involved in) even if it involves building a replica. If you're anywhere within a reasonable distance of the Washington/Baltimore area let's discuss it away from the forum. I know of a 3 footer that might be available in the near future that needs A LOT of work (like a new boiler).

[cprted]

Cheap Steam Engines!
During the deiselization of the finnish railroad system all the steam locomotives were put into a warehouse and maintianed in case they were ever needed again (Canadian Pacific did the same thing) now they have decided to get rid of them and are selling off steam engines in good running condition for about $25,000. The only trick is getting it across the ocean. And as a response to Paul, being involved with steam preservation and restoration myself, if you ever plan on buying an engine you want to run, and you don't have 5 million dollars kicking around, make sure it has a good boiler!

[Anonymous]

From what I've seen on the Net some of these cars go for $18K to $35K per unit. Add an equal amount for restoration, modernization, etc. and you've got a nice bill. Add transportation costs to your location, railroad usage fees everytime you want to take it out, storage and really starts to add up.

There's a RR here in the Cleve., OH area, the Cuyahoga Valley RR, and they charge $1.2k for a tail end car (holds up to 30 people) for 1 day excursion. Still seems expensive. But if your company foots the bill, go for it.

Regards,
Karl

[Anonymous]

If you've got some spare change (as in well into to the six-figure area), both Ross Rowland's ex-C&O 4-8-4 #614 abd Tom Payne's ex-Reading 4-8-4 #2100 are for sale.

[Anonymous]

The purchase price of a car will depend on several factors:

Builder - Budd equipment carries the highest market value due to their near-indestructible stainless steel construction. Carbon steel cars from various builders are next, with the aluminum-body cars from ACF last, mostly due to galvanic corrosion problems.

Car Type - Diners and lounges usually run more than coaches.

Rarity - A really cherry heavyweight can have more value than a postwar Budd.

General Condition - How much rot is there? How much of the interior furnishings remain? What is the general state of maintenance? How much upgrading has been done?

Then, you have to know what you're going to do with the car. If you are going to park it on private land somewhere and putter away, then it's only a matter of getting it ready to ship. If you have plans to operate in excursion service, figure on some big bucks.

Perhaps the most practical way to get into the car ownership thing would be to join a historical group that owns and restores passenger cars. At Bluewater, we have some 14 passenger cars in our fleet, about 2/3 of which are currently in service. We are always looking for new members who would like to join this restoration effort. Check our web site for details:

bluewaternrhs.com

Bob Thatcher