what is r.r.-ing like for crews in the heat? i would like to read about experiences of crewmen in extremely hot or humid weather… the only phenomenon i know of is where the rails buckle because they cannot expand beyond the limits allowed at rail joints. what happens to engines, track signals, roadbeds, freight cars (loaded and empty), etc., when the heat goes beyond merely bad to unbearable? what happens to crewmen when they are in the sun too long without a break? is there a difference at night? is night work different because it is natural to expect a break in conditions, but it’s just as bad in the dark? does equipment suffer when it’s really, really hot? does work have to stop because conditions threaten train movement, or is the weather no effect on the tools of the trade? what happens after several days without a letup in the weather? does the continued stress of heat-related conditions factor in to the ability of a crew’s ability to keep working, or to the usage of the equipment over extended periods of torrid temperatures?
Sun Kinks are what those are called dude. They tell us not to get sun stroked and drink plenty of water. As far as operations, they put out heat speed restrictions that usually start a few hours after sun up till about 11:00 at night. Thats about all i can think of right off.
People-wise it’s not much different from any strenuous outside work - lots of fluids (water & sports drinks), rest, etc, etc. Heat related injuries can really mess you up and could become a factor in other injury situations.
Most cargo is probably packaged for a variety of situations anyhow. The difference is that in really hot weather a cold cargo will suffer that much sooner if the cooling apparatus fails.
I’m not aware of problems that can occur with the rolling stock due to heat - but that’s not to say there aren’t any. Cold weather is the bigger challenge there.
It sucks! But it’s not as bad as the middle of a northern/midwestern winter. As tree68 said, more equipment fails and things break due to the cold than from heat.
Other than sun kinks (mentioned above), the heat & humidity is far worse on the people than the equipment.
Lets see. Your underware sticks to you in places that are uncomfortable. Your socks are wet and your feet itch. If its real bad your boots squish. Your jeans get looser as you dump pounds of water weight.Your shirt hangs from you and everytime you move out of the shade the sun just beats you.You cuss the dispatcher cause all you have for AC is a broom blocking the front door open and that jerk has decided to stick you in the hole where there is no breeze ( granted the next siding you can park under a tree but ohhhhhhh no we cant go there.) Listening to a road crew cry cause their AC died ( suck it up losers lol) then spraying them with water thats lukewarm cause your fridge is B/O.Sitting in the sun on a black motor ( thanks IC and NS for the good color scheme)When you do get moving all the road dirt and grime gets coated on you( remember that open front dor?) so you feel like sand paper.
Nighttime in the mid west is horrible at times cause the humidity is still there. So your still wet feeling,but at least the sun isnt beating you up.The cars have retained the heat from the day and it radiates onto you.
Now as we all know what happens just when you feel this miserable in the mid west,your 75 cars back and all of a sudden there is the midwest thunderstorm!! Now your even more wet. The air smells like gravel dust and it gets even more humid and sticky.You wish you would have listened to others and got a nice office job lol.
Now though I get to run the motors. So now my shirt sticks to the seat.If my side is facing west I cant get in the shade lol. SO you should se my right arm( finally I get an engineers tan instead of my usually truckers tan.lol)But at least I am closer to that b/o fridge with all tat yummy lukewarm water.
Don’t forget about all the damn bugs at nite.
This pretty much sums it up. I’m from the south, but most everything you said applies here too. The humidity here is terrible, you walk outside when it’s 110 degrees
OK since you brought this very interesting subject up, I have one related question to ask. In the STEAM days HOW in hell did the steam crews manage the very intense summer HEAT in the Southwest Deserts of the USA???
Those cab temps had to be at least 200 degrees F during July in places like Needles and Niland in far southeast California in the 1940s and 1950s. Thank you very much for any insights into this very interesting historic railroading dilemma !
Daniel
I have worked on steam locomotives for 30 plus years now. You build up a tolerance for the heat.
Back when I was with the Southern Steam Program, some steam era traditions were maintained, such as the overnight baby sitter or hostler, providing two big ten gallon, galvanized Igloo brand water tanks filled with ice and water and plenty of Dixie Cups. The water tubs fit on the water legs of the tender in special rings made for them.
One technique I have used for years is to dip a cloth into the water tank and put it under my cap.
You either learn to deal with the heat or you can’t be on the crew. When firing one must pace one’s self and not gorge on too much water or you’ll get sick.
The ONLY advantage to being in the dessicated desert is that water evaporates quickly in the just-about-nonexistent humidity. If you put anything wet on your person, it dries almost immediately, and cools you off in the process. That’s why people who had little more than discomfort working in 110 degree Mojave Desert weather will really suffer when the temperature and humidity both reach 90 at the same time.
How do I know? Been there, done that.
Chuck
But its a dry heat lol. Yeah tom your right about that. Steam locos in high humidity isnt fun. But like said you get used to it. Well sort of.
The coldest place I’ve ever worked- Andrews Yard in Columbia South Carolina.
The hottest place I’ve ever worked- same as above
Railcars get hotter than the hinges on the gates of Hell in the summer. Also, you get plenty of radiant heat from the ballast. In the winter, especially on a cloudy, windy day, they can get quite cold, like standing beside a block of ice. When I was in conductor training I slipped while trying to negotiate a sleet covered ladder on a coal hopper and sustained a pulled groin muscle. Being new to railroad work, I figured they would fire me if I reported this injury so I did my best to hide the pain and work through it. There is no union protection until you mark-up or so I was told.
Hmm I see my post has been deleted. I wonder why?
But anyways its been in the 40’s here all week.