Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sasquatch Jim on August 18, 2019, 05:18:02 PM
-
Sipping motorcycle by train. Does anyone know who total to call about shipping a motorcycle by train from Pontiac
Illinois to Tuscon Arizona?
-
BNSF Railway https://www.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/contact-us/ (https://www.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/contact-us/) Not sure if they ship personal vehicles anymore.
Paul B :boozing:
-
Just curious Jim, why does it have to be by train and not just a hauler?
-
maybe cheaper
-
maybe cheaper
No. Railroads are set up for bulk hauling at the depot or even wholesale level. Not individual retail customers. Plenty of good hauling services that are reasonable.
-
I've used Uship before Jim. That was on Todd Haven's recommendation. It worked out well.
Pete
-
I'll second Uship - easy and can be cheap if not in a hurry
Mark
-
I just looked at U ship. They have the most affordable prices. I will be talking to them. Thankyou.
-
If you put it into a crate, the shipping cost can drop dramatically. My brother just shipped an (aluminum) crate (57 x 47 x 37, 500+ lbs.) and a pallet (46 x 40 x 24, 200 lbs.) from here to La Pine, OR - both for $525.
-
You will not find the service available on the Railroads, in The USA. Not even AmTrak.
Years ago, we researched combining a group rail/moto trip, and contacted AmTrak, thinking it would be no big deal to haul our bikes in the baggage compartment of the passenger train. We even offered to palletize them, if necessary. We were flatly denied. They simply were not interested in hauling motorcycles on their passenger trains. Bummer, because riding the Southwest Chief from Kansas City to Winslow Arizona, and then meandering back home would've been epic.
As far as freight LCL (less than carload) on railroads, that went away decades ago. The various Truckload, Less Than Truckload (LTL) and express carriers (FedEx, UPS) began chipping away at that business beginning in the 1950s, and within three decades had it all. Railroads today only ship in bulk carload quantities for industrial and commercial customers. Long gone are the days of dropping a package with Railway Express Agency (REA) at the local depot, and having the railroad deliver it. REA has been gone since 1975.
(https://www.mypresentpast.com/images/REA.jpg)