(The following article by Katherine Didriksen was posted on the Stamford Advocate website on October 30.)
NORTH WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — They would prefer it not be called “Waterworld.”
Yet, the builders and operators of the machine that cleans grimy residue off Metro-North Railroad tracks may have to resign themselves to the nickname.
Railwasher 1, as it is officially called, was built about four years ago — after the release of the notorious Kevin Costner flop “Waterworld” in 1995 — to combat one of railroad’s most hardy adversaries: the autumn leaf.
As leaves fall onto the rails, they are crushed beneath the wheels of passing trains, releasing oils that create a slippery substance. The phenomenon, called “slippery rail” or “slip slide,” hinders a train’s ability to accelerate or slow down effectively. Train sensors also may perceive the sliding wheels as excessive speed, causing an emergency stop.
“It caused a lot of delays,” said Al Cecere, facilities director of the Harlem Line. “There was a need for it.”
Hollywood wouldn’t touch a “Waterworld” movie sequel, but the success of Railwasher 1 led Metro-North to build Railwasher 2.
The machines are towed by locomotives during off-peak hours on the Harlem and New Haven lines from early October through Thanksgiving, reaching a maximum speed of 30 mph.
The railwashers are based on a standard flatbed railcar modified to house a 500-horsepower diesel engine. The engine powers a high-pressure pump that blasts jets of water at 10,000 pounds per square inch.
“That would cut your fingers off,” said Robert Castellano, a mechanical foreman.
Essentially a massive super washer, the pressure of the water would not only strip paint, it also would strip the wood off a porch. During their nightly trips, the machines go through two 10,000-gallon water tanks.
It costs $3,000 to $4,000 per day to operate a railwasher, Cecere said.
Besides clearing the rails, the machines also guard against the flattening of train wheels, he said. A slide on wet leaves causes a section of a wheel to be worn down, making a clanking noise and an unsafe train.
While the railwashers are used mainly in the leaf season, their capabilities extend into other times of the year.
“Powdered snow is a problem for us,” Castellano said.
Trains in New York are powered by a contact shoe that runs under the 700-volt third rail. The railwashers are used to clear snow that could cause mechanical problems if it becomes wedged between the shoes and the rail or flies into sensitive electrical motors.
Castellano and Jay Adessa, both employees of Metro-North for nearly 30 years, were two of about seven people involved in designing and building the original machine. After a couple of months of construction, followed by a trial-and-error period of adjustment and redesign, the railwasher was completed.
“When you’re developing anything new, it’s interesting,” said Adessa, supervisor of a Metro-North repair and maintenance crew. “It’s a job, but it had a little enlightenment to it.”
Metro-North was the first company to use a super washer for removing leafy grime. However, its application for a patent was later withdrawn, as the facilities were not equipped to handle manufacturing in addition to commuter rail responsibilities.
The value of the service has not gone unnoticed. Other rail companies from Staten Island, N.Y. to Canada have expressed interest in the rail-cleaning technology and New Jersey Transit, after consulting with Metro-North, has built its own.
“I wish we’d have got the patent,” Adessa said.