Although it is customary to consider rail transport to be all-weather, snow is a direct safety hazard for the movement of rolling stock on railway tracks. Therefore, when winter sets in, each owner of railway tracks is faced with the need to clear tracks, turnouts and other infrastructure from snow drifts.

By law, the maintenance of non-public railway tracks, as well as their cleaning from snow and other weeds, falls on the shoulders of the owner.

Snow fighting on railway tracks is a set of activities that come down to two main components. Such as the prevention of snow drifts and their elimination.

The fight against snow drifts must be approached comprehensively. Therefore, already at the design stage, protective devices and devices are provided. One of the most common and effective is long-term afforestation along the railway line. Also used, less popular, but no less effective, special prefabricated lattice shields and fences.

To clear the railway tracks from snow drifts, specialized equipment is used, both on the railway and on the road. Owners of small access roads, as a rule, do not have their own snowplows, and clean their roads of non-common use with wheeled bulldozers and loaders.

Snow fighting on railway tracks is regulated by regulatory documents. Such as, "Instructions for preparing for work in the winter and organizing snow fighting on railways, in other branches and structural divisions of Russian Railways, as well as its subsidiaries and affiliates" approved by order No. 2243r and "Instructions for snow fighting on railways Russian Federation” No. TsP-751

The requirements of the instructions for snow removal on the railway. paths comes down to one basic rule. Inside the track, the snow cover should be removed 50 mm below the level of the rail head, and outside the track, the snow cover should not be higher than the level of the rail head.

Clearing railroad switches from snow and ice is fundamentally different from clearing tracks. For switches, at stations, electric heating and pneumatic blowing are usually used, processing of metal parts of the track superstructure with special anti-icing chemical compounds is no less popular.

Get ready for snowballing ahead of time. In autumn, to improve the operation of stationary devices for clearing turnouts from snow, ballast should be cut out of sleeper boxes, so that there should be at least ten centimeters from the top of the ballast to the bottom of the frame rail. Clearing of switch mechanisms from frost and snow is carried out by stationary systems of electric heating and pneumatic cleaning, and manually using special tools.

On small non-public tracks, turnouts are in most cases cleaned manually, with hand tools and fixtures.

One main requirement can also be singled out from the instructions for cleaning turnouts, which boils down to the fact that all areas of operation of the moving parts of the turnout mechanism, namely between the sharp point and the frame rail, in sleeper boxes under the operating rods of the drives and external locks, on crosspieces with movable core must be cleared of snow and ice.

If the track intersects with the road, special attention should be paid to clearing snow and ice from the troughs between the counter rail and the rail head at the crossing itself, and this work must be done regularly, and not only after snowstorms and snowfalls. Snow is pressed into these gutters by the wheels of vehicles when crossing the railway track.

Thus, each owner of the railway track must understand that the uninterrupted provision of the movement of rolling stock in the winter period depends to a greater extent on the protection of the railway. tracks from snow drifts and timely cleaning of railway tracks, turnouts, crossings and other infrastructure components from snow and ice.

Clearing the railroad from snow, including tram tracks, is a must. security requirement.

After all, a layer of snow 10 cm thick represents serious threat passengers standing on:

• platforms;
• stops.

If the snow thickness exceeds 20 cm, this can lead to a complete cessation of movement.

In this article we will talk about the various means that are used to deal with snow on railway and tram tracks.

On railway and tram tracks three types of technology:

• wheeled and tracked snow removal equipment;
• snow blowers based on locomotives, wagons or self-propelled platforms;
• attachments for standard wagons or locomotives.

Wheeled and tracked vehicles

Wheeled and tracked vehicles are not much different from the one you can read about in the article about KDM.

This technique made on chassis:

• trucks;
• tractors.

Main difference is in the configuration.

After all, cars with high-speed dumps are not required to clean the railway and tram tracks.

Therefore, instead of high-speed dumps, equipment is installed that is more suitable for one or another situations.

Also very in demand:

• loading equipment (we wrote about it here (loading equipment));
• dump trucks for snow removal.

You will find more detailed information about them in the article (Snow removal equipment).

Snow blower options

Snow blowers for railway and tram tracks there are:

• self-propelled;
• non-self-propelled.

They are made on the base:

• shunting locomotives;
• small wheeled platforms.

Even when a snowplow is made on the basis of a wagon or an empty wheeled platform, engine installation turns it into a self-propelled snowplow that is not inferior in terms of snow removal efficiency to any other diesel locomotive.

The range of problems solved by such a machine depends on configuration hanging equipment.

Advantage such a snow blower is that it can deliver road workers to problem areas who perform work that is inaccessible to technology.

For example, they can:

• clean the waypoints after removing the snow using a blade;
• pave the way in the tunnels.

However, railroad snow blowers not in high demand.

After all, they can only perform a small number of tasks associated with clearing snow from paths.

The exception is cars that can be used at other times of the year. for repair or maintenance ways.

Because of high price they are bought only by some enterprises involved in the maintenance / maintenance of railways and stations.

Much more in demand attachments that turn an ordinary locomotive or wagon into a powerful snowplow train.

Attachment

Mounted snow removal railway equipment is the devices of the following classes:

• plow;
• rotary screw;
• brush;
• pneumoblowing.

Plow

Plow devices are dumps various:

• forms;
• sizes.

They are similar to those that are installed on road equipment. Read more about plow technology here (plough attachments).

They designed to clear the rails from snow up to 2 meters deep.

Straight and oblique dumps are used for:

• patrol cleaning;
• track pads

on railways with two or more tracks.

You can use these devices on single-track roads. However, in this case more efficient double-sided dumps.

Straight and oblique plows throw snow in one direction. Therefore, they are turned so that the snow is thrown to the right. Snow throwing to the left is possible only on single-track sections of railways, provided that the snow is fall into a cliff.

Rotary screw

Rotary augers work on the same principle as attachments for road equipment, which we talked about in this article (Auger rotary devices and their modifications).

These devices grind the snow mass and throw it away from the tracks in the most convenient direction.

Travel speed when cleaning the railway with the help of a screw-rotor unit, it is much lower than when working with a plow device.

However, the rotary able to cope with snow cover up to 4 meters deep, which is beyond the power of any blade. Therefore, it makes sense to use a rotary locomotive snowplow in especially difficult situations.

In most cases, a snow blower is powered by a powerful electric motor connected to the onboard network:

• locomotive;
• self-propelled platform.

Brush

The brush devices used to clean the railway track are similar to those we talked about in this article (Brush attachments) in their own way:

• principle of work;
• designs.

They not intended For:

• track punching;
• dealing with deep snow.

Their main purpose:

• fight with freshly fallen snow;
• cleaning of turnouts.

After all, the snow that has clogged between the shooters endangers traffic safety, because the energy of the servo may not be enough to move the arrow to the correct position.

Clearing the translation of fresh and, more importantly, packed snow allows the servo to:

• normal to switch the arrow;
• direct the trains on the right tracks.

Pneumatic blowers

Pneumatic blowers are used to clear snow from track transfers.

Depending on the design, they create a flow cold or hot air.

Hot air more efficient, because it not only blows away the snow, but also ensures the melting of ice, so that the cleaning of the translation is more effective.

Hot air must be used if there was heavy rain before the snowfall and a lot of snow formed on the transfer.

Under such conditions, air blowing equipment outperforms in efficiency even brush devices that cannot cope with thick ice.

Almost any of the listed attachments turns an ordinary diesel locomotive into a powerful and efficient railway snowplow.

Modern equipment

Many enterprises still use equipment made in the second half of the twentieth century. After all, the purchase of new snow removal equipment for railways requires considerable costs.

New equipment:

• surpasses the old in reliability;
• more productive and versatile.

Here is a table in which you will find various samples of modern technology designed to clean railway and tram tracks from snow.

Model	Type	Purpose	Short description	Website of the manufacturer or dealer
POM-1	Track cleaning machine	Cleans railway tracks from snow, dirt and sand	POM-1 is designed to fight snow up to 30 cm deep. It is equipped with a diesel engine and an electric generator. Thanks to the turntable, it cleans snow from any side. Can move as part of a train.	omega.by
UPM-1M	Universal track machine	Performs a wide range of work	A universal machine based on the T-158 (XTA 200) tractor is designed for various jobs that depend on the installed set of attachments. After connecting the auger snow blower, it can clear snow from railway and tram tracks, as well as clean the surrounding areas.	www.promglobal.ru
SDP-M2	Snowplow based on a four-axle wagon	Used in conjunction with a locomotive, clears railway tracks from snow up to 1 m deep	SDP-M2 is equipped with plows both in front and behind. Therefore, it can be placed in front or behind a locomotive with sufficient power. Operating speed up to 70 km/h, transport speed up to 90 km/h.	zheldorsnab.ru
SM-7N	snow plow train	Clears railway tracks from snow up to 0.8 m deep	When moving forward, SM-7N collects the snow lying in front of it and transfers it with the help of a conveyor to the end gondola car. When the gondola car is full, snow is thrown to the left or right by 5-10 m. In winter, the snow plow train is used to clear snow from stations, turnouts and necks. In the summer it is used to clean the paths from dirt.	ttzh.kz
UPM1-8	Attachment	Auger snowplow for track machine UPM-1M	Mounted unit for cleaning tram and railway tracks from snow.	spezkran.com
SS-1M	Strug	Designed for clearing railway tracks from snow and earthworks	In winter, a plow is used to clear railway tracks and stations from snow up to 2 m deep. The crew of the plow is 2 people. It needs a locomotive to work. In summer, a plow is used for earthworks.	roctok.ru
RV-3	Attached snow removal equipment	Multifunction blade	The dump is designed for installation on any chassis (wagon, locomotive, locomobile) suitable for carrying capacity. It is used to clean railway tracks from snow up to 1.1 m deep. In summer, the blade can be used to clear dirt from tracks after mudflows and floods.	broadway.ru

Price such equipment depends on:

• configuration;
• additional wishes of the customer.

Therefore, the final cost must be found out from:

• manufacturer;
• official dealer.

Features of the use of special equipment and safety of work

During the cleaning of railway and tram tracks, it is necessary not only to remove snow that interferes with the progress of trains or trams, but also to move it so that it did not get on the passing paths.

Therefore, the procedure for using special equipment, as well as the sequence of actions when cleaning railways, detailed in various documents.

Here are some of them:

1. Instructions for organizing snowfighting OJSC Russian Railways (RZD) dated October 22, 2013 - tdesant.ru.
2. TsP-751 Instructions for snow fighting on railways Russian Federation developed by VNIIZhT MPS - snipov.net.
3. Instructions for snow removal on railways Russian Federation dated April 25, 2000 - docs.cntd.ru.
4. Order of Russian Railways dated November 18, 2014 on the approval of a temporary methodology for estimating labor costs for work on cleaning the elements of the upper structure of the railway track from snow - jd-doc.ru.
5. POT RO-32-CP-652-99 – Rules for labor protection in the maintenance and repair of the railway track and structures(approved by the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation on February 24, 1999) - sudact.ru.

The cleaning of tram tracks from snow is regulated by the same regulations, in which the procedure for cleaning city streets from snow is prescribed. Links to these documents can be found in this article (GK).

Conclusion

Correct use special equipment is a guarantee that the railway and tram communication will function without interruptions.

After carefully reading this article, did you find out:

• what equipment is used to clean railway and tram tracks;
• in which regulatory documents the procedure for using these devices is prescribed;
• what safety rules must be followed.

In this video you can see how the railway snowplow works:

In contact with

Occupational safety requirements when clearing railway tracks and turnouts from snow (from the Instruction on labor protection for a track fitter of Russian Railways JSC IOT RZD-4100612-TsTsRP-035-2012. dated December 29, 2012 2769r(with amendment No. 1021 of April 29, 2013).

Work on cleaning centralized turnouts from snow should be carried out only during breaks between the movement of trains and shunting trains. Work on turnouts located on hump and sorting tracks should be carried out only during breaks in shunting work and the dissolution of trains or with the closure of the track and with the obligatory observance of the requirements of paragraph 3.1.1 of this Instruction.

Work on cleaning and cleaning the hill and foothill paths from snow should be carried out during periods when these paths are closed.

3.8.2. Work on clearing turnouts from snow should be carried out

a group of no less than two and no more than six people,

one of which is a track fitter with a qualification of at least 3 categories, trained and having a signalman's certificate.

The track fitter must monitor the movement of trains and not participate in the work.

Track fitters working during the first winter are not allowed to work independently on cleaning centralized turnouts. They must be trained in the specifics of working in winter conditions, work only as part of a brigade, and must be assigned by order to experienced brigade workers. The fitter of the track and the employee of the brigade to whom he is assigned must be familiarized with the above order against signature.

Before starting snow removal at centralized turnouts, a track fitter, not lower than 3rd category, who is the head of the group, must protect the place of work:

in the afternoon - a red signal;

at night and in the daytime during fog, snowstorms and other adverse conditions that impair visibility - with a hand torch with red lights.

Prior to the start of snow clearing work, a wooden insert must be installed on the centralized switch against the electric drive rods between the retracted wit and the frame rail, and on the crosses with a movable core, between the core and the guard rail.

When working in one person, the track fitter must: follow the notification of the reception, departure, movement of trains and possible shunting movements;

be located facing the expected train of the right direction of movement, without weakening attention to the movement of trains of the opposite direction.

Snow removal of turnouts with compressed air should be carried out by two track fitters of at least 3rd category, one of whom directly cleans the turnout from snow, and the other (observer, he is also a signalman) should be located at the point of connection of the air hose to the shut-off valve of the air supply network. He must follow the announcements on the loudspeakers, about the approach of trains, the dissolution of cars, about the movement of locomotives or shunting trains through the work area and be ready at any time to stop the supply of compressed air and give a command to the track fitter working with the hose to stop work and leave from the turnout.

When blowing the turnout, track fitters must use goggles and gloves to protect the eyes and skin of the hands.

The air hose to the place of work and places of its storage should be transferred assembled into rings.

When cleaning (blowing) turnouts with compressed air, the following requirements must be observed:

if it is necessary to cross the railway track, the hose from the air supply network should be laid under the rails in sleeper boxes, cleared of snow and ballast;

do not use a hose that does not have a typical connection head or a shut-off valve on a metal tip, as well as a hose that allows air to pass through or has an unreliable fastening of the connection head;

when connecting the hose to the shut-off valve of the air supply network, the shut-off valve at the end of the hose must be closed;

after connecting the hose to the air supply network, check the reliability of the connection between the hose coupling heads and the air supply network shut-off valve, then open the tap on the hose end, and then gradually open the air supply network shut-off valve;

the air stream should be directed at an angle that excludes the possibility of snow falling into the face;

when moving from one turnout to another, close the shut-off valve of the air network and release compressed air from the hose;

after cleaning the turnout, the shut-off valve of the air supply network must be closed, the compressed air must be completely released from the hose, then disconnect the connecting heads of the hose and the shut-off valve of the air supply network and close the tap on the metal end of the hose.

Do not open the air shut-off valve unless the hose is fully extended and the handpiece is not in the hands of the worker.

It is prohibited when the electric heating is on.

any work on the turnout other than manual cleaning with a non-metallic tool and hose cleaning

Clearing the track from snow and manually cleaning it at hauls and stations must be carried out in compliance with the following requirements.

When clearing the track with trenches or cutting snow slopes after the operation of the snowplow, niches should be made in the slopes in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 20 to 25 m from one another to shelter workers when trains pass.

The dimensions of the niche should be determined in each individual case, taking into account the number of workers hiding in it and their location no closer than 2 m from the outermost rail, but at the same time its depth should be at least 0.75 m, and its width should be at least 2 m.

When clearing the path from snow in the recesses, organize work in such a way as to prevent snowfall.

When cleaning station tracks and switches, it is necessary to pile snow into shafts, in which gaps should be made (1 m wide at least every 9 m), or in heaps with the same gaps for the convenience of work and the passage of workers.

The loading of snow on the platforms of the snow train and its unloading must be carried out after the train has completely stopped. Loading and unloading of snow while the train is running is prohibited.

When the snow train moves in the area of ​​loading or unloading snow, trackmen located on the platforms must sit down and hold on to the sides of the platforms.

When removing snow by trains, track fitters must be placed in a passenger or freight covered wagon equipped for the transportation of workers.

Safety

1. General requirements for labor protection

Turnouts are equipped with electrical interlocking. Almost all the tracks of the stations are electrified and the voltage in the contact network is 3300 V.

At the station, there is a continuous intensive movement of trains, shunting trains, locomotives, individual wagons. All this requires increased vigilance of people working at the stations, constant attention and strict observance of safety regulations.

During a blizzard and snowfalls, the turnouts are cleared of snow from automatic air blowing devices, hose blowing, and also manually.

Snow removal from the station tracks of the turnouts is carried out using snowplows or manually with snow storage on a wide inter-track and outside the station tracks. Hose pneumoblowing is used for blowing the arrows.

Team leaders and signalmen in the production of clearing the arrows of the necks from snow are trained and pass exams at travel distances on safe methods of work and fencing of workers.

2. Labor protection requirements before starting work

Responsibility for the implementation of the rules of personal safety by the employees of the distance is assigned to the employees who are appointed by the distance as the leaders of the snow fighting groups. Workers of snow fighting teams perform loading and unloading of snow removal trains, as well as carry snow from turnouts with stretchers or baskets.

The leader of the group must, before starting work on clearing the tracks, the shooter inform the station duty officer of his last name, first name, patronymic and the number of people working in the group.

Instruction on the safe performance of work on clearing and removing snow and fencing the work site is provided by the track foreman or other responsible employee of the track distance.

No more than 6 workers are assigned to the leaders of the brigade to clear the arrows from snow. Work supervisors are required before leaving the place of work:

• conduct a general briefing for all employees on safety rules when passing through the territory of the station,
• and before placing people in their jobs:
• appoint signalmen according to the specific conditions of the work to be performed, provide them with a set of signal accessories;
• by telephone or external loudspeaker, after making sure with the station attendant that there is an entry by the track foreman in the DU-46 log about the work of people on the corresponding neck with records of the numbers of the arrows and the start time of work.

3. Labor protection requirements during work

Passage from the gathering place to and from work is allowed only along the side of the subgrade or away from the tracks. When passing in a group along the side of the subgrade, precautions must be taken: do not walk in a disorderly crowd, do not be closer than 2 m from the outermost rail.

When passing along the tracks at the stations, it is necessary to walk along a wide inter-track or roadbed, monitor all movements of the rolling stock on adjacent tracks.

In the dark (at night, fog, blizzard) you need to be especially vigilant.

During group passages, set up signalmen following behind and ahead of the group at a safe distance, for timely notification of the approach of the train.

Signalers must go with unfurled red flags, night and day in poor visibility with red lights.

At the stations, it is allowed to cross the tracks only at a right angle, after making sure that there is no approaching rolling stock. When crossing the tracks, it is forbidden to step on the rails, stand between the frame rails and wits on turnouts.

Before placing people directly on the snow fighting site, the team leader is obliged to instruct all employees on safety rules before starting work with an entry in the labor protection briefing log.

When a train approaches, it is necessary to get off the track to the nearest side of the subgrade or to a wide inter-track in advance, when the train is at a distance of at least 400 m and move at least 3 m from the outermost rail. In cramped conditions, it is necessary to go off the path to a predetermined place indicated by the leader.

It is forbidden to cross the tracks in front of the approaching rolling stock, crawl under the cars.

It is forbidden for people to approach energized and unprotected wires or parts of the contact network closer than 8 m.

When performing work on clearing turnouts from snow, the group should be no more than 6 and no less than 2 people, in each group a leader of the group should be appointed.

When cleaning arrows, the following safety precautions must be observed:

• before starting the cleaning of the arrows, it is necessary to notify the duty officer at the station or hill.
• the switch should be cleared only during breaks in the movement of trains and shunting trains, on the hills between the next releases of the trains.
• when cleaning the arrows, it is forbidden to use a faulty tool and work without gloves.
• during the cleaning of the switches it is forbidden to be inside the track, you should stand in the direction from which the rolling stock is expected to enter the switch.
• when cleaning the centralized switch, it is necessary to lay a special wooden insert between the wit and the frame rail.
• about the completion of work on cleaning the arrows, it is necessary to notify the station duty officer or the hill duty officer.

When clearing the tracks from snow drifts, to accommodate workers when passing trains, it is necessary to arrange niches at a distance of 20-25m, one from the other with their arrangement in a checkerboard pattern to accommodate workers in them when passing trains.

To clean snow from the tracks, it is necessary to position yourself so that the snow is thrown downwind and does not fall into the face of nearby working people.

When working in a group consisting of 10 workers or more, as well as in conditions of poor visibility, the head of the group is obliged to set up signalers to notify workers of the approach of trains,

Work with hose blowing of switches with compressed air must be carried out by two people, one blows the turnouts, the second is the senior and monitors the movement of trains and shunting trains. Closes and opens the uncoupling valve of the air intake column. Opens the tap only when the hose is fully extended and the first worker holds the handpiece in his hands.

The end heads of the hose and the air sampling column must be tightly connected.

Employees who blow arrows with compressed air must be given goggles and gloves. The hoses must be no longer than 20 m. It is not allowed to cross more than one path with the hose. In case of production necessity, when crossing several paths, lay the hose under the rail in a sleeper box, cleared in advance of snow and ballast.

Hoses to air folding columns and their storage place are transferred assembled into a ring. The passage of workers from one arrow to another with a hose connected to the air line is only allowed when the tap is closed and there is no air in the hose.

It is forbidden to stretch the hose between the rails inside the track. The hose from the place of connection to the place of work must be located between the tracks.

When disconnecting and connecting hoses from the air line, workers must be especially vigilant, careful not to be injured by blowing the hose.

Workers involved in clearing snow from tracks must wear clothing that does not restrict movement.

4. Labor protection requirements at the end of work

In severe frosts, workers engaged in clearing snow from tracks and arrows must watch each other. In case of signs of frostbite, immediately contact the health workers for medical assistance. It is forbidden to touch parts (rails, tools) with hands and metal objects.

The passage of brigades from the place of work is carried out in small groups under the leadership of the group leader. The head of the group is obliged to go behind the group and protect the group with an unfolded red signal flag, and at night with a lantern with a red light.

Ahead of the brigade is a trained signalman who has passed the exams.

The passage of crews from the place of work is carried out along a wide intertrack or from the side of the track no closer than 2 m from the outermost rail, the path must be crossed at a right angle.

With large snowdrifts, when it is not possible to lead workers along the inter-track or from the side of the tracks, passage to the place of work is allowed along the way with security measures: group leaders are obliged to warn the workers for personal caution and make sure that they go one after the other or two in a row, do not allowing for delays.

5. Providing first aid to the victim with frostbite

The person providing assistance must know the main signs of a violation of the vital functions of the human body, as well as be able to free the victim from the action of dangerous and harmful factors, assess the condition of the victim, determine the sequence of first aid techniques used, and, if necessary, use improvised means when providing assistance and transporting the victim.

The actions of workers in the provision of first aid to the victim with frostbite. When providing assistance, the main thing is to prevent rapid warming of supercooled areas of the body, since they are detrimental to warm air, warm water, the touch of warm objects and even hands. Before the victim enters the heated room, the supercooled areas of his body (usually the arms or legs) must be protected from heat by applying heat-insulating bandages (cotton-gauze, wool, etc.) to them. The bandage should cover only the area with pronounced blanching of the skin, skin covers. Otherwise, heat from areas of the body with unimpaired blood circulation will spread under the bandage to supercooled areas and cause them to warm from the surface, which will lead to the death of the tissue surface. After applying a heat-insulating bandage, it is necessary to ensure the immobility of supercooled fingers and toes, since their vessels are very fragile and therefore hemorrhages are possible after restoration of blood flow.

On supercooled areas of the body, the bandage should be left until a feeling of heat appears and their sensitivity is restored.

In case of general hypothermia with loss of consciousness, the main rule for providing first aid remains the imposition of heat-insulating bandages on the hands and feet of the victim before bringing him into a warm room. The victim should be urgently delivered to the nearest medical institution, without removing heat-insulating bandages. Fingers, hands, feet, ears, nose are more prone to frostbite.

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