hauling a passenger car

Need to know a lot more about this car...

• What kind of trucks?
  Some old-style trucks are now outlawed.
• What kind of wheels?
  Some types of old wheels are now outlawed.
• What kind of bearings?
  If they are plain bearings (not roller bearings) you may be out of luck. At the very least it will require a mechanical exemption from the FRA to move via rail if it has plain bearings.
• What type of air brake system?
  No matter what type of brake system it has, the brakes will have to be re-certified. This will involve removing the brake valves and sending them to a certified air brake shop for overhaul and testing.
• Where is it going?
  SPECIFIC details about where it is moving FROM and where it is going TO. How many miles?
• What railroad(s) will it move on?
  This is a big one. Some railroads are a LOT easier to deal with than others. You do not want or need to work with Amtrak on this.

No matter how you do this, it will not be cheap. NOTHING in railroading is cheap. It will be several thousand dollars to move it, plus the cost of the air brake work.

4: (Should actually be #1...) Site preparation, local ordinances and building codes.

Rusty

Depending on the answers to my questions above, moving it by highway may be your only option. This is especially true if it has plain bearings and the old L3a brake valves.

Look at a minimum of $2,000-$3,000 a day at each site for the crane(s). You will have to have a professional licensed rigger, who will visit each site before renting the cranes, develop a "load and unload plan", whom will require accurate weights, and a site survey and be prepared to have the base prepared (or rail) upon which the unit is to be set. Load bearing of the soil near the site is an issue. The rigs may not be able to traverse grass and soil.  Think $1,500 a day for the tractor-trailer combo. The cranes will have travel time, and may not be available except with long-range planning. If the trucks are removed you are talking two trips. Having proper slings available is another issue. There are road permits, which will be secured by the carrier. Clearances, both for wires and overpasses will have to be checked by driving the route and specifying the route. You may only get a permit for night transit. Building codes are a BIG issue. If the unit is to be used for living quarters a bigger issue.

Call a house mover and get an estimate. We have moved several cabooses, full length passenger cars (including a dome car) and an 0-6-0 with a house mover here in Florida. The moves were as far as 145 miles. They also moved a depot 65 miles several years ago. No cranes were used as the mover jacked up the equipment and built temporary frames around them and installed dollies with several wheels to carry the load. It was far cheaper than using cranes and they took care of the permits, etc. I'm not saying it was cheap but it was a much better price.

From your description, the only rail option will likely be to load your car on a flat car. We recently did this but used the house mover to jack up the car we were moving and then backed the flat car under it and set it down. It will need to be tied down and secured according to railroad specifications. You will need to get an inspection and approval from the railroad before they accept it.

Clearances will also be an issue whichever way you move it.

Lift it off the trucks and put it on a flat car.  Then it's just freight with freight rules.

Building codes won't be much of a issue since all it will have is power. One it will be out in the country and other than access and wiring isn't that bad. Glad I got relatives and or friends in all from of construction. Most of the stuff at the destination won't cost me a whole lot other than crane. Pick up site crane cost and depending how far from interstate could be a  sizeable fee. I know weight could be an issue if its over 105500lbs on a truck. At least the county over weight permit here is only $5.00.  Width height and wieght would be the bigger issuses. That and permit to get it to interstate in MT and how close it is to boader once it hit ND its 700miles of intersate and 3 off. Guess I'll talk to my uncle and see what his truck and a extendable low boy would run maybe family discount.  thought the railroad might be the way to go but with all the oil car traffic and distance and certification the CP and BNSF are more than likely out granted they could get as close as 6 or 10 miles away from destination. Thxs for the added info on rail side the passenger car is listed in sterling rail and so I'll wait and see what they say about certification. It might end up being a pipe dream. There was is also a blue GN baggage car but it's in CO and no trucks just way to far ta Ship.

Unfortunately, building codes ARE an issue in many areas. A big one. I purchased two connex containers as storage. WAY out in the country. The town forced me to hire an architect ($2,500) to certify them as buildings, despite the fact they were for storage only. It seems I placed them on a concrete pad with a pad in front and a small awning. And we have property "out in the country" and considered moving a caboose there. The town disapproved the application. In my area you need a permit to even cut down a single tree.