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Oct 30, 2017 - Bracing for the Cold: Trackmobile Preventative Maintenance for the Winter

You rely on Trackmobile railcar movers year-round for high operational efficiency and safety in daily rail operations. Come winter, the harsh weather conditions and extreme temperature fluctuations could stand in the way of your railcar movers properly functioning. That’s why as early as the fall breeze hits in Western Canada, it’s important to book a preventative maintenance appointment for Trackmobile railcar movers to mitigate the possible effects of snowy conditions on both railcars and tracks as temperatures continue to drop.

Hazardous Track Conditions in the Winter

During the winter, ice, snow, and even debris can cause damage to worn out and poorly maintained Trackmobiles. These can accumulate on tracks, wheels, and hoses, which pose safety risks for railroad personnel and customers along sites with heavy foot traffic. That’s why it’s important to ensure safe conditions on both tracks and railcars, free of obstructions that may cause derailments. But how do these hazardous conditions develop?

Trackmobile railcars are designed to safely operate, up to a tipping point of -25 degrees Celsius. Beyond this temperature, rails can experience stress as the cold forces them to contract, resulting in fractures. Additionally, hoses can freeze, and air leakage and loss of pressure can occur.

All these have a high impact on both rails and wheels, and defects may develop more rapidly which can result in surface pitting and fractures. The moisture brought on by the cold can cause the brake system to freeze and operate under impaired functionality. As temperatures continue to drop, poorly maintained and uninspected Trackmobiles could fall into locomotive failure.

Mitigate Seasonal Risks with Preventative Maintenance

Routine inspection and maintenance are important this time of the year before the snow hits. Once temperatures drop into the negatives, having your equipment maintained can mitigate the effects of daily wear and tear on Trackmobile railcar movers.

With preventative maintenance of your Trackmobile railcar movers, our factory-trained technicians at Gordon Russell can easily spot potential issues, and have replacement parts installed before they completely break down. Without proper maintenance, your railcar movers will perform with reduced machine efficiency; and when they completely break down due to ice, snow, and freezing conditions, they can cause more costly downtimes as operations come to a standstill.

Trackmobile Preventative Maintenance Process for the Winter

As winter can be a very challenging time for a railroad, it’s important to take a number of initiatives to minimize the impacts of the season’s harsh weather conditions on operations. During the colder months, operations are often disrupted by accumulation of ice and and snow on tracks, as well as on railcars themselves. This is why our preventative maintenance process centers on ensuring safe track conditions for continued operations, and mitigating damaging conditions of railcars before they cause disruptions and accidents.

To ensure safe operating conditions on tracks, our preventative maintenance process includes:

• Replacing worn out wheels, hoses, reels, and other Trackmobile parts;

• Inspecting and cleaning out moisture build up in the brake system;

• Ensuring sanders are functioning properly and you have adequate sand supply;

• Test Batteries, starters and alternator to ensure they will last through the winter;

• Ensure cab heater, and all plug-in heaters are functioning properly;

• Install engine pre-heater for protect your engine from cold starts;

• Test windshield wipers.

Brace your industrial equipment for the colder days ahead in Vancouver and the Prairies. Start with preventative maintenance of the Trackmobile railcar movers you rely on to deliver optimal performance and high operational efficiency everyday. Call Gordon Russell at (604) 940-162 to book today.