CHICAGO — If you have yet to see this video posted to Facebook from Chicago’s ABC affiliate, please don’t throw a shoe at your screen.
Someone with ABC posted a video recording of Metra crews standing near a diamond with one rail lit on fire. ABC’s original caption was: “WINTER IN CHICAGO! Setting the tracks on fire to make sure they don’t freeze – so trains can keep moving!”
ABC later amended its post to read as follows: “WINTER IN CHICAGO! Setting the tracks on fire to combat the extreme cold – so trains can keep moving!”
Trains News Wire contacted Metra to confirm what most Trains readers suspect: railroaders were heating a rail to expand it and fix it after it had pulled apart in cold weather at “Mayfair” crossing where the UP Northwest intersects with Milwaukee North lines.
The original post was still online as of late Friday, Jan. 6.
Why doesn’t the RailRoad use some of their large electric engines and modify them to use inductive coils like those used at refineries?
Looking at the video. Pretty sure it was the broken bolts in the C rail (between the running rails of the crossing line) part that broke. A very common problem in the winter. The whole video shows a commuter train crossing while the opposing line still has fire burning. FRA may have something to say about that procedure.
Terry Warner: would that not be the Z axis? x left/right y up/down z into the cross sectional area or down the length of rail????? either way a funny misunderstanding on the part of the newspaper endmrw0109171817
It is easy to understand why many people don’t trust the media. They cant even get facts correct.
THEY BURNED THE RAILS! What were they thinking?!?!
WOW, I didn’t know you could catch steel on fire!! LOL.
They are heating the rails to expand the rails in the Y axis to close the gap caused by cold temperatures.