Extreme cold can cause rails to split or crack. To make sure these defects don't pose safety hazards or disrupt operations, railroads perform ongoing track inspections.
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Tracks are affected by extreme cold in two ways. In some cases the tracks experience what's called “pull-aparts.” This kind of rail defect occurs when two rails separate at their connection. The extreme cold shrinks the metal and the rails literally pull apart from each other, Metra said in a recent Instagram post.
Excessive rain can destabilize terrain, resulting in dirt or rocks on the tracks. Localized landslides can cause derailments. (While technology like a so-called slide fence, which signals trains to stop if significant debris hits the tracks, helps, it cannot prevent the damage.)
Because rails are made from steel, they expand as they get hotter, and can start to curve this is known as 'buckling'. Most of the network can operate when track temperatures heat up to 46°C – roughly equivalent to air temperature of around 30°C – but rails have been recorded at temperatures as high as 51°C.
The weight of the wheels on the rail is enough to crush through any ice that has accumulated, i.e. trains are really heavy. As long as the train doesn't move too fast, it isn't in danger of derailing.
This means the trains must operate at much slower speeds to safely travel. Snow, freshly fallen or in days-old drifts, produces its own set of problems. It can get sucked into the engine, where it then melts and shorts out major components.
Mainline locomotives are equipped with snow plows that remain in place year-round. When there is too much snow for the locomotive to handle, railroads use specialized on-track machinery to clear the tracks.
You will often find propane heaters that will keep the switches clear of snow and ice on mainline tracks in Canada and the Northern US. The tracks otherwise are not heated and in severe cold have significant speed reductions due to possible brittleness and contrction.
Switchers idle for several reasons. Some of the most common reasons include ensuring the engine is ready for immediate use, avoiding difficult start-ups due to a cold engine or a weak battery, and preventing freezing inside the engine. Locomotive engines do not use antifreeze.
CapMetro said anytime a track's temperature reaches 135 degrees or higher, the trains have to slow down for safety purposes and to prevent serious damage to the tracks. Extended periods of extreme heat can cause tracks to bend, warp or reshape entirely, otherwise known as a sun kink.
In the United Kingdom, CWR is stressed to 27 °C (81 °F), the mean summer rail temperature. In the US, standard stress free temperatures vary from 35 to 43 °C (90 to 110 °F). Despite stressing the CWR before installation, a rail may still reach its Critical Rail Temperature (CRT).
The critical rail temperature is the temperature of CWR at which measures to protect traffic must be taken. It depends on the actual stress-free temperature, resistance to lateral movement offered by the ballast (ballast condition), track curvature and sleeper spacing.
If it's a full train, it could be that the crew timed out and had to tie it down (common on a shortline or regional railroad). Perhaps the train is of very low priority and must stop for a long time to allow other trains to pass. It could have mechanical issues. There could be trouble down the line.
Sometimes, the trains can stop in the middle because of technical or mechanical problems with locomotives or picking or dropping off the freight cars at the industrial tracks. They can also stop in the middle because they are waiting for the section ahead of them to get clear of a train occupying it.
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