(a) Retirement-replacement-betterment (RRB) property—(1) RRB replacement property placed in service before January 1, 1985.

(i) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section, the recovery deduction for the taxable year for retirement-replacement-betterment (RRB) replacement property (as defined in paragraph (a)(3) of this section) placed in service before January 1, 1985, shall be (in lieu of the amount determined under section 168(b)) an amount determined by applying to the unadjusted basis (as defined in section 168(d)(1) and the regulations thereunder) of such property the applicable percentage determined in accordance with the following table:

(ii) The provisions of paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section do not apply to any taxpayer who did not use the RRB method of depreciation under section 167 as of December 31, 1980. In such case, RRB replacement property placed in service by the taxpayer after December 31, 1980, shall be treated as other 5-year recovery property under section 168.

(2) RRB replacement property placed in service after December 31, 1984. RRB replacement property placed in service after December 31, 1984, is treated as other 5-year recovery property under section 168.

(3) RRB replacement property defined. RRB replacement property, for purposes of section 168, means replacement track material (including rail, ties, other track material, and ballast) installed by a railroad (including a railroad switching or terminal company) if—

(i) The replacement is made pursuant to a scheduled program for replacement.

(ii) The replacement is made pursuant to observations by maintenance-of-way personnel of specific track material needing replacement.

(iii) The replacement is made pursuant to the detection by a rail-test car of specific track material needing replacement, or

(iv) The replacement is made as a result of a casualty.

Replacements made as a result of a casualty shall be RRB replacement property only to the extent that, in the case of each casualty, the replacement cost with respect to the replacement track material exceeds $50,000.

(4) Recovery of adjusted basis of RRB property as of December 31, 1980. The taxpayer shall recover the adjusted basis of RRB property (as defined in section 168(g)(6)) as of December 31, 1980, over a period of not less than 5 years and not more than 50 years, using a rate of recovery consistent with any method described in section 167(b), including the method described in section 167(b)(2), switching to the method described in section 167(b)(3) at a time to maximize the deduction. For purposes of determining the recovery allowance under this subparagraph, salvage value shall be disregarded and, in the case of a taxpayer that depreciated RRB property placed in service before January 1, 1981, using the RRB method consistently for all periods after February 28, 1913, the adjusted basis of RRB property is the adjusted basis for purposes of determining the deduction for retirements under the RRB method, with no adjustment for depreciation sustained prior to March 1, 1913.

(5) RRB property (which is not RRB replacement property) placed in service after December 31, 1980. Property placed in service by the taxpayer after December 31, 1980, which is not RRB replacement property and which, under the taxpayer's method of depreciation as of December 31, 1980, would have been depreciated by the taxpayer under the RRB method, is treated as other property under section 168.

(b)-(f) [Reserved]

[T.D. 8116, 51 FR 46619, Dec. 24, 1986]