TIL Amtrak will let you attach your own private car to one of their trains and they charge you per a mile

Buy cheap carriage.

Paint with radiation symbols and rainbow flags.

Write "GAY-diation distribution system" on the side.

Send it on a tour of red states and enjoy the freak-outs.

I would donate to this godundme

The thing I haven't read in this thread: how do you get your personal trail car to the station, and how do you move it about on your destination?

It sounds cool but very inflexible.

You pay for someone (another rail company operating at that railyard) to move it for you into storage, where you pay the storage costs. If you need that railcar somewhere else, you pay someone to transport it somewhere else, same as how cargo rail would work.
It feels like the last time this service was used, everyone would have giant top hats, and their own personal railway spur to their houses.

http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds/classified.php?id=29453

https://www.railmover.com/

Why isn’t this sometime of trend or hobby?

I think private rail carriages are slightly more expensive and limited use than vans, which is why vanlife has taken off and carriagelife has not
Only the rich could afford this likely, and a huge subset of the rich are people who value their time too much to spend it on transportation they don't have direct control over.
However, I do think there are people out there who'd do this if they found out. Travel YouTubers. The more popular ones have decent income and starting a new niche or getting in on one early can pull a lot of new viewers.
- It’s FAR more expensive than vans. For comparison, a fully renovated carriage could cost in the neighborhood of $1M, and Amtrak mileage fees are in the neighborhood of $5/mil. Renting a private car is around $15k per day per car, including mileage fees.
  For comparison San Diego to San Francisco is a one day trip by train and about 600 miles. So, you’d be paying in the neighborhood of $2500 for those miles if you own the car, and $15k for charter. You could charter a private turboprop airplane to go that same distance for around $7000. Add in that some private car owners will string multiple cars together, and it can easily exceed the cost of just going by private plane even if you own the cars and charter the plane.
  At the end of the day, it’s like having a superyacht—it’s rarely the most affordable or practical route but it is fun and luxurious so rich people do it anyway.
- "Hey, jet setters! Today, we're going to be traveling across the United States in our own private railcar... attached to an Amtrak service!"
  -Jeb, probably

This one of those hobbies that sounds so cool but so impractical to get into. Like it makes getting a boat sound like a cheap and easy hobby.

Probably not too impractical owing to the fact that you probably aren't allowed to do jack shit yourself. It's not like you can tow it from the depot to the station with your f150. Much easier than owning a boat :) presumably just as pricey though and with even less utility

This is so much more baller than a private jet

"I am rich but I don't need to rush around the country to keep being rich"
- I'm gonna take my time and enjoy the ride. If you need me, come meet me on my train. I'm pulling into Kansas City tomorrow. See you there. Meanwhile I'm gonna have a cocktail and play some video games.
If I had to choose one, it would be the private rail car for sure.

I worked with someone that had some Great Aunt or whatever that did this. The lady just didn't like planes, so she would travel like this. Basically, you get all the amenities of an RV, water tank fill up, power hook up, plus you can walk up to the admittedly gross food car. She said it looked like an RV apartment combo, and that the Aunt was old money, so the Mr. Monopoly vibe is accurate.

the admittedly gross food car.
Is it gross to other people? Seems like an ordinary bare bones cafe to me: a few snacks, including some basic hot food, coffee/tea/soft drinks, beer, wine.
- I've always found it gross. Fine for wine or coffee, but food...eesh. Soggy sandwiches, microwave hot dogs, and $9 airplane style snack packs with a $0.75 cereal bar or whatever. Had a mediocre but tolerable breakfast once, but it was just eggs and hashbrowns.
I'm with Great Aunt whomever. Flying sucks.
Plus, you could make it an event or party car. Imagine a traveling bachelorette party with a murder mystery dinner, karaoke, no flying, no driving, and you end up somewhere cool and can nap on the way back.
(100% of the pre-wedding parties I've been to have had karaoke and a murder mystery dinner. Sample set of one.)
- Coworker said that time is the luxury item. Unless your car is following exactly a regular Amtrak route, at some point you get decoupled in a yard and passed off to another train, which can take hours. Basically a layover. So it sounds like it can easily become a multi-day thing to get somewhere you can get in like 5 hours by air.
  But yeah, if you have the time and inclination, it seems like a pleasant way to go.

How much does a rail car cost, and what is maintenance, inspection, etc like? This is still something of the very wealthy.

I have another thread in here talking about cost, but just the mileage fees for a trip on a car you own can be a significant percentage of the cost of chartering a plane. If you rent the car it can cost significantly more.
Owning a private rail car is a bit like owning a superyacht; it’s not a particularly fast or practical form of travel but it can be luxurious and fun so people with money do it anyways.
The German state railway company sells their used trains here: https://www.db-gebrauchtzug.de/
From some searching, they're also available for charter. Still not something for a person of average means to do on their own, but maybe a group of upper-middle class people. Some Amtrak routes go through some incredibly scenic areas. The one that comes to mind in my neck of the woods is the Empire Builder. It would be a luxury experience for sure.
Yet slower, and far less convenient than air travel. Sight-seeing aside, I honestly don't know who this is for.
Maybe there's a train-enthusiast club out there that has a small fleet of rail-ready cars?
- Yet slower, and far less convenient than air travel.
  you should be aware there is a non-insignificant population that despise air travel. whether it's personal issues (fear, stomach problems etc.,) or they really hate the TSA...
- Definitely a case of the journey being more important than the destination.
- Slow, sight seeing and not flying is exactly the point.
- Because they love the experience. Trains are really a lot of fun.
- My guess is that this is a holdover from when rich people did have train cars (and sometimes even full trains!).
  I would bet there are still a couple of rich people living out their train fantasies.

Am I the only person without a personal train car? Am I surrounded by people in top hats and just don't know?

I started a conversation the other day with some friends about if I ever ran for President and needed to travel the country, what impact would there be if I decided to go super old-school and get a Presidential train car.
Side conversation; Airforce 1 is the Airliner the Pres flies on. Marine 1 is the helicoper. What would be the train designation?
- Choochoo McTrainFace 1
- It would be a statement, that's for sure.
  Major problem is that Amtrak has the lowest priority on our rail network. Getting to a campaign rail-stop on time would be almost impossible without greasing some palms. So you'd have to hook up with a cargo rail line or something like that.
  Edit: Now, if you had "improve rail transportation" as a major platform plank, showing up late would be a feature, not a bug.
- US-CAR 1 or uscar 1. We've had several before so it's not particularly an abstract.
  They're all named after great explorers, Marco Polo, Ferdinand Magellan etc.
- Land Sealion.
  I mean Trainforce1 is right there, but Landforce1 sounds good too
- Awful for security. Your whereabouts would be known at all times, and the USSS can't protect every mile of track.
- Locomotive 1
- Depends on which branch manages the railcar:
  http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/other_cars/1private/us_military/us_military.htm
- Amtrak 1?

For like 30 seconds I was thinking 'car' meant automobile and I was picturing like someone's SUV hitched to the back of a train.

I should get some coffee.

Amtrak does have the "auto train" which runs from just outside DC to just outside Orlando. You load your car on the train and ride the train rather than driving that distance. It's apparently really popular with both snowbirds as well as vacationers
- It's also pretty normal in europe - It's pretty cheap if you compare it to the cost in fuel and wear on the car if you want to make a long distance vacation, and it beats driving long hours of mostly highway during the time where EVERYONE drives into vacation and traffic jams are common.
- Neat!
  If anyone else is curious, there's a lengthy blog post with some photos here: https://www.aboomerslifeafter50.com/travel/is-the-amtrak-auto-train-worth-the-ride-heres-my-take-going-to-florida/
  Two adult rail fares $286 + one roomette for two $565 + automobile $269 = Grand total $1120
  And a Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Train
- This is also how the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France works, sans any amenities other than a toilet. Drive on, get taken under the strait, and drive off at the other side.

Mumford and Sons is currently running a tour by rail using Amtrak's services!

https://railroadrevival.com/

But I've also heard of private groups pooling together to buy an old passenger car and keeping it maintained and up to whatever the current Amtrak requirements are so that they can do this regularly. Alternatively there's several private companies who you can rent and charter a car or several with if you don't want to commit long term to owning a railcar. I've specifically seen this one on private charter before for some model railroad events: https://261.com/cedar-rapids/

This feels like a holdover from the Teddy Roosevelt/robber baron era!

Now I just need to know when and where Amtrak still operates. Because it ain't around here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Amtrak_routes
Geographic map of Amtrak services as of August 2025
- I'm looking at this and it's so sad. Not just that several states lack lines altogether, but... The existing lines lack some obvious interconnections. Where's the OKC to Albuquerque line? Or even El Paso to Albuquerque. Get those two long distinct lines connected! Similarly, a shortcut to Denver from the line that goes through KC and Albuquerque? And I think Jacksonville should get direct lines to Atlanta and New Orleans.
  There's so much that could be improved here with just a few tens of thousands of miles. Focus on better interconnections between the already existing routes first because it improves mobility for more people with fewer railroads to build, then build routes to cities currently completely unserviced (actually both should be done at the same time, just a bigger focus on the former early on)
- Theoretically, you can still do NY to LA?
- Pathetic

Yeah iirc thats an old holdover from when that was how rich people got around

Well, shit. Now I want to be rich
- Do it!

But how much is it?

Short hop (300 miles, 1 car): Mileage = 300×$4.72 = $1,416, but you’ll pay the $2,296 minimum (plus any parking/switching).
Regional trip (500 miles, 1 car): 500×$4.72 = $2,360 (above the minimum). With one night of standard parking, $2,583 before any special switching.
Overnight long-distance (1,000 miles): $4,720 for one car. Two cars on the same request price $8,340 (first car $4,720 + second car $3,620) before parking/switching.
https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/privatecars/Amtrak-Private-Car-Rate-Addendum-7-111824.pdf
- Good god!
  Guess I'll keep flying for the time being.
- Even assuming some passenger limit (otherwise you could sell your own tickets and make a tidy profit) for groups large enough to require a charter bus, this sounds like a reasonable alternative. In fact that might be their target market.
What advantages does this train have over, say, a motor car -- which I could also afford?
- You don't have to drive the train
- You are basically in a moving apartment, with bed, shower, bathroom, fridge, ability to cook...
  It's out of my price range, but I certainly could see the appeal.
  The car will be way faster and more open ended in terms of where you start and finish, so it's far more practical if you just want to get to where you are going.
- well, you'll notice how the private shower provides ample hot water, while ... ... gently massages your buttocks. well, count jerkface, shall we discuss the ...

No joke, at least back in the 80s some wall-streeters did thIs from my home town in Nj to NYC every day. Complete with full bar.

There were articles about people who make a lifestyle of this. Though the practice is apparently under pressure, as allowing random people to attach private carriages to your trains does complicate operating a railway.

Where else am I supposed to perform my ablutions?

So is it possible to have a tiny home on rails?!?!?

i hope america, and by extension, amtrak is still around when i retire, because this is cool as hell.

after the civil war of 2028 the railways were damaged beyond repair to destroy supply routes to the Federalists in DC. making it impossible for trains to travel more than 10 miles, if you were even lucky enough to find a working engine.
don't worry though, there are plenty of trains in Europe, but in order to get on one of those you'd have to be a pow, and you likely won't survive the destination.
- If we have a civil war that destroys the railroads only the worst outcome would avoid massive improvements to rail infrastructure. It's still absolutely crucial to pur indistrial capacity. A fascist victory would have low speed rail redesigned for precision scheduling. A progressive victory would get high speed rail between major population centers, expansion of intraregional rail, and reconstruction of the industrial rail network. Balkanization would wind up with progressive areas considering high speed rail to be vital.
  Like if the west coast ditches, we'll probably continue towards the San Diego - Seattle line because when all your major population centers are in a row and reasonably spaced it becomes obvious to do it.
  But yeah currently American rail is more functional than the governmental and political landscape.

with hookers and blackjack?

as many as your car can carry.
- You can fit so nanny blackjacks in this "slaps side of car*

Ok. Mr Burns

Who wouldn't want to take a private cartage? Id get one for baboo too.

I have an idea...

How many pack tops did that sucker cost?

not private automobile, private rail/train Car….
so if you happen to be a millionaire and own your own entire rail car, then you can hook it up to an amtrak

should be called Amtrak Barnacles

Pretty sure you can do this with freight trains as well, and it should be cheaper. Though there would be no water, and likely no power hookups this way.

what if I bring my own reactor?

Interesting. Anyone know that the cost is?

The page is here. Under "rate addendum number 7" you can find a pdf with the prices.

I was just on an amtrak and read about this too. On board, I heard this being a thing too

At the rate Amtrak derails or rail bridges go out? I think I’ll just fly Boeing.

How often do you think they derail, or bridges go out?
I think over the last decade, I've heard of one incident.
You're thinking of cargo rail. Amtrak owns the rails and the passenger service. They actually run way more than you probably think as they operate the northeast corridor as well as some of the other more serviced lines like the cascade corridor.
- Amtrak doesn't actually own most of the rails, and pays the rail owners like CSX for access to those routes.

And what about bicycles?

I think we shouldn't let cars be attached, but bicycles be able to.

I think you misunderstand, this is not talking about road cars, but railcars, like a train wagon.
- Aah, gotcha, that makes more sense. I got confused then, I guess.
- Iirc, Amtrak does give the option to take your automobile on the train with you
- So what if I rig my bicycle to be a rail cycle?