Bill:
No, you have not misunderstood. The problem was the brine dripping from the drain pipes of the refrigerator cars, not the livestock waste. On the AT&SF, we discontinued the ice age about the same time as did the Burlington. I can testify that the saturated ballast on the ballast deck steel girder bridges that the top plate caused problems that were major in seriousness. I don’t know how familiar you might be with northern Missouri along the Santa Fe west of Henrietta. There is a mile long single track deck girder ballast deck bridge. I don’t remember the year (it may have been 1979?), the deck of the Sibley Bridge was replaced with concrete slabs because of the corrosion to the top plate. I was amazed to see that the rivet heads were nearly gone. Some of the top plate also was corroded as well but not universally. That was attributed to the wet environment of the ballast deck intensified by the brine that had dripped onto the ballast over the years. Whether or not this project led to others, I don’t know but that was a serious undertaking. I am like you in thinking that the livestock waste was not a big factor and that over the side sill it went. As a kid I remember loads of cattle in Canadian National cars coming to Northern Iowa and the side sill was stained by effluent. Many of the cars were reloaded with bales of hay and returned to the Dominion, else they went back empty directly. I thought they were “ neat” with the freight car red and white colors. Cordially, John Hodson From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of William Barber
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 8:25 AM
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
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.
Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:53 pm (PST) . Posted by:John, the flange lubricator is somewhat the same for all rail company's. They most all get them from Portec. Some rail companies, have hyrails that have lubricators. The wayside or fixed lubricators have made somewhat of a come back of recent, because of the high cost of a rail relay. Brine is not much of a issue, now, they haul no animals, except Circus.
The big issue is rail wear, some rail lines tried to put lubricators on Engines, with little success, when a engine is needed to fill a consist, they don't care whether its full of curve grease. Most rail lines have quit painting bridges, because rust is of little consequence.
It wears out, before it rusts away.
William Jackson
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