Loring Winter and so it begins

[MarkEagleUSA]

Wow, the SIL, Daughter and Grandson are in Minot ND, actual temp -18 with 8mph wind -35 and suppose to go to -30 tonight actual temp

Must be cold there... my daughter's church cancelled for tomorrow!

 

[DavidC]

You guy's up north are definately gonna get cold, try to be safe as this is dangerous. Minot -30 6mph wind -46 wind chill

 

[JR]

I saw on the news they were lighting the track switches on fire to keep them from freezing. Apparently they don't know there's such a thing as a switch heater, LOL.

 

[Jim W]

This has been standard practice on the tracks here in IL for Metra trains at Union station, for sometime. The tracks have built in gas heaters that are lighted when ever there is a sub-zero temps to allow the switches to move. Also the trains are slowed down because of the rails are under stress do to the cold weather.
At least as far back as the 60's if I remember correctly. The only reason this made the news now is because of the millennials have never experience this cold weather before.

The weather people keep point out that we are right now colder than Mt Everest and Anchorage AK. My truck had -24F on the display this morning and my son posted at 5:30 AM that is car temp display hit -30F on his way to work.

 

[Shiner]

I saw on the news they were lighting the track switches on fire to keep them from freezing. Apparently they don't know there's such a thing as a switch heater, LOL.

You are talking about Chicago.....

 

[Shiner]

This has been standard practice on the tracks here in IL for Metra trains at Union station, for sometime. The tracks have built in gas heaters that are lighted when ever there is a sub-zero temps to allow the switches to move. Also the trains are slowed down because of the rails are under stress do to the cold weather.
At least as far back as the 60's if I remember correctly. The only reason this made the news now is because of the millennials have never experience this cold weather before.

The weather people keep point out that we are right now colder than Mt Everest and Anchorage AK. My truck had -24F on the display this morning and my son posted at 5:30 AM that is car temp display hit -30F on his way to work.

Unfortunately, the narrative rarely includes the real reasons behind the action. I recognized when they first showed the video, why. You are correct, millennials don't know these things, or have the reasoning to think beyond what they are spoon fed by the media.

 

[Tractorat]

I talked to my cousin in International Falls Mn this morning. She said it hit 43 below at her house last night. She said she is sure glad global warming is here or else it might have been even colder.

 

[Shiner]

I talked to my cousin in International Falls Mn this morning. She said it hit 43 below at her house last night. She said she is sure glad global warming is here or else it might have been even colder.

LOL! No kidding.

 

[Shiner]

It was only -19 or so last night here. But, me thinks doesn't much matter the number once it gets into 0 territory.

 

[JR]

Sounds like Chicago rail is ill prepared. With the proper track heater and cover this should be a non issue.

 

[JR]

Jim, how exactly are they getting away with lighting fires on switches that have heaters installed? I've not yet seen a heater that would withstand a fire for more than a few seconds. The footage I saw had several fires lit, probably 8-10 at least . Our switch heaters/cover combo run roughly $5k each . That could get expensive quick!

 

[jhenderson]

My experience is once it goes below -10 it’s hard to tell just how cold it it is. 20,30,40 below all feel about the same. That’s why it’s dangerous.

 

[Jim W]

These are the heaters. The fires that you see are fueled by propane to heat these switches and tracks, the ties are concrete. From experience the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail lines that owns the tracks has found using propane/natural gas is the best source of heat and is economical to use, in the Chicago metropolitan area. They have installed small orifice tubes that the fuel flows out of, these are buried just under the grave along side of the switches and tracks, they are then ignited to burn, similar to a gas grill or a gas fire place orifice tube.

These have been in placed and are used when the temps drop below a certain set point in ambient temps. It is just as a I said in my pervious post that the millennials and non-local news people were amazed at the burning of this fuel to heat the tracks. They simple state that the tracks were on fire, never giving the full story. Since they are not from Chicago IL they have never experience this.

Electrical cost are higher then natural gas/propane in our area. As an example I have a 2,000 sq ft home using natural gas to heat (house kept at 68F), cook, run my fireplace, heat our water and dry the clothes. The gas bill is $62 a month. Electricity is used only to run the lights (LED'S), TV/radio and provide power for my DC fan motor on the furnace+ some parasitic uses such as cell phone chargers and so, forth. This usually cost me $96 a month.

 

[JR]

Thanks for the education Jim. I've been around trains a good bit in my adult career and grew up near a rail yard in Wyoming. I've seen gas heaters but they have been more of an exchanger type.

Never seen a track heater blow flames!

 

[DavidC]

So I have been watching the temps between Minot and Loring. Minot wins the low temps hands down at least for this year, they do not get a lot of snow. I know when I was at Loring we had a lot of both and It looks like at least Northern Maine has mellowed a bit.

 

[mwilson]

In Houlton today, just a gloomy bucket of suck....raining, been freezing to the roads on and off, then tonight down to 10 degrees....plenty of snow remains though..

 

[DavidC]

That should make a good skating rink tho.

 

[GAmes]

Thought you might be entertained by the winter weather advisory that we are under today. It's about 30F. Notice the green grass in the background.

 

[DavidC]

Thought you might be entertained by the winter weather advisory that we are under today. It's about 30F. Notice the green grass in the background.

View attachment 111130

That's some hearty grass, gonna need a combo snow blower/ Lawn mower

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

mgonna need a combo snow blower/ Lawn mower

A SnowMower!