I know freight cars are to be scrapped after being _____ years old, but how many years? Someday I would love to find a CNW PS-2 CD hopper car in the high side version and yes I’m talking about a real full scale one. I saw one saturday in a UP train headed for St.Paul going west. If I could find one past its use date and buy it whole, how much would it cost?
At the minimum, looking at cost of scrap steel prices. My steel that gets junked at the shop, (mostly tubing) gets around 4 cents a pound. I think those like 20,000 lbs empty?
Say 800 bucks. But shipping and delivery could be several thousand.
I am sure the scrap rate would be higher. I am just not sure how much. Make one hell of a garden decoration
Thge scrap rate for a whole car is not based on the weight. It is based on the salvage. Trucks, brake gear can all be sold as used parts and are worth more. The leftover rusted hulk is by the pound- but is graded higher than the stuff you haul to the junkyard because the yard knows what kind of steel etc.
You would be very lucky to find one for 5000 - 10000 bucks.
Covered hopper are in very high demand.
After the life runs out on these cars they get sold as storage bins or for scrap.
I have seen cars build in 1963 go for 10,000 plus $$$ in the last few months.
Good luck on finding a car for $ 800.
I’m not even going to ask what you could possibly do with a 20,000 lb hopper, maybe I don’t really want to know. Are you related to the guy on this forum that wants to buy depleted uranium? ? never a dull moment here eh?
I once saw an old hopper car (minus trucks and wheels, and probably couplers) used as a feed bin on a catfish farm. Very odd, to see a hopper car that at first glance appeared to be floating 10-15 feet above the ground. The framework that held the car up was about the same color as the tree trunks in the background.
Just outside of Muleshoe Tx is a feed/seed dealer who has a fleet of covered hoppers on a forest of steel pilings – must be 20 or 30 of them. Different types of seed or feed in each compartment. Just drive a truck under and open a slide gate that has been welded in to get a load of whatever you are buying.
dd
A model version (unless it’s LGB) would probably run you less.
Boyd -
Before you get all fired up about buying a freight car, do you have any idea where you will put it? There is an interesting set of articles on the TRAINS site written by a guy who put a former ATSF caboose on a newly built track on his property near San Diego. a few years back. It gets into the costs of finding, buying and moving the cab to his house and building the track too. You should be in the ball park if you multiply most of his numbers by two as the costs have increased considerably with time. It ain’t cheap… ($32,347.00 2000 $$)
LC
Here are the links to the caboose purchase article:
Own A Peice of History Part I:
http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/000/470gcujt.asp
Part II:
http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/000/540pleka.asp
LC
Just a thought for someday in the not near future. I thought a lot of the newer steel railcars weighed at least 40,000 pounds empty. Another one I want is an SD40-2. I gotta make the $$$ first.
A light weight of 20,000 is way too low. A light estimate would be more like 60,000 pounds.