Hank Investigates: Noisy MBTA trains

[Teamdriver]

WHDH CH. 7 news video :

http://www1.whdh.com/features/articles/ ... ta-trains/

[Disney Guy]

I still remember the deafening roar as the pre-1960's Red Line trains hurtled through the Cambridge subway with all the windows open.

Can't watch videos, take too long to download onto my computer.

[BostonUrbEx]

How about the brakes on the new Rotem cars? Holy moley!

[Type7trolley]

Why do they keep referring to it as brake noise? Do they just assume the operators are dragging their brakes through every curve? I mean the T flat out told them the cause of the noise and they still got it wrong.

I also like how they're engineers now... it's a step up from conductors I guess.

[CircusFreakGRITZ]

Pesaturo is full of shit. It's not "dangerous" to grease the rails.

[DutchRailnut]

depends what part of rail is greased.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Pesaturo is full of *.

This is true as the sky is blue.

It's not "dangerous" to grease the rails.

That's a technical question with many possible answers. None of which I would trust coming out of Pesaturo's mouth (but we knew that...).

[sery2831]

Grease not only reduces noise but it extends the life of the rail and wheels. It's something that should be used on all tight curves in the subway!

[3rdrail]

Hmm...for my money, I would say that grease would definitely have an effect on braking distance. Why wouldn't it ? The very action of braking is caused by friction as a force. You remove some of the friction, you change the quotient for the braking equation. If anything, perhaps go to what was used at North Station on the Main Line El - water sprinklers. Water will also lengthen braking distance, but unlike grease it quickly dissipates by evaporation and absorbtion. Better yet, leave it the hell alone. It probably doesn't bother anyone and it sounds cool.

[AEM7AC920]

It wouldn't impact braking distance much, you are greasing the flange of the wheel only not the tread which still sits completely ontop of the rail.

[3rdrail]

It wouldn't impact braking distance much, you are greasing the flange of the wheel only not the tread which still sits completely ontop of the rail.

You realize that a flange on a streetcar is roughly 3/8 of an inch in height, right ? Is your grease laser guided because any grease that I have ever seen spreads, especially if immense pressure is put upon it, to adjoining surfaces such as a rail head.

[octr202]

On tight curves and loops, a big part is greasing the restraining rail, so there the grease is ending up on the inside of the wheel flange. Track grease is pretty thick stuff, so it also doesn't travel too far.

The stuff we're using up at Seashore is actually soy-based, much more environmentally friendly but it does wash out in the rain (it's water-soluble).

[AEM7AC920]

It wouldn't impact braking distance much, you are greasing the flange of the wheel only not the tread which still sits completely ontop of the rail.

You realize that a flange on a streetcar is roughly 3/8 of an inch in height, right ? Is your grease laser guided because any grease that I have ever seen spreads, especially if immense pressure is put upon it, to adjoining surfaces such as a rail head.

Which still doesn't significantally impact braking distance enough to cause problems or trains to miss stops.

[Disney Guy]

Greasing the restraining rail lengthens the life of the inside of the wheel flange and said restraining rail since most of the force needed to make the train go around the curve is exerted there.

But so long as the 3/8" or so of tread to rail head contact is maintained by both wheels on a given axle, slippage of at least one of the wheels on its respective rail, and therefore noise, will occur when that wheelset takes a curve.

[3rdrail]

It wouldn't impact braking distance much, you are greasing the flange of the wheel only not the tread which still sits completely ontop of the rail.

You realize that a flange on a streetcar is roughly 3/8 of an inch in height, right ? Is your grease laser guided because any grease that I have ever seen spreads, especially if immense pressure is put upon it, to adjoining surfaces such as a rail head.

Which still doesn't significantally impact braking distance enough to cause problems or trains to miss stops.

And, you know this, how ?