We’ve all heard the cliches about being able to fix jsut about wnything with duct tape. I’m sure there most be thousands of uses for it on railroads. You could use it to repair a leaking brake hose, seal drafty cab windows and who nose what else. What are some other railroad-related duct tape uses?
You can’t use it to fix leaky hoses , but we do use it to mark bad roller bearings and to seal air parts that are being stored good or bad .That is pretty much it .
I was putting up/repairing some Christmas decorations last year in Utica when an Amtrak train was doing its station stop there. The crew kindly offered my some of their duct tape…
Several times the need for, and the use of Duct Tape has been noted in these FORUMS. I think it was Wabash1 (?) who said once;(paraphrased)something to the effect he never left home without it; the tape was useful in sealing leaky cabs, and cabinets in locomotives; limited only be the resourcefulness of the individuals.
I know it used to be in every truck drivers kit (and tool boxes). It used to be said one could not operate a Freightliner without it. I think I remember one of the engineer members here saying roughly the same thing about EMD’s. And if the truth be known, in many other areas of railroading, and their maintainence functions, as well.
Some of the better grades of it have been used on airplanes( particularly in air racers) to cover panels, and other offending parts that would effect top speeds.
The stuff is in a class by itself,the stickier the better it’s uses. Duct Tape is Ubiquitous![8D]
Duct Tape is like the Force…it has a light side, a dark side, and holds the universe together.
The uses are endless, make temporary repairs to air hoses, seal leaky cab doors and windows, fix seats, etc.
Nick
Actually I’ve used “speed tape” to cover lost small acess panel holes on regular passenger jets that were not for pressurized locations to get plane back to repair station. It is actually FAA approved. You can easily guess where the “speed tape” name came from. Of course removing it is another matter – usually takes a special solvent.
Duck tape is used all the time where railroads pass through duck country. Herds of ducks on the tracks can be a severe problem as hitting a pile of ducks can cause a major derailment, thereby starting the onset of the dreaded “Dead Duck Syndrome”. Crews mitigate this horrible disaster by duck taping herds of ducks together so that they stay in the water where they belong and won’t settle onto the tracks, causing a wreck. Since the duck taped ducks don’t get run over and the tape easily biodegrades in the water, it’s a win-win situation for both the railroad and the ducks. Trains can now roll through duck country without fear of hitting a pile of ducks, and the ducks are happy as clams that they are not involved in the dreaded “Dead Duck Syndrome.” Piles and piles of dead ducks along the tracks is a PR nightmare.
Actually, I don’t recall using it for much of anything when I was in the track business - mostly for sealing up boxes of small parts so they didn’t fall out or get lost, and maybe holding cracked/ broken windows in the equipment together and in place until they could be fixed. It wouldn’t have worked on any of the hydraulic lines - too much oil to stick, and too much pressure to hold - and I don’t recall seeing it used on any of the air hoses, tools, or compressors.
- Paul North.
Slightly [#offtopic], but useful.
One of the first uses for Typhoon tape' (green duct tape with an attitude) was to cover the bullet holes collected by A-1 Sandy’ aircraft operatiog at low altitude over enemy territory during the Vietnam war. A fresh bullet hole frequently had a bright spot of bare aluminum around it. The green tape covered that, as well as partially restoring the aerodynamic effect of a hole in the skin (usually on the underside of the wing.)
I’m sure that probably influenced the FAA to approve (very) temporary use as described earlier.
Comparing the adhesive qualities of Typhoon tape to ordinary duct tape is like comparing a pit bull to a chihuahua.
Chuck, USAF(ret)
Actually Duct tape First was used to patch holes in Aircraft in WW2. The crewmen in the B-29 found out that it could be used to reseal the Pressurized compartment at high Altitudes when they took damage. Also my Grandfather would use it to seal up his Ball Turret to slow down the drafts from hanging beneath a B-24. He said in his Diary that if the plane was going down my chances of bailing out by the time I got back into the plane grabbed my chute put it on then jumped ZERO so I might as well have some comfort while shooting at those Nazi’s.
Now I used it in the Trucking industry to lets see here patch a busted airhose one time a broken window one weekend. Called I left a spot so I could see out my Passenger window for my mirror then Garbage bag and Duct tape the REST UP. I know a few times I used it to patch roofs up in RR containers.
I can remember SOO Line F’s with duct tape around the nose door to keep the frigid Upper Midwest weather out of the cab. The C&NW used it to wrap the glad hands on TTX flats for the Falcon Service trains. This helped prevent unplanned emergency stops when the glad hands slapped a grade crossing. You could hear the carmen talking about ‘Wrapping the Bird’ before it left Wood Street on a scanner.
Jim
Sounds like “speed tape” which is aluminum foil (very thick) with adhesive binding to the speed tape and aircraft and “typhoon tape” is speed tape with camfloge green paint for the helicopter skin. BTW quality of adhesive has improved over the years.
Yes, I recall that being mentioned in the Trains article on the Falcon Service.
The flight of the Falcon
Trains, February 1979 page 22
C&NW’s piggyback service
( C&NW, “FAHRENWALD, BILL”, “FLOUS, F. K., JR.”, INTERMODAL, TOFC, TRN )
- Paul North.
Also on small boats -such as canoes, esp. the aluminum ones, and kayaks, etc. - to patch holes in the hull caused by close encounters with rocks, etc. I’ve even heard of boats that were broken in two - by being hung up on a rock cross-wise to the rushing water - being duct-taped back together well enough to get the crew back to civilization.
The best kind of duct tape for this application is the version that you can rip to length or width with your bare hands - don’t need a knife to do that - it’s a lot handier and faster.
- Paul North.
I have heard threats of using duct tape across the mouths of railfans. But we all know the foam will dissolve the adhesive.
[:)]
[(-D][(-D][(-D]
For further information regarding the uses of duct tape,consult Red Green.
I thought that was called Quack Tracking!
The real fear here for the use of duct tape by railroaders is when railroaders threated to duct tape fans to switch stands or to the rails themselves. I don’t think its in the union rules but I am sure there is a Book of Temptations that states such use of duct tape.
Often used on older units to silence alarms and restore peace to the operating environment by blocking the source from making noise…