How do you give a railroad track a second life? First and foremost, the track must be retired. You might think the simplest way to retire track is to simply let nature take over. However, the proper way to retire railroad track is through a company like ours. We demolish, salvage, and restore retired railroads so that they can be used by the community in other ways.
We thought we’d share some of the ways retired railroad can give back long after it’s lost its purpose as a system for transportation.
Turn Old Railroad into a Rail Trail
What better way to build a walking and biking trail than to piggyback off of the past work of the nation’s railroad engineers? Even once the railroad track is removed, the surface it leaves behind is expansive, graded for drainage, and often cuts through the beautiful and natural landscape that surrounds your city or town.
Once a railroad has been retired, the land it leaves behind is perfect as a place of fun and recreation for the surrounding community.
Salvage Old Railroad Ties
Railroad ties are perfect for salvaging. They’re straight pieces of wood, which makes them great for fencing, landscaping projects, and dunnage for the transportation industry. Why waste all of that good wood when it can be salvaged and sold for a profit? Retiring a railroad means reclaiming both the land and the materials.
Many of the other components of a railroad can be salvaged and resold in bulk as well. Simply throwing them away means losing a potential source of revenue even at the end of a railroad’s life.
Turn Old Railroad Ties into Fuel
Sometimes railroad ties are too far gone to be salvaged. However, they’re still useful. Ties can be chipped and sold as a fuel source. Don’t forget that ties are made of high-quality wood.
Offset the Cost of New Track
The benefits of properly retiring your railroad means you can generate revenue for a new track, offsetting the cost. Our railroad retirement service is built to look for these opportunities and make railroad retirement as simple, cost-effective, and lucrative as possible.
Are you in need of professional railroad retirement? We can work with you to create a retirement strategy that benefits you the most. Reach out to us today.