Deafening Roaring sound

[vic09]

Hello
I have only been on this fourm since march, and there was a question what I have been wanting to ask since around last Year. Last year on the Jubilee line, (April time, before TBTC), there was the most deafening roar coming of trains between Westminster and Green Park. It was so loud that my ears wear ringing!! (No Joke)!! The noise was about every single tube line put together. Eveyones face screwed up on the train and young children had to cover there ears. I dont know what on earth this was but it was shocking. It was the loudest noise Ive ever heard. TFL got the Problem sorted out in 2 weeks and soon, it was back to normal, ( and is now). It actually turned me of using the Jubilee line!! An American lady what I was sitting next to, said to me, "Jesus Christ! That's loud enough to wake the dead!"
Do you guys remember this, or do you know what this was ??

[alfie]

Rusty rails? ;D

[vic09]

Could be, would it maybe be something to do with air pressure, ive honestly never heard such a noise what this made

[Deleted]

From your description, it sounds like track corrugation/wear ridges on the top of the rails which happens from time to time and requires work to grind the rails smooth again. If the noise was a high pitched screeching sound, which is down the lack of track lubrication on curved track and is common to cause temporary ringing in the ears (tinnitus), for staff it is officially an "accident" to be reported and notified to the HSE.

[alfie]

Cor, imagine how much you'd need to lubricate Bank before it become squeaky free..they dragged a train with the brakes stuck on through their once, the screeching was 10 times worse and the offending car was going thump..thump..thump..at around the same volume..

[vic09]

To be honest mate, it wernt the high pitched squeling you was talking about, it was a really deep low level, roaring sound. It actully was vibrating the whole train!! Kinda like a dragon was the way I would put it

[jardine01]

I remember this i thought at first something was hanging off the train and vibrating!
I think the Jubilee line is a loud line in the tunnels when the Jubilee line goes quicker you mainly hear it more

[vic09]

It is quite loud your right, they have done a lot of track replacing to try and cut down on the noise but some parts of the line it still does it

[mcmaddog]

I always assumed this was a sharp corner where the JLE transitions from the old alignment onto the new Easterly alignment at speed.

[londonboi1985]

it is a combination of rusty rails and the curve the train is going around to turn towards westminster it is a really steep curve and the track is on a slight graident also with the trains acellerating quick the speeds and curve create this loud noise its all to do with friction try rubbing your hands together with the palms the faster you do it the louder the noise gets with your hands same with metal against metal

[Deleted]

Went through there today and it was fine.

Routemaster may well be correct, with the corrugation caused by microslipping around curves!

Vic09, take yourself out onto the DLR on the Lewisham branch. You will see the corrugation nicely!

[Deleted]

Apr 9, 2012 7:34:10 GMT vic09 said:

To be honest mate, it wernt the high pitched squeling you was talking about, it was a really deep low level, roaring sound. It actully was vibrating the whole train!! Kinda like a dragon was the way I would put it

Oh, that might be the Jubilee Line dragon then.

Usually lives in the Waterloo crossover, but occasionally goes for walkies.

Apparently, the dragon prefers manual driving over ATO.

[Deleted]

I think Routemaster's interpretation is correct in that is was corrugation. There are several causes but it's still not fully understood. The cure being rail grinding. It happens on all railways. Obviously in a tube tunnel the noise is greatly increased.

LU seem very lax in this issue and squealing rails. In the case of the former, it maybe they only have one grinder. But in the case of the latter, they seem to have a 'when we get round to it' attitude. The greasers don't seem to be replenished often enough or are ineffective. the solution seems to be, in the case of the Bakerloo line, provide the drivers with ear protection and sod the traveling public.

There's even a "noise vibration" complaints section on the TFL website

[eurostarengineer]

I heard something about it being the running rails went out of gauge, we're only talking a couple of mm but its enough to warrant the QR of the flange to constantly rub against the rails rather than them using it to assist in cornering.

Maybe its wrong as the roaring noise usually comes from when the active surface of the rail head becomes pitted and de-laminated through metal migration, as aliturk pointed out.

[Deleted]

There was a programme of rail grinding on the Jub last year to clear up many minor 'defects' which created excessive noise and vibration. A special tube gauge rail grinder train was contracted in by Tube Lines to sort this out over a period of some weeks. Pretty sure that would be the cause of the noise back then, and hopefully explains why it went away.