Juice rails

[q8]

ktransit.com/transit/usnymetro/newyork/subway/irt/Photos/nyc-hr-1-sferry-092702-01.jpg

In this picture the current rail appears to be top contact but is protected by an overboard. Why can't they adopt such a thing here. At least for the positive rail in the open. Whilst on this subject, the old sleet locos used to have very stiff wire brushes held down by air pressure to clear the current rails of snow and ice. Do the de-icers on the passenger stock have a similar facilty? I've also seen somewhere on the web a similar sort of thing but with nylon brushes for clearing leaf mulch from the running rails in the season. Again perhaps that can be adopted here too?

[Admin Team]

Q8 said:

ktransit.com/transit/usnymetro/newyork/subway/irt/Photos/nyc-hr-1-sferry-092702-01.jpg

In this picture the current rail appears to be top contact but is protected by an overboard. Why can't they adopt such a thing here. At least for the positive rail in the open. Whilst on this subject, the old sleet locos used to have very stiff wire brushes held down by air pressure to clear the current rails of snow and ice. Do the de-icers on the passenger stock have a similar facilty? I've also seen somewhere on the web a similar sort of thing but with nylon brushes for clearing leaf mulch from the running rails in the season. Again perhaps that can be adopted here too?

By chance I happened to take a photo of the sleet brush fitted to a D Stock only yesterday.

It vcan be viewed at photobucket.com/albums/v663/districtdave/Odds%20and%20Ends/?action=view¤t=SleetBrush.jpg

[Deleted]

Is that a solenoid or a piston?

[Admin Team]

TheOneKEA said:

Is that a solenoid or a piston?

AFAIK a piston

[igelkotten]

Here in Stockholm, we use the New York model with top contact juice rail and a protective board covering. While the board does protect things a bit, it is far from perfect. The third rail can still be covered in ice, especially from moisture in the air, and snow drifts can still pack themselves up around the third rail. Our collector shoes are spring loaded, by the way, and stick out a fair bit from the underbody of the train.

Probably the most weatherproof variant of third rail is the one used in the former COMECON countries -Russia, Czech republic, Hungary and so on. They use a juice rail in aluminium with a carbon steel contact strip, underside contact and a fibreglass covering on top.

[Dmitri]

Igelkotten said:

Probably the most weatherproof variant of third rail is the one used in the former COMECON countries -Russia, Czech republic, Hungary and so on.

It is why I've suggested that option as a replacement for LU's 4^rd rail system . Seriously, the system is good enough to never hear of 'iced juice rail' or 'gapping'.

They use a juice rail in aluminium with a carbon steel contact strip, underside contact and a fibreglass covering on top.

For some time, covers were wooden. You may try to seat on them, but ensure you're lightweight enough ;D.

[q8]

The Berlin S Bahn uses bottom contact current rails and also side contact over some girder bridges and other place to alleviate gapping. A place I can remember seeing side contact is on the overbridge at Ostkruez station which has a bridge similar to the one at Surrey Keys made of metal plates. The shoes on the trains can be used with either. Don't know if Moscow is similar though Tis picture shows a good view of the bottom contact rails used in Berlin.
ostxgui.de/

[Deleted]

District said:

By chance I happened to take a photo of the sleet brush fitted to a D Stock only yesterday.

Haha! I wonder where you took that?! Just by Chance, I took a picture of you taking a picture of a sleet brush! Do you really want to see it?! ;D

[russe]

I doubt whether there is enough physical/electrical clearance room in most of our tube tunnels for a bottom-contact 3rd-rail system.

Russ