# Why are the railways filled with so many derelict trains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424 "2005-08-10T09:35:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424/1 "2005-08-10T09:35:47Z")
It seems like the railway sidings of the UK are junkyards for old trains. Places like Crewe, Birmingham, Liverpool etc have sidings full of old rolling stock that has been sitting there for more than ten years. Is it a difficult job to remove these trains from the track and scrap them? They take up space and create an atmosphere of decay on the railway. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424/2 "2005-08-10T09:41:54Z")
My WAG is it’s just a way to save the money for scrapping them. Space isn’t a problem; many stations have plenty of side tracks that were built decades ago but aren’t used now, the great days of long-distance passenger service being past. So put the coaches you don’t need any more on the tracks you don’t need any more, and save money. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424/3 "2005-08-10T11:14:58Z")
That makes sense, especially as your company might not get the contract to run that particular part of the rail network next time around; no point investing money in scrapping them when you can just leave them lying around for the next guy to tidy up. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424/4 "2005-08-10T14:06:03Z")
Certainly Crewe yard and Old Oak Common depot (on the right as you go west out of Paddington) have traditionally used as scrapyards for old locos waiting to be broken up. These days, there aren’t many depots with good road access (bizarrely), except for the Freighliner depots - Freightliner has its own locos but otherwise has little interest in them. Most operational locomotives are owned by English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, the major freight operator in Great Britain. There aren’t many loco-hauled passenger trains left; most trains are multiple units. Some companies, like Virgin and GNER, operate a handful of diesel locomotives to rescue failed electric trains (Virgin’s are named after characters in Thunderbirds), and Great Western and ScotRail need them for their sleeper services which use conventional carriages. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424/5 "2005-08-10T14:30:02Z")
I bet they were put there temporarily and then ten years later it’s a big deal to move them again since everything is frozen up. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424/6 "2005-08-10T14:59:48Z")
You see this in norther Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. Long strings of old railroad cars, sitting in the middle of no where. They have tracks they aren’t using, and cars they don’t need. Put the cars on the tracks, and you don’t have to pay to scrap them. The really annoying part is, someone else has to look at them everyday. Go park these in your own backyard please, Mr Railroadman. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-railways-filled-with-so-many-derelict-trains/316424/7 "2005-08-10T15:19:38Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > Certainly Crewe yard and Old Oak Common depot (on the right as you go west out of Paddington) have traditionally used as scrapyards for old locos waiting to be broken up. > > Most operational locomotives are owned by English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, the major freight operator in Great Britain. If you buy a copy of the magazine _Modern Railways_ you will often find an advert in there from English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd selling off some of their old locomotives. I bet the postage and packing charges are rather steep !