Hello,
I the early days cited,"oiling track" could be for three or
four reasons:
1. weed control
2. dust control. Especially with gravel ballast. A fast moving
passenger train would leave a large dust cloud in its wake. Hardly
worth sitting on the observation car deck to be in a dust storm.
3. spraying of rails to reduce the corrosion from salt brim from meat
reefers. This oil was almost like a asphalt coating on the base and
web of the rail, normally on the eastbound main only. (meat loads go
east). It was applied with a sectionmens motor car pushing a heated
tank with a sprayers being held by a track man walking along each
rail.
4. In the days of bolted rail, the joint bars were greased before
being bolted to the rails. this allowed for expansion and
contraction of the rails.
At 12:40 PM 1/9/2014, you wrote:
All-
Going through old emails and had a chance to look up this
item. The article states the same equipment was being used on
the IC Commuter District from Grand Crossing to Randolph Street so I
imagine the cars were owned by a service that was providing the crew and
equipment, similar to Speno in more recent times.
Rupert also found other articles:
Oiling track B&MR (1900) (R&ER vol. 40 page 443)
Oiling track CB&Q and B&MR (1899) (RA vol. 28 page 752)
Oiling track with tank car (? ex B&MR) (1911) (RAG vol. 51 page
525)
Oiling track with tank car photo (1911) (RAG vol. 51 page 525)
Charlie Vlk
Hol
There were magazine reports in 1899 and 1900 that both the CB&Q and
B&MR were oiling tracks, and a Railway Age Gazette article in 1911
referred to the Burlington oiling track between Chicago and Downers
Grove. This article included a photo of the steel tank car being
used with a perforated pipe connected to the main outlet to distribute
the oil, but there are no visible markings on the tank. I
understand that the car looks like a Bettendorf car but the Burlington
only had AC&F steel cars at this time so it might have been
leased.
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
Rails Unlimited
Ted Schnepf
railsunl@sbcglobal.net
847-697-5353
126 Will Scarlet
Elgin, Ill. 60120
http://RailsUnlimited.ribbonrail.com/
Model Railroad Sales and Service with
a personal touch.
Books new and used. HO and O scales.
DCC supplies. O scale urethane cars.
Photos and darkroom services.
Checks, cash (0%) or credit (secure server at web site 5% added).
__._,_.___
![]()
__,_._,___
|