Quote Originally Posted by Patriot76 View Post
In addition to the ethical, business, and financial issues in scrapping railroad materials there is also a liability issue. Even if you contact the railroad, it is doubtful they will provide permission to scrap the tracks because of the liability issue. You could contact the local court house to see if the railroad has abandoned the right of way and if so the current land owner is also the owner of the scrap in the states where I do business. In this case the railroad or court house could provide you with documentation of abandonment which would be accepted at the yards in this area.
Sounds like a significant amount of red tape for something that is just $65/ton scrap value (latest price I am aware of around here - could be lower) for one person with a regular pickup truck (me).