In viewing various pictures of CN activity on Railpictures.net, it has struck me that an inordinate percentage of pictures, most often in pictures from Canada, show the track ballast in various stages of weed overgrowth, much more so than in past years.
It is understandable that on a large system not every mile of track is going to be in pristine condition at all times, but for some reason the fouling of ballast with overgrowth seems to be showing up more often in CN pictures.
A couple of layperson's questions in that regard:
Is CN deferring track maintenance as one straregy to contribute to keeping their OR below 60?
How much can ballast be overgrown before it affects the speed of trains?
Thanks in advance for any educational information on this item.
When you consider that a lot of these lines handle a lot of grain traffic, it isn't too surprising that there would be a fair amount of vegetation growing in the right of way.
CSSHEGEWISCH When you consider that a lot of these lines handle a lot of grain traffic, it isn't too surprising that there would be a fair amount of vegetation growing in the right of way.
Dang squirrels must be slacking off!
I think annual killing frosts might be working to the Canadian RR's advantage in this regard. Weed growth can't continue like it can in more temperate parts of the US.
It was of course much more controlled in the past.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
The Tal-y-Llyn is a 2 foot 3 inch gauge heritage line in Wales, UK. When the preservation society took over the line in 1950 it was in poor shape. When they started killing the weeds derailments increased - the weeds had actually been holding the track together!
Perhaps there is scope for some plant scientist to develop 'living ballast'!
ChuckCobleigh CSSHEGEWISCH When you consider that a lot of these lines handle a lot of grain traffic, it isn't too surprising that there would be a fair amount of vegetation growing in the right of way. Dang squirrels must be slacking off!
Well they are 'working' for less than peanuts!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Here are a few examples of what I had noticed. At the same time there are many other locations where the ballast looks to be in very good shape. These types of photos were the reason for my question. Thanks for the responses.
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/626598/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/626573/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/626574/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/626566/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/626060/
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/626741/
Weed/brush control along railway lines has indeed changed for a variety of reasons over the past 60 years. Some thoughts:
- When steam locomotives (especially coal-fired) and early diesels (especially roots-blown EMDs and FMs) were in service they commonly started fires near the track, either from cinders or burning carbon deposits thrown from the stack.
- The track forces used get rid of old ties by burning them in piles (the fire sometimes got away), and would sometimes deliberately set fire to the ditches to keep brush down.
-Oil/fuel leaking from locomotives or plain bearings would be "sprayed" along the ROW as a train moved at high speeds. Some early diesels (EMD especially) were notorious for leaking both oil and water, which would accumulate in a U-shaped trough in the frame underneath the engine. When the trough filled up the liquid would simply overflow onto the track, especially on curves. Modern locomotives have a tank under the frame for leaking engine fluids to drain into, and this is normally emptied each time they come into a shop.
For these reasons there never used to be as much foliage growing on or about the track.
On weed spraying, every railroad is different but I have only seen my area being sprayed within the past year (but whatever they are using only kills trees, not grasses). I suspect that management decided some time ago that the only real benefit to spraying was curb appeal, which doesn't matter so much when the only viewers are employees and freight cars. There may also be pressure from authorities to lower the amount of chemicals put into the enviroment, and it doesn't help that crops like canola (little yellow flowers) are genetically-engineered to resist some common herbicides.
As for CN's cutting track maintenance, from a train crew's point of view it is indeed a real problem. Weeds are just the most visible aspect, but the ride has gotten rougher in many areas with seemingly fewer ties being replaced and not enough ballast being added, which leads to soft spots and mud pumping under the track. But I have not been around for long enough to know what things were like before the Hunter Harrison era here, which is when all the cost-cutting started.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.