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Unused wasted track.

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Jones

Jones

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How many miles of unused track is there!

Noticed a shedload of old rail and miles of sidings disused today whilst travelling along North Wales to Stoke. Why has this not been lifted and recycled to help fund Network Rail? Given virtually all rail is made here why cant the old stuff be melted to help make new stuff. ( I'm aware of different mixes )

Wouldn't cost much to get guys trained up to lift it?

Got to be worth it.
 
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Cliveblackpool

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Should be left in situ!
Yes most may never be used again, but if just one location found a new customer, requiring a rail connection, it would save a huge replacement cost, or otherwise probably be just too expensive to reopen.
 
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DT611

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yet BR were able to rip up miles and miles of railway, wonder how come doing all that didn't cost more then the scrap value? or was it that the land value made it worth the cost?
 
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mister-sparky

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Cliveblackpool said:
Should be left in situ!
Yes most may never be used again, but if just one location found a new customer, requiring a rail connection, it would save a huge replacement cost, or otherwise probably be just too expensive to reopen.
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The ripping up of the Leamside Line shows that's incorrect. It's cheaper to rip up and start new than to repair the old track.
 
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The Planner

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mister-sparky said:
The ripping up of the Leamside Line shows that's incorrect. It's cheaper to rip up and start new than to repair the old track.
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This.

If it is out of use then it isn't maintained and is left to rot, therefore you rip it out and replace it. If there is no forseeable use for it then it isn't good value to spend £££ maintaining it for something that may never happen.
 
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455driver

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Jones said:
How many miles of unused track is there!

Noticed a shedload of old rail and miles of sidings disused today whilst travelling along North Wales to Stoke. Why has this not been lifted and recycled to help fund Network Rail? Given virtually all rail is made here why cant the old stuff be melted to help make new stuff. ( I'm aware of different mixes )
Click to expand...
Not much in the scheme of things and if the country needs a few hundred tonnes of steel that badly then we are in a worse state than I thought!

Jones said:
Wouldn't cost much to get guys trained up to lift it?
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How much would it cost then bearing in mind all the rules and regs the staff would have to work under?
Or are you just assuming!

Jones said:
Got to be worth it.
Click to expand...
Has it?
Are you sure?
 
CarltonA

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Disused rails are sometimes donated to heritage lines who cannot easily afford new track. The Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway recently took delivery of track from Ilford depot which had to be removed for Crossrail works.
 
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455driver

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Probably a small profit if you use staff that would otherwise be being paid to do nothing!

Can you see the problem? ;)
 
Jones

Jones

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455driver said:
Not much in the scheme of things and if the country needs a few hundred tonnes of steel that badly then we are in a worse state than I thought!


How much would it cost then bearing in mind all the rules and regs the staff would have to work under?
Or are you just assuming!


Has it?
Are you sure?
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Bit more than a few hundred tonnes. 131200KG per mile (according to my calculations of 20kg a foot)

How much is the scrap value of rail?

Regarding rules, change them so that work done in an area away from the running lines could be done easily. If it's near running lines, cordon the area off. Training guys up to remove track should not be made more difficult than it needs to be.

There a thousands of able guys on the dole who would jump at an opportunity to work.
 
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carriageline

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Cordon the area off? It don't work like that I'm afraid!

Also, how are you taking the rail away? Take it you are sticking it on a train? That costs money, plus where it's slotting into the schedule. And the T3 you would be taking around it. Then tools, PTS, lifting certs, equipment to lift it

I have a question. How do they transport rail by wagon? Seeing as it can be in long old sections, and wagons tend to go around bends! Unless I am being very thick..
 
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Tomnick

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carriageline said:
I have a question. How do they transport rail by wagon? Seeing as it can be in long old sections, and wagons tend to go around bends! Unless I am being very thick..
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From observation: as the train goes around a curve, the long sections of rail curve with it - simples! Probably more chance of it being cut into shorter sections if it's being taken away for scrap though.
 
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CalderRail

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carriageline said:
I have a question. How do they transport rail by wagon? Seeing as it can be in long old sections, and wagons tend to go around bends! Unless I am being very thick..
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Rails are very flexible. Look up the video of the damage at Dawlish when the rails were still hanging in mid-air, and you'll see just how flexible it can be.
 
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carriageline

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Jesus Christ, I never actually knew how flexible it was!! In that video, you can see it bowing where it was picked up by the crane, never knew that, thanks boys and girls!!

Really useful and interesting video, cheers for that!
 
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455driver

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I have seen a video of a LWR train snaking over some points and its quite breathtaking watching the rails bend as much as they do.
 
DarloRich

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Rail, sleepers & ballast ( and lots more!) is recovered in large quantities! There is a huge recycling centre at Whitemoor and other processing centres around the country!
 
Jones

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Annnnnnnnyyyyyhow.....

The old rails could be picked up from railside by "scrap trains" as used to run in BR days. Just get the lengths precut and stacked.

If it's in a yard or siding then Road access cant be that hard to organise.

Why cant areas be cordoned off? I thought that's how a red possession was done?


Strikes me that some rules are contrary to efficiency....
 
DarloRich

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Jones said:
Annnnnnnnyyyyyhow.....

The old rails could be picked up from railside by "scrap trains" as used to run in BR days. Just get the lengths precut and stacked.

If it's in a yard or siding then Road access cant be that hard to organise.

Why cant areas be cordoned off? I thought that's how a red possession was done?


Strikes me that some rules are contrary to efficiency....
Click to expand...

If the rail is reusable you destroy it by cutting it. Scrap trains still run. Road recoveries happen all the time.

The problem is getting access to the line side to pick the stuff up and/or move it to somewhere where you can pick it up.
 
3141

3141

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The Planner said:
This.

If it is out of use then it isn't maintained and is left to rot, therefore you rip it out and replace it. If there is no forseeable use for it then it isn't good value to spend £££ maintaining it for something that may never happen.
Click to expand...

Exactly, as Dr. Beeching would have said.
 
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