People have private cars that they drive on roads and highways across the country. They have private boat that they operate on lakes, rivers and oceans. And people have private planes that they fly pretty much all over the place.
But, do people own private trains? Could I buy my own engine and sleeper car and drive it around the rail network? Is there some reason why this isn’t done (besides what seems to be a lack of infrastructure for privately operated trains)?
I’m completely talking out of my butt here.
I don’t see why not. I suppose if you can afford to purchase it, and get all the certifications, and clear your trips with whatever transit authorities that be; then you’d probably be okay. They might not let you do it though to avoid having a bunch of rich people clogging up the railways on pleasure trips.
Trevelyan had one. The only flaw in it was that in every car, there was an exposed control box for the brake system of the train for no reason, that could easily be destroyed by anyone with a gun.
You could buy your own train and drive it on your own railway.
What about the upkeep of the line and the staff necessary to control the points along your route? I have a feeling that there’s an awful lot more involved in running a train than just sitting in the engine.
Yep. Do a Google for “Private Varnish,” they usually have a nice selection for sale. The trick is the car can go wherever you like, but you can only be in it if it is attached to a passenger train. That sort of limits you.
GrandLuxe Rail Journeys (formerly American Orient Express) is a private company that owns a luxury train and runs it all over the US. I don’t see why an individual can’t do it. Obviously you have to pay the railway company (who owns and maintains the tracks) for passage. And even GrandLuxe doesn’t own their own locomotives - I believe those are leased from Amtrak for each tour.
I’m not familiar with US rules, but the answer is generally “yes”.
In the old days - in this country at least - you’d likely have been told to bugger off. Either that, or you could charter their train. But that was in the government railways days (British style). In this era of privatised everything, it’s more like the US always has been, and you could do it.
An American railroad will allocate “paths” (not sure of US terminology), but it’s like an airport allocates slots. They sell these things, but there is all sorts of corporate hoodoo tied up in it, which is why the company’s own freights get priority over Amtrak. So, it would really come down to your fistful of dollars, but theoretically at least, there’s no reason why not.
In my jurisdiction, any man and his dog can run a train on the network, but they need to become an “Accredited Rail Operator” which involves all sorts of certification, their locomotives, rolling stock, and crew all need to be certified too. And then you cough up the bucks. But it’s do-able.
In the OP’s scenario, a wealthy individual (unless he was a real train nerd who wanted to get involved in the train itself and even the driving of same) would likely end up with locomotives owned by one company, cars owned by another, crew provided by another, track paths provided by the relevant railroads, and paying top dollar for them all. But it could be done.
I know several people who own their own rail passenger cars (or a caboose) and one who owns his own locomotives (they are very expensive). I don’t know all the details, but here is what I’ve picked up:
You can pay a railroad to pull your car, but the train has to be classified as a passenger or mixed consist train. Most trains are freight only. Still, many railroads will pull your car on their train for a fee. There are also clubs and museums that run excursion passenger trains that might allow you to hitch on to the train.
If you own your own locomotive, that solves some problems. But aside from the cost for the engine and fuel, you also have to pay for track rights (since the tracks are owned by the railroads). You will also be given the lowest priority along the route, so be prepared to pull over for any freight train that needs to get past you. This will cause significant delays in high-volume routes.
Also, you’ll probably need a small crew (at least one other person) and a train engineer’s license. And the liablity insurance is astronomical, especially if you plan on having any passengers.
I don’t have any more specific information but I’m sure there are private train operators out there with more details.
In which case, one of two things would happen:
Imminent fiery death is very remote. Train brakes are failsafe, and have been for a century or so. The air pressure keeps the brakes OFF. It doesn’t apply them. This is the main problem with just about every “runaway train” movie/book/etc ever produced.
An entire private train (locomotive plus multiple cars), in the USA, maybe, but it would be really expensive to operate and there may be limitations on where it could be run. Since almost all US trackage is owned by freight railroads or Amtrak, private trains running on those tracks would have to be hauled by locomotives equipped for the signaling systems in use (some lines require in-cab signal systems or something called Automatic Train Stop) and the train would have to be crewed (engineer/driver and conductor) by someone qualified for the specific routes taken. In practice, this generally means that the train must be led by a locomotive of the specific railroad on which the train is traveling, crewed by railroad employees.
Individual privately-owned passenger cars, in the USA, yes. There is an association of private railway passenger car owners, and they meet every year (with cars) in some US city. The cars are hauled, occupied, mostly on regular Amtrak passenger trains, and their running gear has to meet Amtrak and federal standards for the track speeds allowed. In some cases, privately-owned locomotives may be chartered to haul several privately cars at once, but these are mostly one-shot deals brokered with the railroad and whoever owns the locomotives to be used.
In the UK there are companies who specialise in running steamtrain specials, so if a company can do it, I can’t see why an individual cannot, aprat from lots of expenses and operating licences.
http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs07.htm
They do all kind of operations some run their own rail system, others just operate a number of units on the mainlines which they have to schedule and charter.
They used to do it in the old days. We have old reruns of THe Jack Benny Show and Burns and Allen and both of them chartered Union Pacific trains and did their shows off them. Of course this was probably the 40s or 50s. I guess 50s since it was TV.
But anyway the whole train belonged to the TV show and they stopped in towns along the way. George Burns’s train went to Omaha and Benny’s went to Salt Lake City.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus have two private trains, one for each of their shows (circuses? circi?) Wikipedia reports they are the longest privately-owned trains in the world.
Private railroad cars were not too uncommon among the very rich in decades past. As recently as 1939, private cars belonging to guests of the Waldorf Astoria could be shunted to a special hotel entrance at Grand Central, over which the Astor stands.
I was surprised to learn that this was being done as late as 1939. Until I went to reseach the matter for this post, I assumed that this was something that went out of favor no later than 1910 or so.
A number of years ago I worked in a building that had several train heads working there. Since we were also just across the street from the main RR tracks out of LA going north we saw a lot of trains go by. Every so often you would see a private rail car on the back of one of the Amtrak trains. I asked about it, and they told me that you can buy a rail car, sometimes quite cheap.* Taking it somewhere is done by Amtrak and they charge the equivalent of 20 tickets to hook your car to their train.
On of the rail cars we saw was owned by Casablanca ceiling fans. It was loaded with people (customers I assume) that were enjoying the hell out of the ride from the platform on the back of the rail car.
*I was told that the restoration of a rail car from the 1940s or before can cost an astronomical amount.
I can’t find a link at the moment, but Jackie Gleason had his own private train (the cars are in Nashville at a museum). Gleason hated flying, so he bought his own train and any time he wanted to go long distance, he went by his own train. Many of the folks who worked on The Honeymooners when it was filmed in NYC, also worked on Jackie’s nightclub show in Florida. When the TV season ended, they’d all pile into the “party train” and ride (and drink and drink and drink) to Florida.
That’s exactly what happened to Trevelyan’s train.
Much the same for the UK now, private companies can operate train services if they get a licence from the government. Even in the days of nationalized railways though the Pullman company ran its own luxury trains in the UK.
Depending on how you define “train,” there’s actually a way to ride the rails in a vehicle you personally own at a cost that is within the means of virtually any middle-class person.
They’re called railcars (or motor cars, speeders, or putt-putts). They’re small, gas-engine driven vehicles, capable of holding between two and six people, formerly used by the railroads for maintenance purposes. A tiny group of hobbyists collects, restores, and operates them, taking them for group excursion on tracks all over North America. Here’s more info on the hobby.
Naturally, they have to get permission from (and pay) the railroads. Excursions (always in groups, not solo) can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, and can cover as much as 1,000 miles. As you can see from the pictures at the linked Web site, this isn’t exactly millionaire-class luxury, although some of them look quite comfortable. Nor is it high-speed travel: top speed is about 35 mph.
But as they point out, you get to travel through some of the most scenic countryside in the world, often in areas that automobiles never see. And since these people are obviously train buffs, they get to see, and be close to, the big boys’ train gear. During some excursions they all have to pull off on a siding at a scheduled time and place to let a real train go by.
I only learned about this hobby last year from a colleague who’s involved. I have to say, as a minor-league train buff, I find it fascinating, and if I didn’t already have a transportation hobby that is about as remote from this one as you can get (and a lot more expensive), I might be tempted. You can get a railcar in decent condition for a couple thousand bucks, and you’ll need a tow vehicle and trailer. But that’s about it, apart from the costs of the excursions.
My friend lives on the opposite side of the continent, so I haven’t asked him to take me along on a trip. But I’ve been tempted to try to hitch a ride with a club here on the East Coast, just to see what it’s like. I’ll bet it’s a lot of fun, in a relaxed, geeky, train buff way.
Didn’t want to let this sink into obscurity without thanking everyone who replied, so thanks. Unfortunately, it looks like my plan of winning the lottery then riding around the country in my private Wild, Wild West-style train are doomed to failure. Oh well… 
Actually, I had forgotten (knew, but forgotten) that the rail lines are privately owned as opposed to the highway system (which is owned by the government and public) and the air and water (which are just there, though I know there are restrictions). That does throw a bit of a wrench into the works, not to mention the embarrassment of meeting another train head-on when neither of you can dodge out of the way of the other.
It looks like the private cars that El_Kabong mentions are probably the closest practical equivalent to a personal train you can get. I hadn’t heard of those before. I also hadn’t heard of the things commasense describes either, at least not in private hands (I think I’ve seen them with railroad logos on them). (I’ve also seen regular looking highway vehicles with what seem to be train wheels that can be lowered into position; I understand the railroads also use them for maintenance or whatever.) That’s interesting, but not exactly the same as owning your own train either.
But again, thanks all!