• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

'Scrap' Replaced Track

Status
Not open for further replies.

dangie

Member
Joined
4 May 2011
Messages
1,179
Location
Rugeley Staffordshire
No doubt this has arisen before.
What happens to the miles of old track lengths left when track is replaced? Throughout the country there must be many thousands of miles just lying there.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

GB

Established Member
Joined
16 Nov 2008
Messages
6,457
Location
Somewhere
Do you mean the rails left by the side of the line or the actual old track panels (ie rail and sleepers combined)?
 

YorkshireBear

Established Member
Joined
23 Jul 2010
Messages
8,677
Some is also sold to heritage railways..... most heritage lines use second hand rail.

I doubt the whitby branch needs track to as high a standard as the ECML so like you say some gets recycled onto less important routes.
 

blanco

Member
Joined
7 Feb 2012
Messages
97
Location
glasgow
Some rail will be left at various strategic sites on the line for emergencies, most recycled and some are just left and never thought of again.

some will be used for guard rails on bridges and viaducts and some will be liberated by "environmentally friendly metal recycling gangs". :lol:
 

DarloRich

Veteran Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
29,182
Location
Fenny Stratford
Replaced rail can be recycled onto less important routes, NR have just issued a press release about this:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...K-RAIL-4m-A-YEAR-1a42/SearchCategoryID-8.aspx

It depends if you mean long or short lengths of rail!

As has been said some of the rail lying about may not be scrap - it could be strategically located maintenance/emergency spares. There is an issue with maintenance/renewal rail removal (which tends to be the short lengths)

Only the serviceable rail goes to Eastleigh. The recovered rail is taken to Newton Abbot is assessed, tested (incredibly thoroughly!) and graded with the good stuff being sent to be welded up into new lengths at Eastleigh. It is then used on less busy routes

I believe that Freightliner haul these trains to and from Newton Abbot as can be seen here:

http://tomcurtisrailgallery.weebly....6598hackneyeastleigh66598hawkeridge071211.jpg

and here:

http://www.dawlish-seawall.com/page8.php

The scrap goes to The National Track Materials Recycling Centre at Whitemoor. Some is also dealt with at the Material Handling Depots at Crewe and Westbury.

The shorter stuff should be collected up and should be recycled via the above centres. In fact everything coming off a work site should go through one of the recycling centres, from track panels to S&C units, from sleepers to used ballast and everything in between.
 

DarloRich

Veteran Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
29,182
Location
Fenny Stratford
Its not worth collecting it all up until a good few lorry loads can take it away. Only certified scrap merchants can collect it then the monies are then transfered into the maintenance budgets to "top up the pot" as to speak!


That isnt quite correct. All scrap rail should be collected by the nominated road haulier and taken to one of the handeling depots. It should then be recycled via the contracted suppliers

Almost any rail found at a scrap yard should not be thier and is suspicious.
 

The Informer

Member
Joined
2 May 2011
Messages
344
Location
Roy's Rolls Cafe
That isnt quite correct. All scrap rail should be collected by the nominated road haulier and taken to one of the handeling depots. It should then be recycled via the contracted suppliers

Almost any rail found at a scrap yard should not be thier and is suspicious.


Maybe the words "scrap merchants" need to be replaced by "nominated haullier" in no way did I mean rail is just sold to the "any old iron" man from down road!!!
 

Ploughman

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2010
Messages
2,882
Location
Near where the 3 ridings meet
Almost any rail found at a scrap yard should not be thier and is suspicious.

Glad you said Almost any Rail.
There are a few yards around the country that take scrap rail from the preservation sector.
I know that about 100 tonnes of rail has gone from the NYMR in the last few months to a yard that does not deal with NWR.
 

Speedbird2639

Member
Joined
28 Jun 2011
Messages
21
Most 'retired' rails turning up in scrap dealers yards are 'inside jobs' by Network Rail workers.

Scenario goes like this: do a job; cut the scrap rail into HIAB manageable lengths and then leave it somewhere accessible on the trackside; return later with HIAB and remove rail; take rail to scrap dealer; get paid in cash; job done. £700 per day is considered typical 'earnings' for this sort of thing.

And before someone says "Why doesnt their manager do something abt it?" - because he's taking a back hander to look the other way!
 

The Informer

Member
Joined
2 May 2011
Messages
344
Location
Roy's Rolls Cafe
Most 'retired' rails turning up in scrap dealers yards are 'inside jobs' by Network Rail workers.

Scenario goes like this: do a job; cut the scrap rail into HIAB manageable lengths and then leave it somewhere accessible on the trackside; return later with HIAB and remove rail; take rail to scrap dealer; get paid in cash; job done. £700 per day is considered typical 'earnings' for this sort of thing.

And before someone says "Why doesnt their manager do something abt it?" - because he's taking a back hander to look the other way!


And can you prove that scenario as its a very serious one?
 

DarloRich

Veteran Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
29,182
Location
Fenny Stratford
And can you prove that scenario as its a very serious one?

indeed!

However the theft of surplus (in fact not even surplus!) rail materials is a massive issue which is costing every one of us money in higher fares, higher subsidies and higher costs to repair the network
 

YorkshireBear

Established Member
Joined
23 Jul 2010
Messages
8,677
Glad you said Almost any Rail.
There are a few yards around the country that take scrap rail from the preservation sector.
I know that about 100 tonnes of rail has gone from the NYMR in the last few months to a yard that does not deal with NWR.

Yeah KWVR send it too. But they will of have all relevant paperwork. (hopefully :) )
 

DarloRich

Veteran Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
29,182
Location
Fenny Stratford
Apparantly the Courts can - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18670144

"used their position, and others within the rail sub-contract industry, to steal up to 3,500 tonnes of rail worth up to £1.5m."

I wld suspect if very far from being an isolated case.

The key phrase there seems to be "within the rail sub-contract industry" - that doesnt quite prove your point.

This would suggest that these criminals were employed by a sub contractor. That doesnt make them NR staff.
 

John55

Member
Joined
24 Jun 2011
Messages
800
Location
South East
The key phrase there seems to be "within the rail sub-contract industry" - that doesnt quite prove your point.

This would suggest that these criminals were employed by a sub contractor. That doesnt make them NR staff.

Why are you so sensitive about this? I worked for a company which was much better in all respects than BR or NR ever was or will be and we occasionally dismissed people for theft and other misbehaviour.

I didn't take it as a personal insult or a slur to the name of the company.
 

Holly

Member
Joined
20 May 2011
Messages
783
... do a job; cut the scrap rail into HIAB manageable lengths and then leave it somewhere accessible on the trackside; return later with HIAB and remove rail; take rail to scrap dealer; get paid in cash; job done.
California recently enacted legislation to make it illegal to buy/sell scrap metal for cash. Credit cards, debit cards or "checks" (cheques) must be used.
Simple but effective. I'm not sure whether imposing that would be legal in Britain.
 

DarloRich

Veteran Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
29,182
Location
Fenny Stratford
Why are you so sensitive about this? I worked for a company which was much better in all respects than BR or NR ever was or will be and we occasionally dismissed people for theft and other misbehaviour.

I didn't take it as a personal insult or a slur to the name of the company.

I am not in anyway taking it as a personal insult/slur. It just doesnt prove the original point - Yes i am a pendant!
 

Joseph_Locke

Established Member
Joined
14 Apr 2012
Messages
1,878
Location
Within earshot of trains passing the one and half
If I remember correctly the main culprit was a plant hire firm (who had the means to move that quantity of scrap) who should have been more closely scrutinised, aided and abetted by some fairly lowly NR staff who enjoyed the "hospitality" in return for not doing the scrutiny (e.g. not doing thier job).

3,500 tonnes of rail is about 60km of rail - 30km of track - which is 5% of the annual total of track renewals for NR.
 

LNW-GW Joint

Veteran Member
Joined
22 Feb 2011
Messages
19,555
Location
Mold, Clwyd
If rail is so valuable, why are there still miles and miles of abandoned track still in situ years (decades) after being disconnected?
Most of the slow (outer) lines of the old North Wales 4-track main line are still there, rusting in the undergrowth.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top