THE RAILWAY FIGHT AGAINST SNOW AND ICE

The problem on the 2,387 miles of electrified track of the main-line companies and the 174 miles comprising the London underground network is ice. Probably the best protection against icing is to keep trains constantly running so that the ice does not form. London Transport has a fleet of "sleet" locomotives to keep conductor rails clear. These are fitted with pneumatically operated wire brushes carried on the collector shoe; they have roller ice crushers and can also eject on to the live rail a stream of de-icing fluid to prevent the ice-re-forming after the locomotive has once cleared it away. No fewer than 1,376 sets of points operating in the London area are provided with direct or indirect heating equipment, but other points and junctions have to be kept clear largely by use of rail scrapers, salt, or portable de-icing apparatus.

• Corporate Authors:

  Temple Press Limited

  161-166 Fleet Street
  Longon EC4,   England 
• Publication Date: 1945-1-26

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 81
• Serial:
  • RAILWAY GAZETTE
  • Volume: 82

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ice; Maintenance of way; Railroad electrification; Railroad rails; Railroad traffic; Skidding; Technology
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Track maintenance equipment
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00037284
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 4 1994 12:00AM