Light Rail and Snow

walt wrote: The blowers operated continuously, but the actual heat was generated by the motors and the electrical resistance created when the motors were propelling the car. If there was no motion, there was no resistance, and thus no heat.

Although I'm sure when the motors propell the car they must generate some heat my understanding is that the motors' dynamic braking made a lot more waste heat, and that was the primary source. My PCC's in Philly were always cold in the morning, hot in the evening. And as you mention the blowers operated continuously, winter or summer.

Sigh. Y'know, the subject of this topic REALLY ought to have been "Light Rail and Heavy Snow".

gardendance wrote:

walt wrote: The blowers operated continuously, but the actual heat was generated by the motors and the electrical resistance created when the motors were propelling the car. If there was no motion, there was no resistance, and thus no heat.

Although I'm sure when the motors propell the car they must generate some heat my understanding is that the motors' dynamic braking made a lot more waste heat, and that was the primary source. My PCC's in Philly were always cold in the morning, hot in the evening. And as you mention the blowers operated continuously, winter or summer.

That's true---which is why when a PCC would become imobilized in heavy snow, there would be no heat. Once the braking was completed with the car now stationery, no more waste heat would be generated, thus there would be no heat for the interior of the car.

I should rephrase where I said PCC blowers operated continuously, winter or summer. It's probably more accurate to say that the louvers which were supposed to direct air into the car or out of the car didn't work or weren't maintained very well, and summer in Phlly we'd often feel more heat in the car than many winter days.

When I commuted on NJT Riverline I remember employees hopping on the car at some platforms to sweep the door area, and spray what I assumed to be a deicer into the doorwell.

PCCs could also be ordered with Auxiliary Heat. These were electric resistance heaters placed in the heating vents and were activated by a switch on the operator's console. The auxiliary heaters could be used during long layovers to prevent the car from getting too cold but were not designed to heat the car to normal temperatures.

New York State Railways (Utica, Syracuse, Rochester) was not as fortunate as Connecticut and Massachusetts (Maine) in preserving equipment, but they were good at using it. They ran all night and rarely closed.

...Ken

How have light rail systems in cities like Denver and Minneapolis been faring in the winter the last few years?

In Portland we get an occasional snow here and there - not enough to be high enough to require clearing equipment...

However, overhead wire problems, frozen switches (especially on the eastside lines), and signaling problems become routine headaches for TriMet causing lengthy light rail outages even with a very light dusting of snow (not that Portland gets any significant accumulation).

During the winter storm of the 2nd half of December 2009, only the Portland Streetcar was more-or-less unaffected (although it required significant amounts of manpower to keep the flangeways clear) while light rail and bus service ground to a standstill for several days, and was very limited service for the rest of the storm. (Of course, it was torture for motorists driving over the streetcar tracks as the city failed to keep the rest of the street clear.)