Episodes

• The Italian Bridge

  +

  The river levels are rising and their work areas are becoming saturated with water. And, on top of it all, the bridge is unstable, and Despe doesnt dare put crews on top of the structure. To take down this bridge, theyll need to operate from land...and water. Its a race against time, on a demolition job where every cut could lead to a disaster...

• Speed

  +

  Los Angeles, California- home to the rich and famous… and their sports cars. Luxury is king here, and some say nothing shows off better than a Porsche. But when those cars crash and burn in accidents, their wreckage comes to "LA Dismantlers for Porsche".

• Prison

  +

  Break It Down is tackling one of its most formidable projects ever, a building that was made to be virtually impenetrable … the Riverfront State Prison in Camden, New Jersey.

• Phantom Jet

  +

  The F-4 Phantom has flown in Air Force squadrons from the United States, Europe and Asia. Its speed, agility, and firepower make it one of the most accurate and lethal fighter jets in the world.

• Train Overhaul

  +

  In Mt. Vernon, Illinois sits a 25-acre yard1 full of old, broken-down, decrepit locomotives. But this is no loco graveyard. At National Railway Equipment Company2 they reuse, recycle and rebuild old locomotives into high-tech, energy efficient machines.

• NY Scrap Yard

  +

  Gershow Recycling - a sprawling 40 acre scrap yard in Long Island, NY. In just one day, this family run business will destroy three million pounds of scrap -- including as many as 500 cars and 20 city buses-- to create a multi-million dollar mound of steel.

• Super Rig

  +

  Witness all the drama, danger, and strategic engineering as massive structures meet their end…and find a new beginning in Break It Down.

• Yankee Stadium

  +

  Yankee Stadium - home to the New York Yankees for over eight decades, and host to thirty-seven World Series - is about to be demolished. It's a mega job, with mega challenges. But the first task at hand is saving parts of the stadium. Everything from the seats…to the sod will be sold. When the memorabilia salvage is over, the teams get straight to work at clearing out the stadium of anything that's not part of structure. From kitchen equipment, to light bulbs, to the famous outfield frieze …it's all got to go. Then, the final breakdown. With an army of mega machines, the demo teams must systematically rip and strip-out the first two-tiers of seating...

• Navy Tanker

  +

  In the intense glare of the Texas sun, a team of demolition experts attempt to cut down and recycle the Navy's "first and finest fast attack oiler," the U.S.S. Savannah AOR-4. This tough tanker ran fuel between the ships of the fleet for over 20 years. But now, she's making her final voyage to ESCO Marine, a sprawling scrap yard in the Southern most tip of Texas. Here, she'll be stripped down, gutted out and recycled. But the "Savy Sue" comes with an awful lot of challenges for ESCO owner Richard Jaross and his team. Asbestos, PCBs, and a decade of neglect make this once proud tanker one big mess.

• Cargo Truck

  +

  The Volvo FH12 Globetrotter: After over a hundred thousand miles of hauling cargo, this Euro truck is headed for a breakdown. But in Sweden, a country known for it's "green" initiatives, Volvo's goal is for 90% percent of the truck to be reused, or recycled. Piece-by-piece, a team of experts must remove everything from the 350 horsepower engine, to the 8-foot tall cab, so it can be recycled, and reborn, even bigger.

• Dam Busters

  +

  A team of experts mobilizes to demolish, excavate and recycle a 25,000 ton dam built of concrete and steel. The pressure is on: They have just half the time needed to complete the job. Worse yet, their biggest challenge stands behind the old dam - One million cubic yards of boulders, gravel, and sand that the river has stacked against it for nearly a century. To remove this blockade, the team gambles on a radical, dangerous plan that's never been tried before: Turning the energy of a perfect storm against the debris. If they are not successful, a generation of endangered salmon returning to spawn may be wiped out.

• Train Wreck

  +

  Railroads are the backbone of American industry. 170,000 miles of track crisscross the country from coast to coast, moving two million billion tons of freight nationally every year. But nothing lasts forever, and that includes a couple of 180-ton locomotives. Their engine technology is inefficient - so they're headed for the scrap dealer where they'll be cut down and cannibalized. Any salvageable parts must come out intact for resale, while and leftover metals - like steel and copper - will be cut up, melted down, and ultimately reformed into new products. In this business, nothing goes to waste. Get an inside look at the unknown world of scrap,...

• Miami Super Stadium

  +

  The Orange Bowl home to the Miami Dolphins for 21 seasons, and host of five Super Bowls is about to be demolished. Its a monster breakdown job…with a monster deadline: In just four months, a demolition team needs to clear over a quarter million feet of stadium to get ready for a new stadium. Not only is there a tight timetable, everything must be salvaged or recycled. But before the team can break down the stadium, theyll have to save parts of it. After a memorabilia company combs the bowl for collectibles and auctions off what they salvage its finally time for the demo team to get their hands on the bowl. 50,000 left over orange seats, nearly...

• Soviet Doomsday Sub

  +

  In the extreme Russian nNorth a team of engineers are ready to dismantle the a Typhoon-class submarine-the world's largest nuclear submarine, the Typhoon. Int its heyday, this monster sub was a terrifying weapon of war-it prowled the oceans of the world armed with 20 deadly nuclear missiles. Now that the Cold War is over, the Typhoon is ready for demolition. But dismantling a submarine with two nuclear reactors is a risky mission. It will take the team over a year to remove the radioactive nuclear fuel, move the submarine into the dry dock and cut its hull into pieces small enough for recycling.