What happens to decommissioned trains?

Train carriages have been transformed into hotels, restaurants, bookstores, houseboats, museums and more, with the trend involving trains which have origins dating back to World War II. The quirky transformations below highlight the endless possibilities when it comes to putting new life into train carriages.



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Old diesel locomotives have been scrapped and auctioned in the past after they had completed their codal life and were found uneconomical to operate. These locomotives were dismantled and auctioned piecemeal.

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The life expectancy of diesel-electric and electric locomotives is expected to be similar—about 25 years. Both types of motive power are subject to technological obsolescence.

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Many locomotives can last 30–40 years, depending on the maintenance done on them.

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When the line is abandoned, ownership can revert back to the underlying landowner, usually the adjacent property owner. An adjacent landowner may have a reversionary interest in the land if the railroad right of way was granted to the company as an easement for the purposes of operating the railroad.

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Mismanagement would also pay a role in the downfall of the company, and in the late 1970's, it filed for bankruptcy. Part of the bankruptcy included the abandonment of the entire Pacific Extension from Terry, MT to Renton, WA, over 1100 miles, making it the single largest abandonment in American History.

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Do trains drop waste on the tracks? Not anymore. In the US until the 1960's, some toilets emptied directly onto the tracks. A sign was posted over the toilet reminding passengers not to flush while the train was on the station.

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The Cementerio de Trenes (train cemetery) near Uyuni, Bolivia, serves as a tourist attraction with trains dating back to the 19th century left to rust in the extensive salt flats of the Salar de Uyuni.

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After being withdrawn from service, most steam locomotives were scrapped, though some have been preserved in various railway museums. The only steam locomotives remaining in regular service are on India's heritage lines.

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Historic Strasburg takes pride in the fact that its railroad is the oldest continuously operating short-line railroad in America.

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Top 5 2022 Railroads
  • BNSF Railway – $25.9 Billion Revenue.
  • 2 . Union Pacific Railroad – $24.9 Billion Revenue.
  • CSX Transportation – $14.9 Billion Revenue.
  • Norfolk Southern Railway – $12.7 Billion Revenue.
  • Canadian National Railway – $12.4 Billion Revenue.
  • Sources and Tools Used.


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A comprehensive list and map of them can be found on abandonedrails.com. They claim there are 1,755 Abandonments. One can sort by state and see various pieces of information about them.

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It's Illegal Trespassing onto railroad property, including tracks, bridges, buildings and signal towers, is illegal. Violators are subject to a citation for trespassing. Union Pacific will seek removal from publication any photograph or video that violates this policy.

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The largest rail company in the world is Deutsche Bahn, with a revenue of $47.72 billion. As of 2021, the global rail industry has a market size of $295.80 billion.

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One of the most frequently asked questions we receive when conducting training on railroading basics is: “Who owns the railroad tracks?” In the United States and Canada, that answer is overwhelmingly the railroads themselves.

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Trains can move 1 ton of freight around 500 miles on 1 gallon of fuel.

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Locomotive Engineer employees work varying schedules and travel extensively to accommodate our 24 hours 7 days a week operation, which may include nights, weekends, holidays or on-call for emergency situations. Work may require travel and time away from home.

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