Summer heat slows Trinity Railway Express trains

Triple-digit heat can make even a 3,000-horsepower locomotive sluggish. Some Trinity Railway Express trains are running five to 10 minutes behind schedule, as afternoon highs surpass 100 degrees.

“Better to have a potential five- to 10-minute delay than to have a train overheat,” Fort Worth Transportation Authority spokeswoman Joan Hunter said. “It’s a preventive measure. If we didn’t slow them down during consecutive days of hot temperature buildup above 100 degrees, the engines could overheat because the radiators can’t cool the system fast enough.”

An 18-day streak of triple-digit heat in Dallas-Fort Worth ended Wednesday, but a new streak was expected to begin Thursday, with a forecast high of 102.

Train operators have sporadically slowed down TRE trains running between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas several times since Aug. 6, and may have to do so again in the coming days as temperatures continue to soar, Hunter said. When the slowdowns occur, riders are given a heads-up on the public address system, she said.

Despite the inconvenience, it’s not as bad as it could be. In August 1998, 13 Union Pacific Railroad freight cars derailed in Watauga after extreme summer heat warped the tracks. No one was hurt, but a stretch of railing had to be replaced.

Gordon Dickson, 817-390-7796

Comments

[Howard Bingham]

Wondering if this only affects the locomotives that TRE bought from GO Transit in Canada, which likely were designed for operating in a much cooler climate & had not had them upgraded to higher capacity radiators & fans to withstand Texas HEAT..?

There should be no excuses on the newer locomotives which were delivered from the Manufacturer to TRE, rather than some other agency.

Wondering if the New Mexico Rail Runner Express which uses NEW locomotives have similar issues.?

I can see where freight railroads slow down due to heat kink on welded rail, but the excuse TRE gives sounds pretty lame to me as the AC in the commuter cars strain to keep commuter's cool..

[JamieDFW]

#567 (one of the Canadians) was the locomotive that shut down at Richland Hills yesterday morning. This is the one that makes the "chugging" sound due to the flat spot on the rear axle wheel set. It's also the one with the traction motor failure a few years ago. I heard the next rebuilt locomotive is supposed to arrive sometime next week.

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