Recycling of NY Metro Coaches

I think there is too much plastic and fiberglass in them. They never rust. The EPA requires that the fluids be drained, and I imagine the engines are cut out with a torch, that being SOP at a junk yard. After that, and all the road salt exposure, there's not much left. Tranny cases may be recycled also, but none of that would be obvious. Just a hulk on wheels.

I'm pretty sure that the traction motors and fiberglass seats have been removed. There shouldn't be any fluids to remove after that (well maybe some bodily fluids from numerous drunks urinating, defecating, and puking.. but it's kinda hard to "drain" those.)

Bloody cheek! <Splutter>

I saw once in a documentary that they do that with old ships and airplanes, too. It really helps marine life!

They would probably recycle those that are from cities not along the coast line. Since the sea is there and it needs some support, why not?

The scrap metal markets in the North Eastern US (I don't know about the rest of the world) completely bottomed out last year.

Hi...

Acts such as these are pet habits of the Americans.

After the've ruined their sea bottoms you can trust them to come out with several new standards on how to dump/discard used rail coaches for all of us to follow!!!!!!!

Of course, especially since India is so keen on following standards that do harm to the environment (or rejects those that want to protect it)!

Really, whenever someone blames someone else in such a way its like a red light that turns on. Please take the responsibility of fixing your own environmental issues first, and then worry about what's happening halfway around the globe.

And by the way, Americans are really protecting their environment more than many other countries. Its a shame some people are so prejudicial....

There is no purpose served by blaming anyone. I thought it was wastage of raw material for steel melting furnaces which could have recycled the steel. As I was not aware of any reason for dumping Coaches in the sea, I have posted this String. In India we have big ship breaking yard at Alang on western coast where very large ships are broken and scrap is sold to Steel Foundries.They turn out Steel Billets and Rolling Mills roll them in form of Steel Rods. So we reuse steel for construction etc.

What safety measures are afforded those working at the ship breaking yards?

Quite hazardous working around asbestos, mercury and other substances without respirators.

HI Bwire,

You are right lot of safety measures are required for such hazardous job.Some measures are taken but some times they ignored and resulting in accidents. As labour is very cheap here in India hence ship breaking is profitable business here.

Suresh Sharma.

Hi...

I did not mean any offence. You can take it lightly. After all so many great ideas have come & taken shape ever since an apple fell on an English man's head (helmet included). Maybe a standard for dumping coaches is just waiting to be discovered.

I have many american friends. They all love a jolly good laugh. But, mind it mistakes have to be corrected one day. Whether it was learning to smoke from the people who inhabited America before Columbus or dumping these NY city metro coaches in the sea. Once there is a standard no one will object. For example, read this story:

In the year 1612 the Grand Mogul Emperor in Delhi had granted a license to the East India Company to start a trading station at Surat on the west coast. After many months the English complained regarding the Sultan of Ahmadabad who used to forcefully carry away a part of their merchandise. To this the emperor replied 'yeh to vevhar hai, nibhana padega'. The translator told the English traders that they have to customarily part with a portion of their goods at the port as it is a custom here to pay the local king. He later added that the English better keep doing it as a Custom Duty...and loo the term CUSTOM DUTY was invented ! Today, every nation imposes a entry tax called custom duty on imports,to which no one objects and and there is a standard for this.

Oh! It is another story that the greedy English later-on imposed a similar duty on 'tea' imported from India into the new world. This caused the Boston Tea Party and the English then lost America to the Americans....for good??

It is a puzzle for the remnant after the fall of mankind as we know it. They can ponder if their was a civilization that sank into the sea.

It is all a calculated system to store certain plastics, metals (heavy included), newspaper, diaper materials, rubber, etc., under ground and under water so that when we run out of oil to manufacture all of those materials, we will be able to mine them and reprocess them with the energy derived from the wind. The need for a burning flame will be reduced to a minimum. We will be under the thumb of Waste Management, not the Usa, China, Russia or any other country. Buy their stock NOW. (I wonder who, or what, runs Waste Management).