Hi,
I recall a story told to me about a wreck on the PRR,
My uncle(who was on the clean up/wreck train), said a passenger train crashed and the dinning car turned over. There was a lot of unbroken china there (with the PRR logo). My uncle asked one of the railroad cops about taking the china home since its replacement was covered by insurance. The RR cop took the plate and smashed it against the wreck.
He told my uncle that the agreement with the insurance company said that all parts of the wreck were to be distroied on site to prevent "lost" plates and china from being taken home by RR workers. Supposedly to keep pilferage down. Reselling was not an option.
Oh well.
Doug vV