Winter effects in railway traffic

A train covered in ice, with the front window frozen over.

Major winter effects concerning railways are snow and ice build-up on rolling stock and infrastructure, icing of electrical components, and hanging ice from overhead structures. Infrastructure in railway traffic includes the railway tracks and the ballast underneath them, platforms and switches, and the overhead electrical wires and other stationary components. These structures are affected by cold weather and icing.

Ice build up on rolling stock

Rolling stock constitutes of the moving parts of railway traffic, which are the railway engines and the carts. The struggles for rolling stock include ice build-up and added weight from it. Rolling stock also contains a lot of sensitive components, like electronics. Their exposure to snow and water can be a problem if these parts are not properly protected. Ice build-up in rolling stock on a single train can weigh hundreds of kilograms. This puts extra strain on the carts and the engine. Carts need to be insulated against cold for passenger comfort, and to protect more delicate parts, like tanks, hoses, wires and pipes. 

Passenger safety, train icing, jamming train doors

Icing hinders passenger safety for example by making steps and floor slippery, and passengers also inadvertently bring in snow, which will then melt and possibly re-freeze. Ice build-up can jam doors, which reduces passenger comfort and safety. Doors not opening when needed can be a significant inconvenience to the passengers. De-icing spray on doors can be used to keep them from jamming.

Visibility for train driver. Ice can hinder visibility from the train, making the operator’s job harder. Even snowless part of the window can be foggy. Windows can be frozen over or snowed shut. Heated windows are required for the operator to see, but even then, at a high-speed, which can be 300-350 km/h for fastest trains, wind chill will be a challenge. This means that windows need to be durable enough to stand the heating when the train is not moving and there is no wind chill. Other critical icing points are the windshield wipers, where the motor might break, if the wipers freeze into the window.

Train motors Even train motors encounter cold weather problems, although they are inside the cart. Water getting to the motor can cause electric failures, and it can reach the engine for example because of condensing water, or water used for de-icing. Temperature differences cause condensation even inside the motor. Because of this, insulation is an important feature for trains, and should be taken into account when designing the carts.

Train wheels. As a moving part, ice accretion on the wheels is not easy, but when the train stops, ice can easily form enough to hinder, or even stop, the wheels of the train from moving. Ice can cause the brakes to be stuck, and when train starts moving again, but a stuck brake is keeping the wheel in place, it will slide, and the wheel becomes a flat. Accreted ice also decreases friction, making braking harder. Also, in case of differently frozen wheelsets, different frictions can alter the wheelset alignment.

Other subjects on the same topic:

• rail gaps
• track smoothness
• frost heaving
• track brittleness
• track switches, derailment
• power lines, overhead lines, pantograph
• train brakes