Had a train of auto transporters, carrying new cars from our BMW plant, derail nearby. They're unloading the cars with an excavator.

I think I'm going to be sick!

Ivan

OMG - they couldn't figure out how to build some temporary staging to unload each train car one at a time so as to not ruin so many cars??? Maybe it was just too critical that they get the tracks back in operation ....

I guess they figured they were totaled anyway. Who would want to buy a BMW for big bucks then find out it was in a train wreck.
But yeah that was a really bad way to unload them. They could have used slings but I guess they figured it was to dangerous for a person to be inside the rail car to hook up an slings.
There was a bad derailment in town here and they cut up every one of the rail cars with a torch. Insurance CHA CHING!

I bet I could get a good deal on one of those.

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Don

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I bet those guys running the heavy equipment got a kick out of that.

Probably not gonna buff out.

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50 Years of DSOTM

That is UGLY!! hardcase60

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You want me to do what?

Who was in charge there? Larry, Moe and Curly?

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You're shy a few manners.

Well, I guess that's one way to do it.

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I reckon so

Maybe the rail road wanted to change insurance companies and used this as a way of saying good bye. BMW would be happy and probably wouldn't want salvage cars going on the marked to possibly uninformed customers.

A few years ago a guy bought a new BMW sedan, and then found out it had been repainted by BMW because of some minor flaw in the paint. He sued and some brilliant Alabama jurors awarded him millions. Later reduced on appeal, but the company isn't going to take that chance again on a car pulled out of a train wreck.
BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore - Wikipedia

At least they weren't Vettes.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

There are probably a lot of parts that can be salvaged and used in other cars.

I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of BMW dealers in Columbia have to refund some customers' deposits on cars they'd ordered. That's where the cars were headed first...Columbia.

That was difficult to watch.

Do they have BMW 'blem' sales?

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

"So, what did you do at work today?"

I'm sure there was a lot of good and brand new parts on those cars.

Anyone her want to salvage some new cars and stock the parts for 120 cars that might maybe be needed in a few years? Not a solid investment at my age.

Body parts sell first and I don't think there was much there after the derailment.

In this case the birds eye view makes it look like they are destroying cars that are salvageable.

I'd bet that they were twisted up pretty bad.

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Dum vivo cano

This is typical of car manufactures when something goes south.
Instead of picking and choosing what is good its quicker to trash them all.

There was a load of Mazda Miata's a few years ago on a ship that listed to one side. None of them got wet but the entire load was scrapped.

I myself inspected vehicles at the Bloomington/Normal Mitsubishi plant that employees crashed and instead of repairing they were sent to the local crusher.

I guess it's the system, but destroying 120 new luxury cars seems sinful. In the end, it's a tax write-off, and that much less revenue to run the country.

Scratch and dent sale. Prices marked down thousands. Have limited number of cars so get them now.

My dad had ordered a new Chevy van back many years ago, I was driving past the side of the dealer and saw through the window a red van inside. I got close look through the window and the sides of the van were bulged out. The transport truck went under a low bridge and it started scraping the top just behind the driver seat. No doubt the whole unitized van body was tweaked really bad.
I told my dad and he went to check if it was his new van and sure enough it was. They said they would fix it good as new and my dad said not for me you aren't. They ordered him another van.

I ran a car shredder for awhile, and we had several incidents like that. The minute that the train went off the tracks the cars on board (if new) were certified for destruction.

one time 11 corvettes came to the shredder, because someone got onto the train and stole a battery from one of them, drizzling battery acid across 11.

Again it happened with 24 Delta 88's, involved in a de-railment.

The City of St. Louis brought a scrap box out about half full of guns and had us run them through the shredder.

And the missile boys at McDonnell/Douglas would bring TOP SECRET stuff out from time to time......

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Same thing working accidents involving meat trucks. The feds come to the accident scene and condemn most or all of the cargo. I've filled many freezers with salvaged meat that wasn't even thawed out and still had plenty left over for local charities.

Railroad does that for liability reasons. Even if they do not have a scratch on them, once they railcar is tipped over all the vehicles inside go to crusher. Another interesting story, railroad had a load of Volkswagens come out of Mexico (where they were made) and shipped back east. Totally enclosed railcar, however, had some unpaying passengers aboard. They ran most cars out of gas using the heater/AC and run batteries down listening to music, etc. Bad part was passengers used a couple of the vehicles for a bathroom. Railroad was unable to get the smell out and vehicles sent to the crusher. And we wonder why prices of consumer goods keep rising.

"sun roofs" ????????

In the grand scheme, I guess it's a drop in the bucket, but I bet it's a cost of doing business that's subsidized by the taxpayer, and unnecessarily wasteful because the cost is passed to us. Those transporters were upright and mostly undamaged until the repair crews got there. Oh well.....

Back during the Vietnam war, a train load of bombs headed for the west coast derailed out in one of the sparsely inhabited states, maybe Utah. Army EOD was called in to remove the bombs and estimated a week or more to remove them safely. The RR asked how long it would take if they just blew everything up in place, knowing it would take out the track and roadbed. It only took a day or so to blow them, and another day or so to rebuild the roadbed and track, so that it what they did. It was cheaper for the RR than having the track out of operation for a week.

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Tom
1560

Years back before I joined the pipe fitters union I was out of work during a real bad winter. I got a job from NY Central railways unloading brand new cars at the Selkirk NY auto site.

It was SOP for vehicles with more that a little cosmetic problems to be crushed. Crushed as in a 100% including all wheels and tires. Damaged cars were put into a guarded lot and then taken to the crusher. My boss explained it as something to do with taxes, they came out farther ahead by doing in this way.

I have a friend that owns a couple dealerships and he says that's mostly the way they still do it today!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I can just see the TV ads from the auto salesmen that shout all the time about a "dent and scratch" sale of new cars!!!!

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Bill

Some really didnt look all too bad-till the """"""""""rescue workers"""""""""" got their mitts into them. Roawwwwwww:

Why not? the gun shows here sell scratch and dent safes. I want one for Christmas.

It's more than just cost to repair vs crushing. It also has to do with possible defects that will keep the customer complaining about his/her lemon that they did not know was flipped on the Frisco.

Those will be marketed as the pinch top models.

Somewhere an insurance agent is in the final throes of a massive event....

I wonder if they have Carfax in Europe?

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Psalm 23:4

The doctors are going to contact their lawyers and the lawyers are going to be sick.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Raises interesting legal issues.

After the wreck:

Who had legal title to the cars?
Who had liability for the damage?
Was there a duty to mitigate damage?
Who got to decide that the cars could be scrapped rather than be salvaged and auctioned off?

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From my experience, ownership was retained by the manufacturer, with the shipper responsible for the damage. All cars involved in the de-railment were paid off at cost to the manufacturer, then "certified for destruction". No parts, pieces or bits were allowed into the retail stream for fear of additional liability. Even the tires were destroyed.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

^^^
If so, there must be established precedent, contract or agreement for a total loss or the hassle of contesting a total loss must be too high.

Otherwise, it would seem that the ultimate liable party could and would demand that the party suffering the loss mitigate damages.

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Vote Responsibly

On my way to some hunt land yesterday I looked off the bridge to my right and there they were. I had to look up exactly where this happened and yep that was it. Looked like a parking lot for crushed cars.

Biggest thing to happen to Jenkinsville since the nuke plant.

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Isaiah 41:10