can I rent a mobile caboose?
June 5, 2009 11:47 AM Subscribe
Is it possible to rent a caboose on a train line in north america? I have heard anecdotally that it is possible to rent a caboose and have it picked up and dropped off by the rail service, but I can't find any evidence with my poor google skills. This is not renting a retired caboose as a motel room, but an actual caboose that would travel from place to place
Response by poster: Thanks for that suggestion, I'm actually looking to rent a caboose that I could get hauled around the US.
posted by puppy kuddles at 11:52 AM on June 5, 2009
posted by puppy kuddles at 11:52 AM on June 5, 2009
Response by poster: @The World Famous, that's exactly what I'm looking for, please let me know if you find more info
posted by puppy kuddles at 11:53 AM on June 5, 2009
posted by puppy kuddles at 11:53 AM on June 5, 2009
Ah- the Cass Railroad trains only cover a short distance- but they will haul your private caboose to the top of Cheat Mt. and leave you there overnight to camp or sleep in the caboose.
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 11:55 AM on June 5, 2009
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 11:55 AM on June 5, 2009
Private Rail Cars? $7,500 a day for a private car. If you can afford that you probably wouldn't be asking here.
posted by GuyZero at 11:57 AM on June 5, 2009
posted by GuyZero at 11:57 AM on June 5, 2009
Not caboose-specific, but you might find some information in this thread.
posted by 7segment at 12:00 PM on June 5, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by 7segment at 12:00 PM on June 5, 2009 [1 favorite]
I don't see any cabooses here, but there are some very luxurious railcars.
posted by DB Cooper at 12:30 PM on June 5, 2009
posted by DB Cooper at 12:30 PM on June 5, 2009
Wow, that other thread everyone's linking to has some great stuff. That plus some googling gives this page about private cars on Amtrak and this one about moving a private car on Via Rail (the Canadian rail company). Via apparently also has a service where you can charter one of their cars -- Priva -- which, to give you an idea, runs between $5K and $10K for the Montreal-Toronto run.
posted by chalkbored at 12:36 PM on June 5, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by chalkbored at 12:36 PM on June 5, 2009 [1 favorite]
GuyZero has it: no one who needs to ask a question like this on AskMe is anywhere near the level of affluence necessary for things like this. Rail Journeys West, which has a number of cars available for rent, has a private jet service available for patrons. They'll do things like put your corporate logo on the car for the duration of your trip, provide champagne service, etc. Their target is CEOs and their companies, and corporate excursions seem to be a big chunk of their book of business. So unless you're willing to drop between $50-100k on a vacation, you're probably better off finding something else to do.
posted by valkyryn at 2:35 PM on June 5, 2009
posted by valkyryn at 2:35 PM on June 5, 2009
No offence to the OP, it's just expensive, that's all I'm sayin'. Amtrak's private rail page sez it's $2.10 per mile for private cars, plus parking and some other fees. That assumes you have your own rail car.
posted by GuyZero at 3:15 PM on June 5, 2009
posted by GuyZero at 3:15 PM on June 5, 2009
hellbound beat me to it. Yup, you can do it at cass. You can also do it in Elkins, and they straight up have retrofitted cabooses from original steam trains that they'll drop you off and pick you up. STEAM TRAINS. I've seen 'em, they're original. They even use the original passenger car.
Screw Amtrak, come get dropped off in the mountains.
http://www.msrlha.org/elkins09/index.html
posted by TomMelee at 8:29 PM on June 5, 2009
Screw Amtrak, come get dropped off in the mountains.
http://www.msrlha.org/elkins09/index.html
posted by TomMelee at 8:29 PM on June 5, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 11:50 AM on June 5, 2009