This is the saddest news we've heard all day. A train derailed in Nevada a couple of days back, and 33 train cars were damaged in the aftermath. The train was also ferrying brand-new Jeeps, Chevrolets, and GMCs, and they have all been wrecked; well, to an extent. The photos were released by the Lincoln County Sherriff's Office and are quite disturbing for car enthusiasts. Fortunately, there were no casualties and injuries, but these beautiful vehicles getting damaged is quite disturbing in itself. The forces say the 'debris' will be cleared out by July 13th. If you were expecting a delivery of your vehicle from these brands anytime soon around Utah, Nevada, and California, you can most certainly expect a delay.
That Was A Narrow Escape
Fox 13 reported that “Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee confirmed the crash just after 9:00 a.m. and said it happened about 30 miles from the Utah-Nevada border.” The train was transporting a set of brand-new Jeep Gladiators and Wranglers, GMC Sierras, and Chevy Silverados. A few of the 33 train cars fell down a rock ridge onto the county roads. It is assumed that the vehicles were headed to dealerships in California. Reports also say that a train car carrying hazardous material was just two cars away and the results would've been even more catastrophic had they derailed from the track.
They Will Probably Be Scrapped
Some vehicles don't look that bad, but it is highly unlikely that they'll be fixed and sold to people, even with a heavy discount. If the vehicles are insured, expect them to be scrapped instead of being fixed.
However, the silver lining in this is the actual structural integrity of the vehicles. This was a real-life crash test of sorts. What caught my attention is one particular Jeep that's been rolled over, but still doesn't look in a very bad state. Perhaps, the Gladiators can support themselves on the new roll-bars, which extends around the windshield. Hope the companies dig deeper into this case to assess the damage for data-gathering purpose.
Final Thoughts
Since the damage is not that heavy on some of the vehicles, do you think there could be an alternate use to them? The most obvious choice would be to use them as demo cars, but I am strongly against it. No matter how well they are fixed, they should not be let out in the public. Instead, I think they can be used within the factory premises as luggage and people haulers. Being a restricted area, things are always under control in there, and it doesn't involve high speed driving. How about using them as display vehicles? Or use them as test bodies during development of new engines are cars? What do you think could be done with them? Share your thoughts with us in the commonest section below.
Further reading
Read our full review on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler
Read our full review on the 2020 Jeep Gladiator.
Read our full review on the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado.