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Trains News Wire FLASH: NS reopens Pennsylvania line following weekend derailment
AFAIK they are not strapped down, brakes and wheel chocks only.
Wayne,
Since retirement 14 years ago and interest in automobile transport,being even less than plowing the back-40, allow that technology changes, and this may be utterly outdated.
The NUMMI plant, formerly GM B-O-P, and currently Tesla, moved lots of 'levels, bi’s and tri’s from Fremont, Ca where we started the travels, north, east, west and south of the Hayward turn local freight…'nuther story.
Then…the cars were driven aboard, substantial chocks were placed against the auto’s wheels, and they were good to go.
This superseded chain tie-downs,
My recollection was that any derailment of a load of autos sold the entire load to scrap yards…none were allowed to be sold intact.
The derailment forces, during the chaining days, almost surely warped the car…
During chocking times, the lateral derailment forces strained the autos in a way they could not take…if they weren’t turned over and crushed…
I participated, as locomotive engineer, though I heard most of this second-hand, at best…
Back in the 60’s (long time ago, sure) my boss bought two or three new cars that were involved in a rail derailment. He was able to make two cars from undamaged parts. I don’t know if he bought from railroad or salvage company.
The way some of those cars were twisted/turned over, it’s hard to believe that there wasn’t some damage. I’ve seen worse…at least here the train woulnd’t have been travelling at excessive speeds through Altoona.
The vehicles will get surveyed by the shipper to determine if they are saleable as new vehicles. If not they get cutup as scrap. New car manufacturers are very picky about what gets to dealers lots. A little scratch or microscopic dent is considered an unsaleable vehicle.
I cannot see the auto manufacturers assume liability for any of the vehicles, they probably will be parted out and scrapped, just as if a vehicle carrying food is wrecked, the food is destroyed.
All will be scrapped
What happens to the vehicles? If they are undamaged when they go up for sale does it be disclosed they were in a derailment? I assume they are securely loaded to prevent damage?
Insurance liability issues will prevent from cars to be resold, to prevent lawsuits whenever a person or persons driving these damaged cars… They all are going to be shredded and scrapped, period… They will NOT resell these cars even theres a little ding or dent… it goes straight to scrap and insurance will cover losses and re manufacture more cars and vans whatever they lost in a wreck or derailment… Its corporate policy…
This had to be a huge inconvenience for NS, considering the traffic load on this line and the fact that the derailment covered every track in and out of the west side of Altoona. Wow!
Wonder what happens when, during a derail, how well the brakes (breaks?) on the cars keep the autos in place and undamaged when the rail car rolls sideways off the rails and down the steep hill to a crunching stop at the bottom ?!?!? ;>)