I'm doing a bit of research about railroads- specifically, how to restore rail service in my city (used to exist but faded years back). The rails still exist and get some light use. I'm trying to find out what it would cost to redevelop a passenger rail comapny. I've looked at leasing locomotives and rolling stock, which helps, but one thing I've not been able to find is how much it costs to lay rail. (the rail that remains is in poor shape: usable but probably 15mph max) Any ideas? Links, anecdotes, companies that I might pester? Thank you all for your time. [ 30 May 2001: Message edited by: Biggerhammer ]
Assuming it is still an active line (that is it is not abandoned), but is excepted track (less than 10 MPH and No hazmat), it would cost at least $100.00 per foot for ties, rails, ballast, and Brotherhood labor. If it is a line owned by a major railroad, the union would insist that the rehabilitation work be done by railroad forces. If it is a short line, it might be willing to put the rehabilitation out to bid, but I suspect the $100.00 per foot figure would be a good estimate there too. Of course, even at $1 million per mile, it is still cheaper than building a new highway!
Yowza! That's considerably more than I'd expected. I don't suppose you know any rough figures about what it costs to operate a locomotive? (GP-9 or GP-38) Thank you. I really appreciate the help.
The figure I gave you is on the low end. The rail alone costs more than $8. per foot and you need two of them. As far as locomotives go, that varies widely on the particular locomotive and the service to which it is assigned. Fuel costs are around 9 percent of total costs. Maintenance can vary by as much as 100 percent for identical locomotives in identical service. Locomotive operating expenses are not aggregated by railroads, as maintenance goes under "Maintenance of Equipment" and Fuel and "Train & Engine" Labor under "Transportation Expense". Railroads charge one another $300. to $400. per day to lease locomotives to one another.
I can't give you a figure on how much it would cost to rebuild the railroad infrastructure, but it seems reasonable to think you would have to take into consideration what sort of weight we are talking about that would use the rail. If all you are going to run on it is passenger service, and no extra heavy freight you could probably get by with lighter rail, which would cost less per foot than say 110 pound rail. You can also buy "used" rail from scrappers as well as used ties. Some railroads use local ballast as well. There's much to consider and many ways to cut expenses until the railroad is up and running and making a profit so that improvements can be made later on.
Your original posting refers to "redevelop(ing) a passenger rail company". By this I assumed you were thinking of providing transportation rather than a tourist experience. If you want to provide common carrier passenger transportation the FRA has specific requirements for track condition which worn rail and used ties will not meet. For what distance were you thinking of operating the train? For short distances a rail motor car would be much cheaper. You can buy one new from Edwards Rail Motor Car Co., of Mount Dora, FL, for $160,000. that seats 50, runs at 40 MPH, and gets 11 MPG on its Chevrolet gasoline engine. Siemens offers a really "sexy" unit called the "RegioSprinter" that has twin diesels and is a three unit articulated on only 4 axles. It will do 60 MPH. Price is over $1 million though.
Sounds like a bus optimized to rail rather than road. Would it run well on thoroughly marginal rail? The distance is a total run of about 75 miles from city to city, with at least one stop in the middle. The rail that exist now has rises an drops visible even to my untutored eye- it IS in occasional use but I doubt that they make the 40mph you mentioned, more like 10mph. More frequently it is either vacant or used to park empty cars (most recently a few strings of twenty covered hoppers). If rail in this condition could be used at speed with a specialized vehicle like this one, my nightmares of attaining literally millions to refurbish it will be banished. And Gregg, your advice has been invaluable. Thank you for sharing your experience with us all. Ironhorseman, I have interest in used rail and ties for another project. Do you know of any specific companies that would deal with those items in small lots? [ 02 June 2001: Message edited by: Biggerhammer ]
Speed limits on track and use of track to haul passengers is set by the Federal Railroad Administration with criteria such as adherance to track gauge, vertical difference between rails and number of "good" ties (able to hold a spike) out of the total. This is all spelled out in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, which should be available at a good public library. The Edwards car is more akin to an interurban car than a bus. Indeed the first new one was made from a Philadelphia & Western "Strafford" car. The RegioSprinter is akin to the latest in LRV's with very large windows. Alas, good track is very necessary for a comfortable ride, even at slow speeds.
BigHammer - I do not have any specific names for scrap dealers who might have used rail. But our railroad has purchased several thousand used ties from the Canadian National RR. FRA regulations can also be searched out on the internet. Good luck with your project. Sometimes ya gotta start small and build up to where ya wanna be!
Here is a photo of the Edwards Rail Car: More information can be obtained at http://www.edrailco.com [ 03 June 2001: Message edited by: Gregg Mahlkov ]
I've not had the chance to look up the regulations on rail condition- I'd been harboring the hope that the railcar could travel on battered rail. The project falls back to the feasability of refurbishing rails. Gregg, thank you again for sharing your experience and knowlege.
To Biggerhammer and anyone else interested, Go to FRA Track Standards this will give you a starting point on what you need to do to get started. Good luck Mike Railblazer
Geez, Greg, I got an '85 GMC Van that don't get 11 mpg (in town). We DEFINITELY need to stop building highways and get back to building rails!
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Biggerhammer: I've not had the chance to look up the regulations on rail condition- I'd been harboring the hope that the railcar could travel on battered rail. The project falls back to the feasability of refurbishing rails. Gregg, thank you again for sharing your experience and knowlege.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I do not believe there is any regulation for utilizing used rail as long as it is not cracked or otherwise unservicable. What seems to be the biggest concern for a class 1 railroad is the number of good ties .. 2 out of 3 have to be good as I understand it. Anyone know of anyother pitfalls?
Ironhorseman, you are right in that there is no reason good used rail cannot be reused. Indeed, the big railroads "cascade" rail from main to branch to yard to siding. However, the bolt holes cannot have cracks, the ends must be whole and there has to be a sufficient head to grind a correct profile if the rail is out of profile. When track is taken up, the rail is always separated into "relay" and "scrap" rail. I cannot envision making a 75 mile run on Class 1 track though. I would think you would want at least Class 3.
