Anyone Know Any Details About This Terrible Tragedy?

[azblackhemi]

Saw this picture but no info on it.

 

[RemCharger]

Tragedy is right.

 

[SIPLOWGUY]

Not good!

 

[Rustyrodknocker]

Well I wonder if they got squeezed or salvaged? May have been more cost effective to let them go to salvage in the clean up effort. If so, the cars would have been reordered leading to a net gain of C body global inventory?

The carriers insurance would have paid out, so unless there were contract stipulations that required the carrier to return or destroy the affected units...

 

[69CoronetRT]

Well I wonder if they got squeezed or salvaged? May have been more cost effective to let them go to salvage in the clean up effort. If so, the cars would have been reordered leading to a net gain of C body global inventory?

The carriers insurance would have paid out, so unless there were contract stipulations that required the carrier to return or destroy the affected units...

Given the liability of selling a car that could have received structural damage and become a legal safety problem or ongoing warranty issue, it was probably smarter and safer to just salvage them, collect the insurance and build a new car.

This is a good example as to why the 'built' and 'sold' numbers may not balance.

 

[Love Shack]

At one time, I worked for an auto salvage company that bought several vehicles that were involved in a train wreck, and were sold at auction for salvage.
I don’t recall the brand, Acura/Infinity, etc., but one car I recall clearly.
It was a top of the line model, leather, etc., the only damage was scratched paint. Stipulation to the purchase of these cars, included many photographs that had to be sent to the manufacturer, of the dismantling process. Photos of
The car arriving at the salvage facility , of the VIN tags, the cars being cut in half between the front and rear seats,
Sections of the floor being cut into small pieces (so they could not be welded back together), and after the car had been completely dismantled.
The VIN tags from the dash also had to be removed and sent back to the manufacturer. The salvage company bought several vehicles, most with only minor damage. Seemed like a real shame to cut them up.

 

[Carmine]

There's another photo out there of train wrecked C bodies, but I think they are '69 models so they may have happened more than once, or this occurred right at model change over.

 

[Justin Plant]

It's been explained to me that any product, regardless of what it is, is considered a total loss when in a transit accident. Shipping containers, tractor trailers, etc. The manufacturer assumes insurance responsibilities on the freight. So, as a precaution against future litigation they just scrap it. Harbor Freight, formerly Harbor Freight Tools and Salvage, in it's early days got the bulk of it's inventory this way.

 

[detmatt]

It's been explained to me that any product, regardless of what it is, is considered a total loss when in a transit accident. Shipping containers, tractor trailers, etc. The manufacturer assumes insurance responsibilities on the freight. So, as a precaution against future litigation they just scrap it. Harbor Freight, formerly Harbor Freight Tools and Salvage, in it's early days got the bulk of it's inventory this way.

So they used to sell other companies salvage and now they just sell their own scrap…

 

[SIPLOWGUY]

When I worked at a Pontiac store back in 81, a Grand Prix came in with severe roof damage. The Pontiac rep had to witness the car get crushed. I also remember Chevrolet donated a new Monte Carlo to my High School that was a flood car. The VIN was removed.

 

[detmatt]

There's another photo out there of train wrecked C bodies, but I think they are '69 models so they may have happened more than once, or this occurred right at model change over.

As far as the vehicles that took the damage they look to be all C’s and one Challenger.

 

[Big_John]

I have seen another photo of wrecked train cars carrying '69 B-bodies. For some reason I think that was in the Buffalo, NY area, but I could not find anything in a search.

 

[cuda hunter]

challenger looks to be a vert.
There is a 70 duster and a 69-70 road runner(?) on the right middle.

What a disaster.

 

[Carmine]

As far as the vehicles that took the damage they look to be all C’s and one Challenger.

Probably on route to/from a marshaling yard where they assemble loads of different vehicles for shipment to different regions. That's why there could be some end-of-1969 vehicles in the load.