2 ms·

I’m often amazed at the giant steel structures and vehicles that sit decaying along the side of highways for decades. Whether it’s a case of nobody knows who o

I’m often amazed at the giant steel structures and vehicles that sit decaying along the side of highways for decades. Whether it’s a case of nobody knows who owns them, regulatory hurdles, economics of breaking it down, or some other reason, I’ve often wondered why something like entire trains can just sit collecting graffiti after a railroad shuts down. Does anyone have any insight? Is there not an abundance of material that’s recoverable low hanging fruit compared to creating new? Or is the metal recovered not as useful for chemical/physical reasons?

bombcar 3y ago
The costs of recovery and recycling outweigh the value of materials. Where it's borderline, someone owns it and if you steal it you might get found out eventually. Where it's very profitable, it gets stolen and reprocessed unless guarded (see: copper). See https://chitransit.org/topic/4239-ex-cnw-pullman-rta-cars-in-california/ https://chitransit.org/topic/4239-ex-cnw-pullman-rta-cars-in... for an example.