Few Questions about trains and money?

Question

Alright, I have a few questions about trains and how much it costs.

1.) How much does a freight engine (front car of the train) cost?

2.) How much do some of the cars that haul things cost?

(intermodel, boxcar)

3.) How much does laying new railing down?

4.) How efficent is it really compared to trucks and airplanes?

Thats it for now. Sorry if I spelled anything wrong.

Answer 1

1. approx. 13million$

2. anywhere from $1.2 mill. to $3 mill. or more for a tanker

3. depends on where

4. a freight train gets 420 miles to a gallon !!!!

Answer 2

A freight engine costs about 2 - 2.5 million.Rail cars i have no idea.New track is about a million a mile.Rail shipping is much more efficient than any other means.

Mary Ann i don't know who told you that but it's not true.Maybe you saw the tv ad when they say they can move a ton of freight 400 miles on a gallon of fuel.New locomotives burn around 150 gallons of fuel an hour at full throttle

Answer 3

Hoghead is pretty close on answers. There are lots of variables, but he's got the "ball-park" figures. As for efficiency, Again, there are a lot of variables. But a good average is, a train can haul one ton of freight 220 miles (plus or minus) on one gallon of fuel. A shuttle train of wheat, soybeans, or corn consists of 110 cars. That replaces 250 semi trucks on the highway.

Answer 4

Although a train may burn 150 gph it is a fraction(1/6) of the amount of fuel used compared to trucks. For the amount of work being done it is extremely low cost. The rule in shipping is $1 by water $2 by rail $4 by truck and $8 by air.

Answer 5

Most everything pertaining to a railroad is loaded with variables.

1.  The only standard equipment on a locomotive is the frame.  All else is optional and the locomotives are built to order.  A new, nicely appointed freight locomotive will cost you $1.7 million out the door.

2.  A standard boxcar box car or hopper will run you about $67,000.  Inter-modal cars may be a single car with a single platform, or a car with multiple platforms.  The more platforms, the higher the cost.

3.  It cost $1 million a mile in 1985 for standard roadbed construction.  With inflation, a guess would be somewhere near $1.15 million a mile today.  Again, there are variables to take into account;  concrete, steel or wooden cross ties, weight of the rail, grading, type of ballast, tunnels, culverts or trestles and bridges, the list goes on.

4.  There really is no comparison between the efficiency of rail shipping verses other modes.  There is no way to move bulk commodities any cheaper.