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Old 05-02-12, 11:39 AM   #4
Isimmo
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Sissix-by-the-sea
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Originally Posted by john johnson View Post
Is that so that the operator can say oh yes we do use the line when they really just send an empty service down it do that no one else can nab it ?
Not for snow clearance, they go back to running it like the old railways, making up pathways as they go, sending the locos down in front of the overnight service trains to help them get 3rd rail contact and clear any accumulations... The 73 loco is ideal for this as it's got robust shoegear and can pull some serious amperage... It's incredibly spectacular, like intense lightning, illuminating the snowscape for literally hundreds of yards. The downside of this practice is, it melts the collector shoes and in time, forms small ball bearing sized globules across the contact.
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