Where can i purchase a full size train ( locomotive) ?

Question

i want to buy my mother an ultimate birthday present and she has always liked old style passenger trains to tour the countryside. I would love if you could help me out.

----THANKS----

Answer 1

You can, in fact, purchase a real steam locomotive in running condition or repairable condition.  It will cost several hundred thousand to 2-3 million dollars.  It can easily cost five times that much to restore it to like-new appearance and good running condition.  Locomotive boilers are dangerous machines and must be repaired/maintained to rigorous standards.

If you got through that paragraph, then yes, it can be done.  You can make arrangements to park your locomotive and/or a couple of passenger cars on one of the small, independently-owned short line railroads dotted around the country.  They will charge you to let you operate your train on their line, but it is probably not something you will need to do often.

On the other hand, you can set up a profit-making operation, and charge people to ride.  People will pay well for an evening ride out into scenic countryside and a nice dinner in an old, refurbished railroad diner car.  As soon as a paying passenger steps on board, insurance becomes a big expense, but again, you can do anything if you have a train load of money.

As to where you go to get these things, real, workable used railroad passenger cars, diesel locomotives, and occasionally steam locomotives are available through rail equipment brokers.  Just run an internet search on "rail equipment for sale" or "railroad cars for sale."

Answer 2

Look for a rusty locomotive body and get the help of a tourist railroad to restore it and to get it looking like new and to get the original road name it could take a few weeks but it's worth it.

Answer 3

if youre talking like real trains youre out of luck you will not be able to get one nor would you be able to put it on any of the tracks they are private property if you talking train sets check at your local hobbie shops

Answer 4

Get involved in a railway museum.  Find a neglected locomotive and fund its restoration and let that be a gift to her.

Answer 5

where the heck is she going to put a train??? but you might be a ble to buy a train at "trains 'r us" (LOL)

Answer 6

It isn't unheard of. I know people who own rail equipment, and a lot of them store it for free. The trick is to find a railroad historical society, one of the aforementioned non-profits, and allow them to use it in exchange for storage. For example, one man owns a nice bay-window caboose, and he stores it on our railroad for free. We use it for shove moves, and when workers are staying overnight, they sleep in it. And when this gentleman wants to bring some friends up and ride a train, we tack it on the end of a train and tote his party along for the day.

Locomotives are even more welcome on non-profit lines, though steam is too much of a liability. Every non-profit would appreciate the use of a finely tuned diesel, and they would certainly train you and your mother as operators in exchange for its use. Negotiating fuel and service would also be an issue. But yeah, it's totally doable, and diesels can often be purchased for under a hundred grand. The condition varies, of course. I recommend www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com.

Answer 7

The best I ever got from my son was a 97 pickup truck! As for buying a steam engine, you might be able to compromise and buy her a G or Garden scale train set. That way she can run it outside and enjoy it more.

Here's a link:

http://www.towerhobbies.com/trains/train...

They average about $300 for a starter set and go from there.

Nice to share a hobby with your Mom.

Answer 8

You won't get much change from a million £££ for a new one or up to half a million £££ for a used one.

Then there's the franschise to run the train which itself would run into millions of £££.

Cheaper options:

Buy your Mum shares in a locomotive preserved on a Heritage Railway. Then buy a tour package with the chosen loco hauling a special train, or if Mum is really up to it, a footplate course (cost around £150).

Plenty of details of Heritage Railways on the net which would offer such packages.

Answer 9

How would you transport it, and where would you store it? Do you have enough land to build a set of tracks for it?  a few hundred acres would do for a start.

Tracks cost about $1M per mile.

Answer 10

I'll be happy to broker the deal for 10% of the cost of acquisition and restroation.  Of course I'll be happy to run it for you and your mom as well.

I know a three truck shay is sitting just down the road from me awaiting some TLC and I'm sure she'd like the attention.  It can be transported to destination the same way she arrived, via 100 ton crane and 80 ton low-boy highway truck-trailer.

Shoot me an e-mail.

Answer 11

With enough money you can buy anything.  Transporting it or building the tracks needed to run it on your property is a different story.

Example

http://www.railtrusts.com/items.aspx?ite...

Answer 12

I think you'd do better to look for somewhere that does steam excursions and get tickets.  Much more affordable and still memorable.