Handing out blankets when it's hot

[Beeyar Wunby]

Apologies for the satirical title.

As I'm sure you know, yesterday was stinking hot. We topped the scale at 38C.

The UK railway isn't designed for hot temperatures, and we have to put restrictions in place.

Firstly we had a blanket differential restriction across the whole region of 30/60. Basically that's 60 max for passenger, and 30 max for freight. But on top of that there was an additional local 20 mph restriction for the single line (normally 90 mph !!).

This is both for the rails - the road is already pretty bumpy due to the hot weather drying out the black peat under the ballast, and further direct heat of the sun on the rails could make them buckle and sag so much that derailment is a real possibility.

The other risk is damage to the overhead line, which expands and sags under the heat. There is of course tension compensation built in, but it can only do so much.

I've added a photo of my technique for ensuring I don't overspeed. Because it's so instinctive and automatic to open and close the power handle at given locations, it very easy to forget about the restrictions.This involves sticking insulating tape on the speedo. You can see that I've marked 60 and 20 on the dial. Obviously I pull the 20 one off once I'm off the single line.

Cheers, BW

[aussiesteve]

Poor BW restricted to a snails pace.
Stephenson got to faster at Rainhill.
HA!
Yeh, we knows all about buckled track here when the temps soar.
WOLO restrictions are enforced when ever our thermometer hits 38 C.
At least you got a speedo that actually works.
Many of the old timer Red Rattlers in smog hollow Sydney had defunct speedos.
Find out how fast you was percolating by just how much slap occurred on the rails at curves.
The Yanks had the harmonic speed restriction on sectional rail.
34 foot lengths of rail and 40 foot box cars.
Travel at 25 MPH and they get up a nasty sway with the diagonally opposite end wheels going clickety clack in the rail joints.
Trains can actually derail due to the harmonic becoming severe.
So, they gotta either travel below 25 MPH, or increase train speed through 25 mph as quickly as possible.
The double nose job hysterical trip today was 27 LATE.
But, not due to heat, or going clickety clack.
It definitely AIN'T hot here, and we now got continuous weld rail.
Things just go that way here these days on our privatized railway.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Hi Steve

Interesting about harmonic oscillation. That sounds pretty impressive. I've never come across it before - not surprising since I've only ever driven passenger trains which have two levels of vertical damping - primary (springs) and secondary (airbags), plus torsional dampers between the bogies and underframe.

And talking of lateness - on that hot day it took me 70 minutes to do a 9 minute trip. This was 30 minutes waiting for a down train to come towards me on the single line, then 40 to do the uppity trip. And nobody said a word of complaint, possibly because they were all mesmerised by the heat.

So in total it took 130 minutes to do the 50 minute trip. That's a record for me.

Anyway, perhaps I should stop banging on about our heat, what with with you freezing yer things off in Oz?

Cheers, BW

[46232]

Interesting stuff guys, most of us don't see things from the inside. Thanks for sharing

[aussiesteve]

G'day Ken and BW,
YES me frozen here, and dreaming of a heatwave.
The cattle in smog hollow whinge when ever WOLO restrictions are imposed due to heat.
Trains limping along at reduced speed.
And, yes, making matters worse when time tabled crossings at single line sections go right out of the window.
But, them cattle would also whinge if their train ended upside down after hitting buckled track at track speed if restrictions were not enforced.
Older Yankee Working Time Tables had the harmonic speed law for sectional rail.
It was called a couple of things, depending upon which USRR mob concerned.
But, the law was standard; DO NOT travel at 25 MPH.
Most modern day major USRRs now have continuous weld rail, so no longer a problem.
I have squizzed video footage at You Tuber of short lines that still possess sectional rail.
The roll and sway of the wagons is indeed scary.
You would not wanna be standing too close, just incase.
Ah, the good ole days.
I just loved that clickety clack, especially with three axle bogie locos and rollingstock.
Continuous weld rail, PHOOEY, no more clickety clack, except at points.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Ha yes. Alot of people love the sound of jointed track, myself included. It still puts a smile on my face when I run over a section of line that goes diddlydee - diddlydum (well it does to my ears - so there ).

Cheers, BW.