I saw a (kerosene?propane?) switch heater blazing merrily away at CSX’s location QN here in Washington DC. By the way, does CSX still call this QN though the tower was demolished years ago? How automated are the heaters? I can’t believe they’d be controlled from Jacksonville.
Rixflix
I’m glad the CN had the derailment in Neenah on 12/27. Lots of useful info was sent over the radio waves (plus nobody was hurt). The conversations I heard there are relevant to this discussion on switch heaters because the derailment happened right on top of 3 of them. Based on what I heard:
-they can be remotely turned on/off (at least these could);
-they can be set for auto on/off;
-these were using natural gas as a fuel source (I have seen others nearby that use propane though).
CSX uses the full gamut of switch heater types…from none, kerosene ‘smudge pots’, electric and propane fired. Most of the switch heaters on the Baltimore Division require a party to activate or ignite them. There are craft distinctions on who can handle which type of switch heater. Where smudge pots are used a train message restricting trains to 25 MPH while passing the smudge pots is issued to all trains. Also the local fire departments are notified of the lighting of the smudge pots and there are requested not to extinguish them - sometimes it works, sometimes the message doesn’t make it through the command and then MofW personnel have to chip away the ice and reignite the pots.
Despite the tower having been demolished, the control point is still known as QN, it’s companion is still known as F… for those that don’t know - QN Tower controlled movement in/out of Washington Union Terminal from the West, F Tower did the same for trains from the East. In the days of B&O passenger operations, all trains would pull by the appropriate location and then back into WUT, thus keeping the engines as far from the depot proper as possible. PRR with their electric GG-1’s would pull their trains straight down to the bumping block.
With electric heaters you could easily automate I suppose. However it would require a lot of big fat copper wire.
I used to live a few blocks from QN and would take my kids down there. The operators were friendly and would let us into the tower. I remember the track board had a light for the Klopper hot box/dragging equipment detector. We went upstairs once to watch a Chessie steam special with 814 on point pause for a bit. The operator was as interested as we were! Also Eckington yard was nearby and we’d go there to watch Ringling Brothers unload and form up for the parade.
Rixflix
And in one case, slightly beyond…
When I was a kid, my father was called in for special duty from Garrett, IN for the Inauguration…he took me down to the basement to see the activity taking place to remove the GG-1 and make it look like the incident never happened for the big day…quite a scene.
Wow my thread was only consigned to forum page 6 as of 1/27/11.
This morning at CP QN in Washington DC at Metro’s Rhode Island Ave station I saw a CSX hi-railer on the eastbound stopped east of the switch into Union station. They were heating the left hand (through) rail away from and not toward the points with little fires evenly spaced. The guys were trying to wrench bolts from a fish (or joining plate at the frog. Could the hi-railer have brought perforated gas tubing or hose along to apply to the rail web? The smudge pot heater at the points (thanks BaltAC) wasn’t being used.
In the evening with snow coming down hard, before boarding my Metro train, I saw a lone employee with a common straw broom standing by the points with no fire anywhere. An eastbound cruised in past the home signals to a stop short of the switch and the guy with the broom climbed up the lead unit’s steps. Then my train arrived and being rather Doctor Zhivago’d by the snow I had to get home.
What’s going on here?
And for BaltAC, do you remember a Washington DC operator nicknamed Breakiron or know anything about retired UX interlocking at the old (Catholic) University station. I used to hang and even hopped westbounds to Brunswick there in my student year of 1965.
Rixflix
I recall from my time on the Baltimore Division in the early 70’s a Operator by the name of Donald Breakiron…never met him but I recall the name.
…into the baggage room in the basement. D. P. Morgan said that it took some time to get the engine out because the baggage check was lost.