Others buy surplus cars straight from Amtrak , like the prospective buyers who showed up in December at an auction in Indiana to inspect a number of used railcars that were for sale. But sometimesAmtrak must delay ticketed passenger service at stations in order to connect private cars onto an already-scheduled route. Train Conductor. Allan Richarz May 22, In an era of austere federal funding for urban public transportation, light rail seemed to make sense. Oakes might have managed well but was preoccupied with his role as a congressman. What the Railroads Do To a certain extent, railroad companies operate a pretty straightforward and obvious business — they charge companies for carrying cargo over their network of rails and railcars.