Comments on: Switch Heaters for Link

By: Metro’s Emergency Routing Plan - Seattle Transit Blog

Metro’s Emergency Routing Plan - Seattle Transit Blog — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:28:25 +0000

[...] hoping this isn’t put to the test this winter — with Link’s switch heaters not yet installed, and GPS-based bus tracking coming in 2011, we’ll be much better equipped in a couple of [...]

By: NSBill

NSBill — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:43:13 +0000

Blowtorches can…

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:22:08 +0000

Yeah, I haven’t heard of serious flange icing problems. Maybe we’ll have to slow down, or just run trains at night periodically to keep them clear?

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:20:10 +0000

Gordon, I’ve never heard of an ice derailment from flanges, and there are street railways all over the world…

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:55:35 +0000

If you sweep fast enough the broom can – it’s how curling works!

By: crk on bellevue ave

crk on bellevue ave — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:45:52 +0000

It isn’t LINK you should worry about on MLK, it is idiots driving into LINK. Even if the track is perfect and safe, you’ve got to remember there is nothing between an idiot driver sliding through a traffic light and into the right of way.

Just thinking about how probable such a collision would be, my hunch is they’d shut the line down in a 20-year storm no matter how de-iced the switches are. Over a five day period, *somebody* would eventually collide with a train.

By: Jeff Doppmann

Jeff Doppmann — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:35:09 +0000

ML King ROW will be a challenge during a snow storm. Embedded track has only a few inches of clearance between the concrete and critical components on the LRV. Ballasted track has typically has a foot or more. I do not think we will be able to rely on the trains keeping snow from building up between the rails.

We operated along SODO in training last winter. I recall that yard switches needed some deicing and track crews were out clearing the flange grooves at Holgate and Lander street crossings – likely needed because we were not operating trains regularly during the snow.

I recall from news accounts Portland MAX managing quite well until about four days in to the cold snap when their switches started freezing up.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:48:31 +0000

Yeah, I’d expect it’ll end up being near 520 north of the new Bel-Red development, near a station.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:08:57 +0000

With the train, I hope!

By: Gordon Werner

Gordon Werner — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:31:19 +0000

the SLUT only has three of them … one of them goes to the yard and the other two are spring switches … so that shouldn’t be too difficult … but as I said above … the real problem is the girder rail flangeways getting clogged with ice.

By: Gordon Werner

Gordon Werner — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:29:17 +0000

heaters can fix the switch points … but unless the entire railbed is heated, the shallow flangeway in girder-rail can still cause derailments when cloged with ice (or rocks, ball bearings, etc …)

I will be interested in how LINK handles it’s first snow on the Rainier Beach street ROW … it managed it’s first rain pretty well but snow is a whole other ballgame.

By: Gordon Werner

Gordon Werner — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:26:32 +0000

I was just pointing out what ST’s site says. I would imagine that we’ll be voting on ST3 before ST2 is completed (as we did with ST2) … OEM facilities would be part of that (along with more, newer cars).

Regardless, the optimal placement of an OEM facility is at the end or middle of a line (well that and where there is cheap, available land).

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:44:29 +0000

Yes, that’s what they do! :)

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:44:08 +0000

Yes, exactly. A broom and shovel can’t melt the ice.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:43:22 +0000

Beacon Hill will definitely benefit. Capitol Hill, too, when U-Link is done.

By: alexjonlin

alexjonlin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:21:40 +0000

Which neighborhoods could really use it? Rainier Valley seems like it will get some of the highest benefit from Link of any neighborhood.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:13:27 +0000

They won’t be, because if we have a snowstorm, we’ll run end to end service without using the interim switches. It’ll just be a matter of pushing bad drivers off the tracks.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:12:05 +0000

Yes.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:11:24 +0000

Patrick, Link will be underground at Husky Stadium. That’s not necessary, either.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:10:55 +0000

Well, that might add a buck or two to the price.