Used Rails

[Anonymous]

How are used rails picked up off the ground and are they recycled back into new rails ?

[thirdrail1]

Rails are picked up the same way they are set down, with a crane and rail tongs. Rail is normally "cascaded" from the heaviest main lines down to secondary lines, further down to passing sidings and finally to yard tracks before being sold for scrap. The surface in contact with the wheel flange is reversed each time the rail is cascaded down. There is quite a sizeable market for "relay" rail in this country. Years ago, a lot of old rail ended up as fences, platform edges and post barriers. Some rail, about six years ago, ended up with a tieplate welded to the end of it, as a base for my mailbox!