So getting a vehicle from Virginia to Florida or vice versa is currently around $270. Just an FYI.
For challenge purposes, since the owner of the vehicle would be traveling with the vehicle, this would not count as shipping cost, would it? Also considering that vehicles must be in operating condition to utilize the autotrain
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
Shipping of the vehicle doesn't count towards the purchase price for the challenge. If you find a great deal in south east Asia and want to pay to have it shipped. The shipping portion only counts towards your personal budget.
I wish they would make that available on the West Coast. It would make traveling up/down the coast so much more enjoyable.
In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :
I'm wishing they had a Chicago to DC or even NY route as I have a vehicle to ship from Chicago currently.
The RAV4 has at least made it from Vermont to PA, it should be down to MD before mid March.
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :
I'm wishing they had a Chicago to DC or even NY route as I have a vehicle to ship from Chicago currently.
The RAV4 has at least made it from Vermont to PA, it should be down to MD before mid March.
Yeah, that would be pretty awesome.
Just thinking it would be fun to travel with the kids on the train instead of flying and not having to rent a rig/haul car seats, etc. at the other end.
Would make road trips much more enjoyable for everyone and allow a wider range of vehicles (like say taking the Focus RS along with the family to Disneyland or Long Beach for example)
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
Do you have a link? I couldn't find that rate on their website anywhere.
In reply to hobiercr (FS) :
Their website kind of stinks regarding navigation, rates and won't even bring up the rate for adding a vehicle until you start the booking process. I'll grab a link shortly.
I haz sad.
I really hoped someone here would be buying a train.
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
I think that's bound to happen eventually, but it'll likely be a group-buy.
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
That was my thought when I saw the title. "Ooooh! I wonder how much a used train cost!"
In reply to tomtomgt356 (FS) :
Go sign up for an account at Mozart Mountain Railcar, who is a broker for locomotives and cars. Its free. Or the account is, at least. I did find an EMD SW1200 1200HP switcher on Facebook Marketplace for $45k once.
Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:I wish they would make that available on the West Coast. It would make traveling up/down the coast so much more enjoyable.
Oh man... I usually don't mind the road trip aspect (we don't have any miniature backseat drivers), but the ability to, say, go to Monterey Car Week with a car that I don't necessarily want to drive all the way from PDX... Or just to visit S.F. and surrounding areas with a fun car would be awesome.
It equates out to about 30 cents a mile, That's well worth it to me.
One of my dream road trips is to drive the Florida keys up and back, if taking the auto train to and from Orlando makes that viable, that's worthwhile to me. There's not much driving wise south of Greenville, SC that I care for (unless tracking westward on the journey south through Chattanooga).
I've used the auto train with my ex- back in 2007, although we used the "cabinette" two person suites.
It is an overnight trip and the general seating is like being on an overnight flight. If you don't sleep well on a plane, then you may arrive tired.
We've written about the Auto Train over on Classic Motorsports. Not too long ago, in fact, I was talking to a good friend about doing it: Take our cars up from here in Florida and then have a fun drive back home.
One day.
Can you sleep in your car ?
Thats what I always did on the ferry from Belgium to Dover !
And no it was not officially allowed , but it was a 5-6 hours trip and my van was more comfortable than the chairs upstairs :0
That would be a great way to keep miles off the challenge car just to avoid it breaking on the way down. (Better to break on the first autocross run 
) Or maybe limp a barely working car back home. 
NickD said:In reply to tomtomgt356 (FS) :
Go sign up for an account at Mozart Mountain Railcar, who is a broker for locomotives and cars. Its free. Or the account is, at least. I did find an EMD SW1200 1200HP switcher on Facebook Marketplace for $45k once.
How about an FL9 for 22,500? Divide by 11 people and that's basically challenge budget!
https://ozarkmountainrailcar.com/railEquipment.php?itemId=2195&category=Locomotives
slowbird said:NickD said:In reply to tomtomgt356 (FS) :
Go sign up for an account at Mozart Mountain Railcar, who is a broker for locomotives and cars. Its free. Or the account is, at least. I did find an EMD SW1200 1200HP switcher on Facebook Marketplace for $45k once.
How about an FL9 for 22,500? Divide by 11 people and that's basically challenge budget!
https://ozarkmountainrailcar.com/railEquipment.php?itemId=2195&category=Locomotives
Oh! That's one of the ex-Metro North FL9s that Adirondack Railroad bought for parts. They were stored on a spur here in Rome, NY when I was in high school. I may or may not have gone exploring on them back then. They were rough then (and that was 10+ years ago), and I don't think Adirondack ever ran them, just kept them on hands for parts for their F7A and "FP10". Not sure why they bothered painting them in the Adirondack livery unless it was used as a test before they applied it to their other equipment.
Aaaand now we're off-topic.
tomtomgt356 (FS) said:In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
That was my thought when I saw the title. "Ooooh! I wonder how much a used train cost!"
That is why I clicked as well!
In reply to slowbird :
There is nothing I can do with that and nowhere I can put it and I want it badly. That locomotive is proof I'm insane.
In reply to Jesse Ransom (FFS) :
I also found some cheap cabooses on that site. Imagine using one as a camp trailer.
In reply to slowbird :
Cabooses can be shipped by truck, so a lot of people buy them and put them in their backyards and make them little home offices or at-home camps. There's also a caboose motel, with something like 38 cabooses, in PA.
Jesse Ransom (FFS) said:In reply to slowbird :
There is nothing I can do with that and nowhere I can put it and I want it badly. That locomotive is proof I'm insane.
This hotel took an EMD FP45 locomotive and hollowed it out and made it a luxury lodge. You could theoretically do that with that FL9
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