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Bill...You are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT...Brine is the issue. I, too, never heard of or thought about livestock "waste".... Rock Island had a very graphic example of this situation on its EB track between Silvis and Blue Island..It was very evident that the corrosion and lack of vegetation reflected the corrosive nature and toxiisity of the brine sollution dripping from loads of fresh meat moving in ice reefers eastbound. You are also correct about the addition of salt to the ice to enhance the melting. Bill of lading instructions transferred tot the waybill prescribed very definite proportions (by %) of salt to be added at each icing station.
Back in the day...if you would stand on the inside of a curve and watch a train of ice reefers go by you would see a virtual curtain of brine spray being flung out from the drains. It would effect all of the metal in the track structure...ie tie plates, angle bars, spikes as the train motion...wind and curve elevation would disburse the drainage in all directions.
I spent one very cold December day in 1960 on the Government Bridge just west of Rock Island, IL viewing a work gang applying a tar solution to the ties and metal structure of the bridge to prevent or reduce the damage caused by the brine solution. Where the tar protectant had not been applied was very evident from the deteriorated condition of the tie plates, angle bars as well as the metal bridge structure.
Salt was the problem...not cow "droppings"
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: William Barber <clipperw@gmail.com> To: CBQ <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wed, Jan 15, 2014 8:25 am Subject: [CBQ] Re: Oiling Track Bill.
Have I been under a misunderstanding for most of my life? I was always under the impression that the brine came from the ice compartments of the refrigerator cars. I was told, long ago, that when they iced a reefer, they added a quantity of salt which supposedly made the ice cool better and more rapidly. The drains for the ice compartments were located somewhat above the rail area and the liquid that discharged was brine that attacked the rail. I have never heard that livestock waste was the issue although, that also seems plausible. However, I don't think that discharge is called brine. In addition, except for leakage through the floorboards, I would think that most of that discharge would go over the side sill well away from the rail. The Q stopped oiling the track when mechanical reefers replaced most of the iced cars. BTW, they were still icing refrigerator cars at Clyde Yard in 1972 - 1974 when I was assigned there. The icing station was
just west of the diesel shop complex.
Bill Barber
Gravois Mills, MO
On Jan 15, 2014, at 4:35 AM, CBQ@yahoogroups.com wrote:
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