From: cal@ee.ryerson.ca (Calvin Henry-Cotnam)
Subject: Re: Switch Heaters?
Organization: Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 03:19:13 GMT

iain@ee.ryerson.ca (Iain Campbell) writes:
>tvervaek@col.hp.com (Tom Vervaeke) writes:
>>Do switches have heaters built into them to allow them to function in
>>very cold weather? Currently here it's about -10 wind chill outside and
>
>As a regular train commuter into Toronto's Union Station, I can 
>vouch for the existence of these devices.  All of the switchwork
>(and theres alot of it) entering Union is now equipped with electric
>heater devices.  I'll attempt a description.  A sheet metal box 
>housing a largish (maybe 10 inch diameter) blower fan sits on a 
>concrete base to the side of the switch.  There is some sort of 
>heating element mounted in this blower.  Then there is a sheet metal
>air duct which runs under the rail, splitting into two when between
>the rails.  Each of the two ducts then does a right angle bend, going
>into nozzles directing the hot air to the switch points.

These switch heaters, installed by the TTR (Toronto Terminals
Railway - they are a railroad with track only - no rolling stock
or motive power, except for maintenance equipment) they are similar
to the heaters that I have seen along the CNR lakeshore east main line
(Kingston sub).  Basically all CTC controlled (dual control) switches
that are regularly used are heated.  As an example, on the CNR's York
subdivision north of Toronto, the switch at "McCowans", just west of
McCowan Road is heated, while the switches at either end of the siding
at "Beare", while dual control switches, are not heated.

I can't say for sure what the CPR uses as I have not observed closely
enough, however the switch at "Staines" on the Beleville sub east of
the Agincourt Yard has a large propane tank next it and I suspect that
it is for the switch heater.


>A historical note ... These heaters are new, installation was just 
>completed over this past summer.  Prior to the heaters, the yard
>crews wielded these strange looking kerosene torch thingies.  They 
>looked like overgrown garden watering cans, but have something like 
>a large wick on the end of the spout.  The crewman lights the wick,
>and then goes to the frozen switch and pours some kerosene on the 
>points.  As the kerosene goes out the spout through the lighted 
>wick it catches fire, so drops onto the switchwork flaming.  Crude,
>but it worked ...

The installations at Union station by the TTR are new, being implemented
in stages over the past three years, the CNR mainline installations are
somewhat older.  I suspect that as there was personel nearby at Union,
the need for automatic de-icing was less important in the past.

If anyone is interested in seeing the burning kerosene method, check out
"Signatures In Steel" by Greg McDonnel, Stoddart Publishing Co.
ISBN 0-7737-2554-7

A remarkable book full of colourful photos of Canadian railroading past
and present, the top of page 75 shows how "TTR sectionmen use kerosene
to burn the ice from switch points".


Calvin Henry-Cotnam, CATE          | "...My brain IBM"
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute    | "So if you see me, acting stangely..."
Toronto, Ontario, Canada           |                  STYX, Mr. Roboto
Newsgroups: rec.railroad