Clearing Snow

MNRR_RTC wrote:There also switch heaters built into every interlocking. When it starts to snow, I will contact the signal maintainers to see if we need to turn on the heaters. Once the maintainer gives me the go-ahead, I then call the Power Supervisor who turns them on via remote. What I like to do in heavy snow storms is run trains on as straight rail as I possibly can without crossing over to many times at too many interlockings. This avoids switch failures which will cause delays. Once it stops snowing, the maintainers will go out to clean out the switch points and I will then throw each switch to make sure they are working properly and not fail.

That seems like a lot of work involved to turn on some switch heaters. I know out west the Class I's the dispatcher has the ability to turn on the switch heaters from their dispatcher consoles. The only requirement is that if they are propane, they gas must be turned on, which it is all winter long. I have heard of instances of dispatchers turning on the heaters in the middle of the summer and making quite a mess.

Are the Switch Heaters on MNCR all electric? Also, I would think throwing the switches during the night while the heaters are running would allow for better snow melt, and reduce the ice buildup. Snow doesn't tend to derail trains, it ice buildup that'll lift the flange out of the gauge.

The switch heaters are electric, so they are under the control of the power supervisor. The reason why I don't throw the switches is that sometimes, the heaters can cause a failure to normal or reverse. As for snow derailing trains, I have not honestly heard of that, but I am sure that locomotive engineers out there can answer that better for you.

MNRR_RTC wrote:The switch heaters are electric, so they are under the control of the power supervisor. The reason why I don't throw the switches is that sometimes, the heaters can cause a failure to normal or reverse. As for snow derailing trains, I have not honestly heard of that, but I am sure that locomotive engineers out there can answer that better for you.

Snow will not derail a train but ice can where tracks have been flooded, then the water froze. With the big storms, a few trains have gone off the tracks when they could not see a portable derail ahead of them in the yards. Unlike a fixed derail where the engineer knows the location, a portable derail can be anywhere. Even though the trains were going at restricted speed, the crews were not held responsible for hitting something that they could not see. Snow buildup under the third rail is the biggest nemesis as it can stop an MU train in its tracks. Snow ingestion into electric traction motors and Genesis blowers is another achilles' heel.

Penn Central wrote:

MNRR_RTC wrote:The switch heaters are electric, so they are under the control of the power supervisor. The reason why I don't throw the switches is that sometimes, the heaters can cause a failure to normal or reverse. As for snow derailing trains, I have not honestly heard of that, but I am sure that locomotive engineers out there can answer that better for you.

Snow will not derail a train but ice can where tracks have been flooded, then the water froze. With the big storms, a few trains have gone off the tracks when they could not see a portable derail ahead of them in the yards. Unlike a fixed derail where the engineer knows the location, a portable derail can be anywhere. Even though the trains were going at restricted speed, the crews were not held responsible for hitting something that they could not see. Snow buildup under the third rail is the biggest nemesis as it can stop an MU train in its tracks. Snow ingestion into electric traction motors and Genesis blowers is another achilles' heel.

A retired Conrail Road Foreman tried to proved me wrong. The cause of this derailment was actually ice on a grade crossing on the UP Limon Sub in Kyle, CO.

Darn locos, always looking for a reason to play in the snow!!!