Scrap over THIS, Experts!

[AlcoRS11Nut]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainfan1221

. A friend said he saw the Soo "Dolly Twins" there waiting to be cut up.

[:(!][V]

[tree68]

One reason we have so few steamers left is because of the immense demand for scrap steel during WW2. The locomotives were worth more on the scrap line than they were in service, never mind the patriotism angle.

[dehusman]

Luria Bros. at Modena, PA scrapped many eastern locomotives that then ended up in the furnaces of Lukens Steel just up the road in Coatesville. One picture I saw of their operation had RDG 2100 class 4-8-4's being cut up while in the background were a string of ex-NH DL109's waiting their turn. It was interesting to see steam and diesel engines both being retired at the same time.

Dave H.

[trainfan1221]

I was gonna mention this anyway but it also answers the question about the Newark, NJ scrapper. I believe it is called Naporano and is responsible for the ultimate fate of many locos. A friend said he saw the Soo "Dolly Twins" there waiting to be cut up.

[Anonymous]

Just the name Pielet Brothers sounds like they're on the down low. Maybe they scrap people and stuff for those good old 'Families' like you see in movies, Gone in 60 Seconds (old and new), Pulp Fiction just to name a few.

Now that I've said all that, they'll probably turn the dogs loose on me. (Listens for mean dogs slobbering outside his door)

James

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

QUOTE: Originally posted by chad thomas

Pielet Brothers didn't like to be observed or photographed, period.???? Why the secracy? I mean it's not like it's a secret what goes on in a scrop yard. Or is this where they are building the shackle cars?[(-D]

Pielet Brothers was rumored to have a government contract for scrapping defense items, which may explain the tight security.

[BaltACD]

The scraping of locomotives that have completed their economic life cycle is purely a dollars and cents decision by the railroads and scrap yards.

[miniwyo]

The Challengers and Big Boys met thier makers in the shop in Cheyenne.

[oltmannd]

Conrail scrapped some of their own at Altoona/Hollidaysburg.

There is also a scrapper in Newark NJ whose name escapes me.

Scrap steel goes for something like a penny a pound, I believe.

Most scrapped locos have many parts reclaimed - trucks, couplers, cooling fans, air compressors, power assemblies, etc. depending on the model and demand for the parts.

[chad thomas]

Pielet Brothers didn't like to be observed or photographed, period.???? Why the secracy? I mean it's not like it's a secret what goes on in a scrop yard. Or is this where they are building the shackle cars?[(-D]

[CShaveRR]

Pielet Brothers didn't like to be observed or photographed, period. I got hauled into their security guard's office once for looking at some old C&O units through binoculars from Joliet Road. They thought I was taking pictures. But they would not give me any vital information, such as locomotive numbers (I was put on a phone with Mr. Pielet himself to explain my business).

A friend of mine, employed by Chessie at the time, had dogs turned on him by Pielet Brothers while he was walking the B&OCT-owned tracks outside their property in the course of his employment.

[Anonymous]

I think scrapyards capable of scrapping locomotives also scrapped ships and other very large objects including perhaps the WTC towers.

Just because an item is scrapped doesnt mean is gone. The materials often are resold and reprocessed into something else. For example some of the big WTC Tower beams are now several hundred thousand useful objects serving worldwide.

Steam locomotives were probably sent to scrap by the railroads star struck by the desiel's allure of economy, power and profits. I think very little thought if any was given to preservation of steam. They were marked "Scrap" with chalk and shipped rusting and clanking straight to the torch.

In some cases these trainloads of engines destined for scrap was hardly worth the consideration of water and fuel to get them there.
I think very few places rate the term Bone yard. There are a number of places out west and south in the dry air preserving and recycling aircraft for the war effort within the last 5 years or more. The Philadelphia Naval Yard could be considered a bone yard as it has a number of ships that might be capable of being put into service within a year. Such service would certainly be restricted to rear echelon or coastal duties as the technologies represented will not survive today's combat.

You can put a steam engine into service but there are too severe losses of infrastructure nationwide to make it really useful. We would have to rebuild alot of what also was scrapped along with the steam engines.

Technology marches on. Those of us who truly has the resources and passion for steam will preserve steam wherever it might be found for our future generations.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The scrapyards can be found nationwide and have open and closed over the years. Pielet Brothers in McCook (now closed) scrapped EMD's trade-ins. In Hegewisch, where I was raised, Iron & Steel Products (which closed in the early 60's) scrapped freight cars and some locomotives, Hyman Michaels has a yard which handles freight cars and some locomotives, Chrome Crankshaft had a facility adjacent to this scrapyard. Most rebuilders also scrap any locomotives that have been stripped for usable parts.

Pielet Brothers' contract with EMD was reported to require that everything that EMD sent to them had to be cut up.

Taking pictures would probably have to be from outside the fence. Scrapyards are inherently dangerous operations and access is restricted.

What a scrapyard will pay for a locomotive will depend pretty much on the going price for scrap steel and other metals. A rebuilder may pay a bit more depending on how much can be salvaged.

[nanaimo73]

I like this site.
http://www.trainweb.org/lfnwfan/html/Larry's.htm

[Anonymous]

I've seen hundreds of photos of steam locomotives lined up for scrapping. I've even seen a few photos of diesels headed for the boneyard.

My questions are:
1) Where are these boneyards?
2) How much are salvage yards paying for the opportunity to recycle a locomotive into razor blades?
3) Do the railroads (or manufacturers) insist on some form of scrapping that would prohibit the locomotive from being used as a locomotive again?
4) Would they let us take pictures?

Erik (in search of spare parts for a TRAINMASTER)