Scrap iron?

[centenary]

Lots of railway line beside the track.

Using the train every day as I now do, I've noticed there's lots and lots of railway line either inside the track or to the side. Is this new line being left to weather or old line they are too arsed not to take away!?

There must be hundreds of thousands of pounds of scrap metal laying beside our track, rail, saddles even old gantries not to mention the disused and overgrown sidings.

[PTmodeller]

It's both - new track is left in strategic positions so it's readily available in an emergency, whilst some old track is deemed too difficult to recover economically.

[montyburns1982]

Lots of railway line beside the track.

Using the train every day as I now do, I've noticed there's lots and lots of railway line either inside the track or to the side. Is this new line being left to weather or old line they are too arsed not to take away!?

There must be hundreds of thousands of pounds of scrap metal laying beside our track, rail, saddles even old gantries not to mention the disused and overgrown sidings.

The price of scrap would have to rocket to make it economical to take away in many cases. Interestingly, we just had a Bletchley crossover layout delivered back for remanufacture that has been sat under a load of bushes for 6 years - never used!

[Sprintex]

The ECML is littered with old lengths of rail, both at the side of the track and left in the 4-foot.

Whilst it may be 'uneconomical' to take it away, it also puts temptation in the way of the idiots who love to leave heavy objects across the line "just for a laugh". At least if debris like this was removed they'd have to heave whatever they wanted to block the line with a lot further, which may just discourage some of them from doing so in the first place!!


Paul

[montyburns1982]

The ECML is littered with old lengths of rail, both at the side of the track and left in the 4-foot.

Whilst it may be 'uneconomical' to take it away, it also puts temptation in the way of the idiots who love to leave heavy objects across the line "just for a laugh". At least if debris like this was removed they'd have to heave whatever they wanted to block the line with a lot further, which may just discourage some of them from doing so in the first place!!


Paul

I'm interested to see these vandals who can lift 18m sections of 56E1 rail Paul!

[Sprintex]

They're not all 18m long are they???

Some bits are as small as 10' long, quite easy for a small group of chavs to hoist onto the running line I think.


Paul

[montyburns1982]

They're not all 18m long are they???

Some bits are as small as 10' long, quite easy for a small group of chavs to hoist onto the running line I think.


Paul

Chill out only yanking your chain!

I know what you are saying, but with the amount of debris littering the track, a 10" piece of rail is the tip of a very very large iceberg!!

If someone has to pay for the clear up, I bet my pension it won't be Network Rail!

Let's face it, Chavs don't need to hunt around for a piece of rail to throw at a train or put on the rails, bricks and other assorted junk do they job quite nicely!

Also, the smaller items of debris are usually safely removed by the 'life savers' fitted in front of the leading wheels on some locomotives.

[Son-1]

Wouldn't be surprised if loads ends-up going for scrap without anyone being aware it's gone. We have had manhole covers 'removed' and will end up elsewhere to be scrapped. It may be uneconomic to remove, but an angle grinder during the night and a van to load it into and........

[D605Eagle]

Part of the problem is possesions are of restricted timescale and if the job runs late (as they often do) they have to clear the running lines as quickly as they can or big fines are involved. To go back and recover any left items like lengths of rail would involve possesions of the track bacause of H&S rules and this would cost many many times what the old track is worth. Notwork Fail cannot even turn a blind eye to pikeys helping themselves to it because of the insane laws in this country they are actually resposible for their welfare whilst they are trespassing on the railway! (hence all those miles of hideous fencing been put up round railways all over the UK at vast expense, all paid for by us, all because of one senile stupid judge and spineless government.......)