How hard can it be?

My friend is a retired State Trooper and pedals abandoned RR tracks through the Adirondacks in upstate NY. It's legal.

The wheels have to be a composite, not metal as they trip the switches. Wheels are $185 each. You can buy the car shown for $1900 brandy new.

Here's question: $185 X 4 + tubing + seats and your time; vs $1900 out of pocket?

Opinions?

my opinion is you better be berkeleyin ay sure you're on the correct track...

The wheels look like BMX mags with wider rim surface and an inside lip to hold between the rails. Skyways go for $120 per pair so that should give you enough left over to play around.

Yeah, I'm thinking skyway mags with one of the lips turned off would be the ticket.

I'm thinking lower CG, full cage, and a busa' motor.

How much more would it be to get one of these?

Now all you need is Thomas the Tank Engine on your iPod and you're all set.

If the tracks are abandoned, why do the wheels have to be composite so they don't trip the working--not abandoned?--switches?

Are these the gate' goes-down switches where the tracks cross a road? Or am I completely lost

Regardless, it looks like a lot of fun, and a chance to see back country fairly eaily,

Perhaps a business for the tourist leaf peepers in the autumn? It'll let you expand your fleet a bit--and get that car up from Fla.

Only answer: what's your time worth to you?

Make a Rickshaw version with the tourists out front, a little local history narration, $35 a head.....I'm just sayin...hook yp with some local B&Bs, a few brochures...

AND invite a NYT travel writer NOW to try it out.....I'm seeing monies

Some abandoned track switch off of live tracks, atleast near me. You wouldn't want to screw that up and throw a train on to the abondoned section

I can't add anything to the discussion aside from that fact that I would love to do this. I am not far away from Upstate NY either,and love it up there. How would one go about finding abandoned tracks up there? Could one rent one of these buggies? If so I know what I am doing next summer on vacation. I think we were planning on heading up to Warrensburg,NY anyway,so maybe a trip to the tracks will be in order.

Mazdax605 wrote: I can't add anything to the discussion aside from that fact that I would love to do this. I am not far away from Upstate NY either,and love it up there. How would one go about finding abandoned tracks up there? Could one rent one of these buggies? If so I know what I am doing next summer on vacation. I think we were planning on heading up to Warrensburg,NY anyway,so maybe a trip to the tracks will be in order.

Rest my case,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/4015785/Vintage-Model-T-Ford-converted-to-travel-on-railway-line.html

looks like a day of fab.

pick up a patio swing in the trash for the tube pick up a couple bicycles for the pedal gear and wheels buy a couple old chairs at an office surplus store

make frame, get some wide strapping to make the wheels wider, line it with some plastic or something, and have at it.

914Driver wrote: My friend is a retired State Trooper and pedals abandoned RR tracks through the Adirondacks in upstate NY. It's legal. The wheels have to be a composite, not metal as they trip the switches. Wheels are $185 each. You can buy the car shown for $1900 brandy new. Here's question: $185 X 4 + tubing + seats and your time; vs $1900 out of pocket? Opinions?

And the envelope, please???

How about adding a 5hp BS to that rig? I would think it would improve the fun factor and be quite easy to do. 'Busa would be too crazy.

An engine would probably get unwanted attention from law enforcement not to mention ruin the quiet ride.

Sail power? Slaves? Small nuclear reactor?

I'll bolt the 'Busa on it. You drive, 'lemme watch

I suspect there might be some reg/rule against having motorized versions on the tracks, since they may then be considered "active"=NTSB regs and rules.

A sail on the other hand...

I've seen them with a weed whacker engine, too smokey. A local runs a 5hp Honda from a lawn mower. Not as quiet as pedaling but much more effecient up hill out running bears.

Dan

Somehow figure out how to rig up a trolling motor to it.

Info on the tracks: http://www.abandonedrails.com/New_York

Am I the only that surprised that those tracks haven't been sold as scrap?

ansonivan wrote: An engine would probably get unwanted attention from law enforcement not to mention ruin the quiet ride. Sail power? Slaves? Small nuclear reactor?

Avoid the quicksand...

Cost of removal over not easily accessible terrain.

Mazdax605 wrote: I can't add anything to the discussion aside from that fact that I would love to do this. I am not far away from Upstate NY either,and love it up there. How would one go about finding abandoned tracks up there? Could one rent one of these buggies? If so I know what I am doing next summer on vacation. I think we were planning on heading up to Warrensburg,NY anyway,so maybe a trip to the tracks will be in order.

The guy that sells these is out of Berlin, NH. Give him a call.

http://www.railriders.net/railriders.html

Grtechguy wrote: Am I the only that surprised that those tracks haven't been sold as scrap?

Around here anyways, it is illegal for scrap metal places to buy old train tracks. Probably for this reason. Otherwise sections of tracks would show up missing all over the place.