Taking Great Care of My Factory

How Do Contractors Prevent & Remove Ice & Snow?

21 March 2017

Deann Hunter

Winter can grind rail transportation to a halt if providers aren't prepared to handle the ice and snow. Because of that, railroads use a variety of technologies to prevent or remove ice from their infrastructure and equipment, which includes rails, switches, signals, rolling stock and locomotives. Below are some of the most commonly used deicing and snow removal strategies that can be found in use on today's railroads:

Deicing Chemicals

Chemicals are used with great efficacy within the railroad industry to prevent and remove ice. There are a variety of melting agents that can be applied to railroad infrastructure and equipment. Some of these include:

Ethylene glycol—This versatile liquid is not only used as an engine coolant, it can also be used to remove ice and snow from surfaces. Ethylene glycol is sprayed as needed and is effective at eliminating frozen precipitation. It does present some toxicity issues with some pets and animal wildlife, so efforts are being made to phase out ethylene glycol as a deicing agent.

Sodium Chloride—Common rock salt, sodium chloride is effective at melting ice, but only at temperatures just below freezing. If temperatures get too cold, salt is less effective as a deicer. It can be mixed with sand to improve its performance.

Calcium Chloride—Another common deicing agent, calcium chloride is much more effective at removing ice than salt. However, calcium chloride can encourage corrosion in metal, and this can be a limiting factor for use in some circumstances.

Other anti-icing agents have been developed or are in the process of development. For example, a highly effective substitute for ethylene glycol was invented by NASA and is now being manufactured for commercial use in railroad applications. This chemical agent can be applied to metal prior to icing and will prevent ice formation even after the liquid has dried.

Snowplows

An old railroad standby, but one which is still necessary, is the snowplow. Snowplows operate by using mechanical equipment to brush, push or blow away snow.

Railroads use snowplows in a variety of applications, including locomotive-mounted units, dedicated snow-removal equipment and multiple-use equipment. Multi-use equipment, such as snow plows combined with tie ballasting machines, save railroads money by preventing equipment from being idle most of the year.

Air Blowers

Another important weapon in the fight against snow and ice are air blowers. These devices are mounted at strategic locations, such as at switch points, control mechanisms and signals, and blow a stream of air to melt or blow away ice and snow.

Air blowers can use both cold and hot air to remove ice and snow. Hot air blowers possess the advantage of being able to heat the metal and quickly remove frozen precipitation.

Cold air blowers don't melt the snow but instead push it away from critical zones. While cold air blowers may not be able to melt ice (by design), they do prevent new ice formation by eliminating the thaw-and-refreeze cycle generated by hot air blowers.

Switch Heaters

Railroads also rely upon switch heaters to keep these sensitive locations free of ice and snow. Switch heaters are composed of conductive metal straps that attach to rails or other switch components. These straps generate considerable electrical resistance whenever a high-wattage current is passed through them. This generates heat that in turns warms the rails and melts ice and snow.

Ice and Snow Guards

More passive than the above equipment, ice and snow guards serve to keep frozen precipitation away from rail infrastructure from the beginning. For example, one such guard type uses brushes strategically aligned along the edge of rails. The brushes prevent snow from sticking to the sides of rails and work in conjunction with switch heaters to provide ice-free operation.

To learn more about the process or to receive further instance, contact companies like GMCO Corporation.

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