Greasers

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Last night I found where there is a flange greaser on the railroad line near my house. The track is nearly level, it’s on a slight curve, several miles away from any hills. It skirts the edge of a residential area.

Why a flange greaser there? Is that to make the train quieter through town?

2

A flange lubricator will be used to carry light grease (doesn’t take much) a couple of miles in each direction, carried by the wheels, to extend life of the rail and reduce low speed crabbing.

Noise reducer? - Probably not. Friction modifier: certainly.

(Same logic has grease applicators on certain locomotives - IF the mechanical forces bother to keep the reservoir full and maintain the thing.) Not uncommon for hi-rail trucks to have applicators on them as well.

3

Safe to say that there’s probably flange greasers up and down the line? Typically, how close are they to each other?

What’s crabbing? Is that what the railroad worker hears when he tracks some of that grease into the house? [:-,]

4

I am thinking that is what women can hear that hurts their ears and most men of a certain age can barely hear. It is a pretty high pitched squeal, (unless that isn’t right.) They should call that squeal a shriek!

5

“Crabbing” is the wheels trying to climb in a tight curve and continually attacking the rail and then falling off (especially with locomotives or any railcar with badly lubricated truck centerplates or kingpins)

6

That’s mudchicken with a deathwish bringing creosote or engine crater in the house. BossHen’s “Irish” goes up off the top of the scale.

7

Is there a “how to model a flange greaser” in Model Raliroader?

8

Go ask that bunch…This is the 1:1 real world experience here…

9

Don’t know about that, but easy anyway:

  1. Small box (say 2’ x 2’ ) at the ends of the ties, top at rail height. Maybe a small signal cabinet and a solar panel a little further back. A couple hoses (wires) up to the rails, and 1 or 2 small plastic angles about 3 ft. long on the inside of the rail.
  2. Black paint liberally applied on the rails and ties on that side for about 100 yds. in the direction(s) of traffic.
  3. Look up manufacturer’s ads & brochures for more details.
  • Paul North.