Western Canada by Rail and Bike

[Kneedragon]

poll

[jgr451]

15 views,no replies,no poll!

What are you getting at ,mon ami?

If so,the answer is YES!

[RevWillie]

I hope that you can have better luck convincing Canadian Rail to carry your motorcycles than we had with Amtrak.

I was the Chief Conductor of the one-and-only Rally Train for the Redmond Rally. We thought we had a good thing working with Amtrak, what with our Rally Train and some Harley Rally Trains to Daytona,Sturgis and Laconia. Then, out of nowhere, they cancelled all the Rally Trains and refused to carry any motos on any of their trains. No reason given, just a flat refusal.

It was tough being beside the freight yards in Spokane this year and realizing how much fun it would have been to use the trains to get across the country again. We had fun on the Rally Train, and it was a good way to get bikes across the country. We had Representatives and Senators trying to help us convince Amtrak to carry motorcycles, but they will not work with us in any way. :dunno

[Kneedragon]

Sorry about this one. I couldn't get a poll to set up and I thought the whole thread had been deleted.....Crap! :doh :doh :doh

I'll try again......

[BradfordBenn]

Kbasa should be able to setup a poll for you after a thread is started. Or you can set up a new thread. If you have questions, let me know.......

[GeoffMiller]

Brother Willie! Good to see another rail!!

[RevWillie]

Brother Willie! Good to see another rail!!
Brother Geoff,

I was a volunteer conductor for the '01 Rally Train, I was not paid anything for doing the conducting-I even paid my way! I had thought of the idea, so I ended-up as chief conductor and I brow-beat some friends into being assistant conductors.

When I saw your response, I clicked on your personal data and saw that you were a professional conductor. I bow down to you--the professional conductors on the Empire Builder,generally, were a joy to work with.

Now that I have a inside-connection: do you know of anybody in the passenger rail business that would like to carry motorcycles and their riders? None of us that were related to the Rally Train can find anyone that will try this idea again. The US passenger rail industry has shut down completely and gas prices are now making long-distance rail/bike trips much more attractive. :dunno

[GeoffMiller]

Well, not to burst your bubble, but I am a freight conductor. I don't get to wear the cute clothes and punch tickets. :D Passenger service is pretty much dead in the U.S. :cry AMTRAK is doing their best considering their poor financial situation. For a Canadian crossing, VIA might be able to offer a program. There is a railroad through Copper Canyon in Mexico which I believe hauls motorvehicles on the train. If you are interested in tourist lines, pick up this month's issue of Trains magazine. Inside you will find their annual pull out section of Recreational Railroading. It lists all the museums and railroads state by state with contact numbers, prices, etc. As an aside, I think that it is such a shame that our government is unwilling to support rail travel. Like any other form of transportation, rail cannot survive without subsidies. The people who fight AMTRAK are the freight railroads. Right now, freight railroads are experiencing record profits. Passenger trains get in the way of hauling more profitable freight. The public tends to think that railroads are almost extinct when in fact more tonnage is being hauled now than ever.

A couple of ideas: freight forwarders (Forward Air for example) seem to be able to ship motorcycles relatively inexpensively. Fly to your destination and pick up your bike. What about pooling? I would think that if a bunch of folks were travelling to the same destination that a semi could be hired for relatively little expense to each. I'm always surprised at how few places will rent motorcycles, especially BMW's. Are dealers missing out on a great market or has the history been that renting out bikes is a money loser.

If you have any questions about a particular tourist line, send me an e-mail. I've ridden on a whole bunch of 'em :wave

[GeoffMiller]

Oh, and one last thing! Don't even think about trying to ship bikes on a freight railroad. The standard joke is about the difference in real time vs. Railroad time. Today's railroads are good at moving very heavy low value commodities. I would never count on them to be able to move time sensitive freight. To give you an idea, the run which I usually cover is 134 miles one way. We legally have 12 hours to complete the trip. I'd say about half the time we don't make it :D You just might end up missing the riding season.

[ChrisF]

I am a freight conductor.

Hmmm...Hudson, WI. Would the railroad be UP, former C&NW?

[GeoffMiller]

UP comes within a mile of my house. I work over in the twin cities for CP.BNSF is also a big player here. WI Central just bought out by CN and of course there is Progressive.