From:
“MARC Service Alert” marc@mtamarylandalerts.com
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The easiest way is to run trains. The DL&W used to operate at least one set of MU’s continuously to keep ice from building up on the wires and in doing so put on quite a light show as the arcing spewed sparks into the night air!
WIth DC catenary, I can imagine! Much like iced-up 3rd rail.
I’ve seen GG1s operate with both pans up during snow. I wonder if that wasn’t to help with icing.
Yes, two up on the G’s…I forgot about that, only saw it once.
Although much of CTA’s overhead was direct suspension with some catenary, some service motors (demoted from 4000-series MU cars) were equipped with two trolley poles at each end, the additional pole equipped as an ice cutter.
To add to Paul’s comment, CTA also had 1-50 series cars which had two poles on each end - one for power and the other for the sleet-cutting duty. In addition, they could change out the heads on the pans of the Skokie cars to put sleet-cutter heads on during inclement weather. Hope that helps, Art
And di not the North Shore have special shoes for sleet cutting substituting for reguar shoes? They also ran trains all night without passengers to keep the lines open.