When riding the Crescent on NS through the mountains east out of Anniston, AL, I noticed flange lubricators on many of the tight curves. I assume these help reduce the friction of the flanges and reduce wear on the inside of the railhead. But does any grease migrate to the top of the railhead and affect locomotive traction? I thought about this while watching the video of action on the Sand Patch grade posted by RRFan in the Railfanning Forum ("Listen To That"). The wheels of the cars were really screaming on the curves, and I wondered if flange lube would reduce friction, therefore lower fuel usage. Has anybody run trains through areas with flange lubricators?
You bet the grease migrates. Lubricators may be the greatest thing since sliced bread for reducing rail wear but they also do a fine job of bringing struggling trains to a standstill, especially with DC power like ours. I've stalled on those miserable things many times. In case it doesn't become fairly obvious, I'm not too fond of them. To do any good for the track, they have to be right were you're already strung through curves, pulling hard and sanding like there's no tomorrow. Then they're usually pumping out grease in gobs so the stuff is tracked a quarter mile in both directions. Add a little rain or frost for a real adventure. Nothing like being right on your knees with the amp meter pegged and then hitting a greaser...if you're lucky, you'll only lose a couple miles an hour (kinda significant if you're only doing 5 or less to begin with). If it's not your day to win the lottery or you're not ready for it, you get a nasty wheel-slip and wind up stalled or better yet, explaining a knuckle or two to the road foreman. Lots of new guys learn the hard way to know where the greasers are and keep their hand on the throttle at high amperage. On the downhill side, you hit one and the dynamics evaporate when the wheels start skating on the grease and by the time you get your feet back under you, things can be going by the window a little faster than is probably ideal. There's tricks of the trade to handle greasers and I suppose they're a necessary evil but if the carriers want to run maxxed out tonnage on absolute minimum horsepower, they should find a way to keep the slime where it belongs.
Rule 281, I've heard that the grease RRs used in their flange lubricators is very hard to get off your clothes. Is that true?
I remember back in I think it was 1986, riding behind N&W 611 heading up the Rathole and the ole girl stalling out on a flange lubricator. It was cold and raining and she had been slipping several times going up the the grade. Just south of Lancing TN, we hit the FL and that was all she wrote. They backed her down to the nearest crossover and we struggled up the other track. Was quite an adventure.
Ask and you shall recieve! LOL :we-eek: ...and yes SRT...it hangs on like glue. If you walk in the stuff, it takes quite a while for it to wear off your boots and it tracks all over the place. I understand the newer version of goo is not petroleum based and hence is biodegradable but I don't know if it's required yet. If so, the days of the big oil slick up the track should be over. I'll bet it's probably still pretty sticky tho.
my favorite part the noise that comes from the wheels the "horseshoe curve sound" as me and my dad call it because it sounds so good and the ping that comes from the flange greaser listen for a ping [ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=muZ4B9NKi0M"]YouTube - NS 136 Through Alexander City, AL[/ame]
Don't even get me started on those @%$#&*! (gosh darn) !*&#$%@ things...:tb-mad: I've slipped so hard my train broke in two:tb-confused: I've had my dynamics drop out completely:tb-shocked: And, I ruin't a good pair of bib overalls:tb-err: Needless to say, I don't like greasers...
OUCH......sure sounds like a bright idea from the Engineering Dept. where the biggest thing they ever drove was the family sedan to go pick up a six-pack.
The newer TOR lubricators with consumable grease are far superior to the older lubricators mentioned here...
there is two by my house 1. yatesville 2. by my aunts land on the reading and northern by the water co up in west minister and i have no clue what is what but the tracks run wright next to where my aunt is going to build her house and it is a big hill so i am looking foreward to not freezing my butt off waiting for 13T to finally come crawling by
The new ones have a synthetic grease and make the track a lot slicker. Heh, heh... Rule 281, I knew you would like that. Actually, I just made it up.
I think they do more harm than good in some cases. If you blow sand on grease you have grinding compound. If you slip, you risk burnt railhead/coragated rail. I also think they account for there share of flat spots on wheels. Hammering away on God knows how many miles or rail. Just my opinion. Someone keeps track of the beans so they must do some good or they wouldnt exist.
There are some that only apply grease if your moving towards the curve, nice try.....Still doesn't help the grease on TOP of the rail:tb-wacky:
i like the sound of flat spots in wheels especially when you pace a car with a flat spot i like them when they are ear bleedingly loud
Depends on how much grease there is. I'd say anywhere between 2-30 seconds, after that I'd use around 10 lbs of independent brake to "knock" the grease off the wheels. I usually run with the sanders on constantly while going uphill. It tends to help. Especially on Tehachapi as there are over 50 greasers in less than 30 miles. Even better if you are following a "DP" train who has been sanding.:tb-wink: I hit the grease one day, unusually thick, downhill, 23 MPH, wheels slipped, dynamics dropped out, alarm bells went off, got up to 28 MPH before I could get a hold of it:bear-shocked: Needless to say, I was picking vinyl out of the posterior region:tb-embarrassed:
