Can I take old railroad cross ties?

[dpg481]

A couple years ago there were some Kansas City Standard guys replacing the ties out by my house. I asked them it I could have them an the supervisor told me to take all I wanted. Most were in really bad shape and they are not nice to them when they are removed and slung into a pile.

[Willbehunt'n]

Good grief...really?

My dad got me a job when I was 14 years old in Angleton unloading box cars full of these cross ties. The next day my eyes were swollen shut, I was blistered all over my face and arms, my hands were so swollen I could not close them. This is really bad stuff, so approach with caution, wear long sleeves and put los of vasoline on any parts of your face neck or arms that are exsposed. Good luck

[animalhse]

Seriously? But that stuff works the best in feeders!

I wondered if anyone would catch it.

[ducks-and-bucks]

No. They are propery of union pacific, theu sell them later on. The railroad actually owns the land on the side of the railroad tracks they the ties lay on.. they are on private property already. It would be theft... not many people know that. I doubt you would get caught taking them but yea it is theft. If the rail road police somehow caught you you would be in deep chit. You can get permits to go load of a certain ammount of them. You have to contact union pacific. They have equipment that goes and loads them all up to move.

[GarGuy]

They sell them by the mile.I made the mistake of buying 4 miles once.About one in ten was usable. You should have seen the bonfire the rest made! I did mage a couple G on them though. I think I paid 50 bucks a mile.

[super_dave]

Depends on how Sneaky you are.....

No, just act like you're supposed to be getting them. Sneaky gets you caught

[Kbar]

No. They are propery of union pacific, theu sell them later on. The railroad actually owns the land on the side of the railroad tracks they the ties lay on.. they are on private property already. It would be theft... not many people know that. I doubt you would get caught taking them but yea it is theft. If the rail road police somehow caught you you would be in deep chit. You can get permits to go load of a certain ammount of them. You have to contact union pacific. They have equipment that goes and loads them all up to move.

If I am not mistaken, its a FEDERAL crime to remove any of it since the RR is subsidized.
Try selling track, plates, and spikes and I guarantee you will go to jail faster than trying to sell a load of copper in East Houston!!!!.
I have the contact info for the salvage, but they want to bring in full loads and just dump them for you. Its not worth the hassle.
Contact your local lumber yard like McCoys or if you want to buy a full load (18 wheeler and you can unload it) I can give you the brokers info.

[papapross]

The cross ties a contract from the rail road. My nephew work for the contractor gathering ties in a 100 mile radis from Waco. There is a yard on 820 were a lot of the ties are sold it is called Ft. Worth cross ties

[berettadave]

I have a good story. Quite a few years ago a friend of mine and his brother in law found a brand new stack of cross ties on a back road near the RR tracks. They waited til dark and took a trailer to load them up. He said they had loaded nearly all of them and were worn out from all the work. About that time he saw some lights coming down the road. Sure enough it was the Sheriff. He walked up, saw all the new cross ties in the trailer and ask what they were up to. My friend being quick witted replied "well sir, I was cleaning up around my place and had a bunch of these cross ties I didn't need and I was going to unload them here". He said the Sheriff kinda grinned and said " I think that would be a good idea boys". Said the Sheriff sat in his car and waited for them to unload and stack them all before he let them go. My friend said they were sure enough worn out by the time they were done.

[Drycreek3189]

Yeah, go ahead and take 'em. Tell 'em I said it was ok.

[Rotney]

When I was with Dallas PD I would catch yahoos stealing them. Called the RR Inspector and he took care of the rest.

I don't get it, when is it ok to take something that's not yours?

[Coon]

I was told by a RR employee that they are sold to powerplants for burning.
D

[Cody Malone]

Without permission = theft

Yep

[Sneaky]

When I was with Dallas PD I would catch yahoos stealing them. Called the RR Inspector and he took care of the rest.

I don't get it, when is it ok to take something that's not yours?

I would never take something that is not mine without asking. That's the whole point of this thread - exploring the facts to see why exactly is done with these old ties, and what people's experiences were.

[Rotney]

I would never take something that is not mine without asking. That's the whole point of this thread - exploring the facts to see why exactly is done with these old ties, and what people's experiences were.

I understand. But next time you might want to start the thread, What do I need to do to get the old rail ties, instead of can I take the railroad ties.

I did not mean to imply that you would take them without consent. I guess I just took it the wrong way and was confused why anyone would ask a question like that.

Bad day, my fault