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Rail Track Repairmen

n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
edited March 2009 in General Discussion
Why do the railroads dump their replaced track components along the tracks when the components are replaced? It look bad and the junk iasts for years.

Sage 1
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    guns-n-painthorsesguns-n-painthorses Member Posts: 6,463 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Are you talking about ties?
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    HandLoadHandLoad Member Posts: 15,998 ✭
    edited November -1
    It is their land, and it costs a lot to schedule trains to allow a maintenance train to start and stop along the way to pick up the trash. Puts the entire track out of service from start to finish of the job.
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    MMOMEQ-55MMOMEQ-55 Member Posts: 13,134
    edited November -1
    In my younger days we would go out and collect the old ties off the tracks. Local landscaper would pay us $2.00 each. We though we were getting rich. I guess we were breaking the law but we were to young to know any better.
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    SawzSawz Member Posts: 6,049
    edited November -1
    Worst job I ever had, Track gang for 5 years at a local open pit mine.
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    41 nut41 nut Member Posts: 3,016
    edited November -1
    Railroad I worked for only left the replaced track parts along the track until they had a chance to pick things up. Ties are considered a hazardus component now because of the creostoe in them and must be properly disposed of when removed. Otherwise the railroad faces a large fine. Used rail and other metal material is either salvaged for use elsewhere or sold for scrap.
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    guns-n-painthorsesguns-n-painthorses Member Posts: 6,463 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have been in the railroad track contracting business now for 18 years. In the old days the gangs would just throw the old ties and steel off to the side. Those days are gone. Ties are not considered a haz-mat issue. As long as the creosote is in product, no EPA problems. You do run into some trouble if you try to open burn the ties! As far as rail, spikes, and plates, most is sold to contractors like me who will follow the gangs and clean it up. Rail is either resold to be used again somewhere else or it is sold for scrap. Same with the plates, joint bars, etc. How fast stuff gets picked up depends on when you can get track-time to do the work. The railroad will not stop traffic just to clean up scrap materials.


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