A BNSF hopper is dismantled in St. Cloud.
A BNSF hopper sits on a spur track and are fed into the scrap yard. To the right, a Santa Fe "Shock Control" box car awaits its fate.
A pincher-type device punctures the top of the hopper. Pressure pushes the tool down the hopper's wall between the spines.
Reaching the floor of the car.
I learned these squared, three-bay hoppers are separated into compartments. Ladders allow access to the deepest part of each section.
Like a stinky sock, a section of metal wall is removed from the car completely. It is dropped onto the refuse pile like it was as heavy as a feather.
A close-up of the middle compartment. The operator takes this opportunity to slam the pincher into the roof to break a beam.
In less than twenty minutes, each section is shredded. It still sits on the rails and can be moved with the Komatsu's arm back-and-forth.
After poking holes along the roof and breaking the backbone along the top, this car is pulled of its trucks.
A final pinch completely severs the "spine." The doors prove no match as the fiberglass shatters under the pressure of the pincher.
Where esle can you see both ends of a railcar at the same time? Split in half and placed out of the way, BNSF 457069 awaits further treatment.
A BNSF hopper sits on a spur track and are fed into the scrap yard. To the right, a Santa Fe "Shock Control" box car awaits its fate.
A pincher-type device punctures the top of the hopper. Pressure pushes the tool down the hopper's wall between the spines.
Reaching the floor of the car.
I learned these squared, three-bay hoppers are separated into compartments. Ladders allow access to the deepest part of each section.
Like a stinky sock, a section of metal wall is removed from the car completely. It is dropped onto the refuse pile like it was as heavy as a feather.
A close-up of the middle compartment. The operator takes this opportunity to slam the pincher into the roof to break a beam.
In less than twenty minutes, each section is shredded. It still sits on the rails and can be moved with the Komatsu's arm back-and-forth.
After poking holes along the roof and breaking the backbone along the top, this car is pulled of its trucks.
A final pinch completely severs the "spine." The doors prove no match as the fiberglass shatters under the pressure of the pincher.
Where esle can you see both ends of a railcar at the same time? Split in half and placed out of the way, BNSF 457069 awaits further treatment.