[railguy]

Since the Holidays are nearly upon us, I thought that I would post a few screenshots of winter scenes that one might see this time of year. So, starting off, here are some screenies from Mullan Pass. On a personal note, as I believe that I've noted before--I lived in cold Rocky Mountain locales similar to Mullan Pass for over a decade's worth of my life. These screenies really capture the feel of a cold winter evening in the Rockies, when the lack of heavy cloud cover allows very rapid radiational cooling starting immediately at dusk. In such circumstances, I've seen the temperature drop from 20° F. to -15° F.--35 degrees of drop--in little more than a half-hour, under skies that look much like these. You can bet that the crew on this train is hoping that all goes well this cold evening, so that the conductor does not have to walk the train for some reason. They will also be watching for "pull-aparts," where the rapidly dropping temperatures cause rail contraction that pull the rails apart at a joint. Also, they will be watching for places where the head of the rail might have broken off. This can happen where the top of the rail is exposed and may be a significantly different temperature than the remainder of the rail that is frozen in snow and ice.

[Weter]

Hello.
I've just have read about some very interesting details, telling us, that train's crew life is still full of "not so pleasure sudden adventures", surmounting and challenges. Despite of computer aid in train systems control: physics, nature, weather, metals - are still the same, and trains are even way longer and dozens times heavier, than decades before. So, being in safe warm homes, let's remember those brave ones, who cares about accurate timing and maximal safety of railroad operations in any conditions, 24/7.
My first impression was: "hey, I've seen such screenees before", but reading Your telling, I have imagined things, You told about, so vivid, looking into these pictures!
So thank You again, and let's say our "Cheers!" to all, who's on duty now.
To those who are on the road - our traditional toast.

[railguy]

^I wasn't in train service, but I worked in the railroad industry for several years. And, yes, I personally saw those things that I just posted about. Once the temperature gets lower than around -25° F., steel starts getting very brittle. A good friend of mine, who spent his career in MOW, told of one time he got called out in the middle of a frigid -40° F. night. A train crew had looked back and had seen a bunch of cars in their train, starting about 10 cars back from the locomotives, swaying badly, and the crew stopped the train, thinking that they might of derailed in the cold. When my friend got there, he and the conductor started walking the train. What they found was a car with hand brakes partially set. He said the wheels on one truck of the car looked like the "Fred Flintstone" wheels in MSTS, with bad flat spots from the partially sticking handbrake. Those semi-flat wheels had pounded hard enough on the brittle rail in the brutal cold that the head was broken off of the rail for more than 200 yards. Miraculously, none of the cars had derailed. What followed what a miserable frigid night of calling out another locomotive and crew to pull the portion of the train behind the broken rails back to a siding while the head end crew of the train gently pulled the front of the train, flattened wheels and all, to a siding ahead of the train. Then the track crew had to change out the damaged rail to get traffic moving again on the busy mainline. All of this temperatures hovering around -40° F. At that temperature, by the way, exposed flesh will freeze in about 5 minutes. Unwinterized #2 diesel fuel in unheated tanks will turn to slush and even #1 diesel fuel may have gelling issues. 30-weight motor is like thick molasses and won't even pour. Some of the heavy equipment operators with equipment without heated fuel tanks would fuel their diesel equipment with Jet A (a bit thinner than #1 diesel)--it was very hard on engines, but the engines would at least keep running. And no, this wasn't in Alaska or Canada--it was in the Rockies.

Another fun thing to watch in a cold weather repair of rail is "burning the rope." Because rail ideally needs to be spiked in place and jointed at full expansion, this is often accomplished in cold weather rail replacement by "burning the rope." A rope is soaked in diesel fuel and laid down along the length of the replaced rail. The rope is then ignited to heat the rail to full expansion. Once heated, the rail is then firmly spiked in place by the MOW crew. Just another example of the "fun" stuff a track crew may get to do in winter.

[Weter]

Hello.
That's called "cold fragility"
Very interesting story too. Thanks.

Jointless tracks are very dangerous in mid-seasons. When air temperature fluctuates in wide range.
Nuts should be loosen, then tighten again - otherwise derailments will follow.
https://www.youtube....h?v=wASHoyry2EY (Sorry for offtop and inaccurate subtitles, guys)

[steved]

From my RR experience a flat spot larger than a quarter resulted in a BO tag and the car had to be set out.

Randy

[Jovet]

The best thing about -40 degrees is it's the same in F as it is in C!! https://www.elvastower.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/pleasantry.gif

[railguy]

steved, on 17 December 2023 - 09:49 AM, said:

From my RR experience a flat spot larger than a quarter resulted in a BO tag and the car had to be set out. Randy

True, but in the situation that I described, the car wheels got flattened during the trip due to the partially sticking hand brake. At that point, to open the mainline, the car was gently moved to a siding at restricted speed (probably 8-10 mph), where it could be set out and the car men could jack it up and replace the flattened wheels. None of that, of course, is easy or fun in subzero temperatures.

[charland]

https://images2.imgbox.com/7f/ee/0OaSSmqt_o.jpg

[Weter]

Thanks, Paul.
Lovely. Same to You!

[Coonskin]

Hm. I added my Christmas card/greeting in the first thread.

However, looks like this one is becoming the "chosen" Christmas thread??

SO... I'll post a different greeting card in this one! :)

Merry Christmas everybody!