A MOTORCAR CAN CROSS THE COUNTRY WITHOUT CHANGING TRAINS.

Union Pacific participate in the resurgence of the motorcar business.  "Let’s take a look at a brand new car’s journey and how it arrives safely at a dealership in mint condition, ready for you to take it for a spin."  If you have access to the 1962 volume of Trains, dear reader, you'll find a story of the same sort of shipment, back before the special flatcars had to be enclosed against vandals and locked against stowaways.

If your car has a long distance to travel from the U.S. plant where it was manufactured or the port in which it was received, it most likely will be delivered to an automotive facility managed by a railroad to continue its journey to the dealership. Most railroads’ auto ramps are located in large metro areas, near auto manufacturing plants and major distribution centers. For example, Union Pacific operates or accesses more than 40 vehicle distribution centers across its network.

You might be surprised to learn that shipping new vehicles by rail is pretty common. According to the American Association of Railroads [c.q.] (better known as the AAR), each year, freight rail moves nearly 75% of the new cars and light trucks purchased in the U.S. Plus, they serve most of the 70-plus automobile manufacturing plants across North America, including those in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Texas.

The flatcars on Amtrak's Auto-Train are passenger-compatible versions of the freight cars used to move your next set of wheels.  The railroads have come a long way since the fifty foot box cars that could haul four flivvers.