Dutch railways: "oh no, it has snowed, we can't have a fully functioning schedule now"Canadian trains: TOOT TOOT

@collectifission
Snowpiercer Express

@Susan60
Isn't that why it's a good train?
@collectifission

@Susan60 @collectifission

What does a tree across the track have to do with snow? (Genuinely puzzled by the question as a Canadian.)

It’s wind and ice storms that take out trees not snow load. Not to mention locomotives capable of pulling hundreds of cars can clear their own routes. (The train in the video have three locomotives at the front, with the first two back-to-back, and the front one with a basic V-plow for snow that’s not super deep.)

Trains here have had snow plows on front of the locomotives here for more than a century.

ExpoRail — Canada’s national trail museum on the South Shore of Montreal — is having a special exhibit on *Ice Trains in Winter* this month.

#Railways #ExpoRail #IceTrains #icestodon #Snow #Canada

https://exporail.org/en/activities/iron-and-ice-trains-in-winter/

@Susan60 @collectifission
Looks like anything less than a large tree is ignored.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7QCnv0Qpfg

@VoxClamans @collectifission This. In fariness, Canadian passenger rail's "fully functioning schedule" on a clear sunny day is much worse than anything NS pulls off even on snow days. Canadians don't complain about it anymore, they just drive or fly.

@collectifission
USA: An opportunity to burn things!!!

(Source and explanation: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.4998834/why-chicago-s-commuter-train-tracks-appear-to-be-on-fire-1.4998840)

@collectifission

lots of great video of "plow trains" out there.

@collectifission the spice must flow

@collectifission There aren’t even any rails, it’s just ploughing through the countryside regardless.

@collectifission What a neat demonstration of the Doppler effect.

@alexanderdyas hahahaha

@collectifission @rhelune I thought you might appreciate this >_<

@evdelen @collectifission the LIRR uses flames to keep the switches from icing up, I think. (Thanking the universe that I'm not commuting anymore!)

@collectifission actually, this is a train in extreme distress because the tracks were not adequately salted and now they can't stop.

@akamran @collectifission

Yeah, it's a common method in areas that don't get the conditions that would cause switch icing frequently enough to warrant installing blowers.

@Susan60 @collectifission the trees are kept far away from the tracks. Ongoing maintenance.

@collectifission But - but - the driver can't see!

@crowbriarhexe @collectifission That's how its done, a plough in the front!

I attended a concert of a Norwegian singer, and she was mocking the Dutch for their lack of preparedness, and then sang a love song to snow. This is a recording from the day before, but she did the same thing in Rotterdam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4VeTQkwlbc

@collectifission Badass!

@collectifission I recall March 2013 back in Ukraine, when ca. 0.5 m snow fell in a day, the country was half-paralysed, and railway was the only more or less reliable(!) mean of transportation. Like, well, 1-2 h delays on long-distance trains could happen, but given the conditions, it didn't even count...