directive for clearing snow

[infoman]

Is their one?

I have noticed over the years that platform staff will not brush/shovel snow onto the tracks.

It may have been okay in years gone by, when the underneaths of trains didn't have so much electrics.

Nowadays cleared snow onto the tracks could toss the flakes of snow into the underneaths of trains.

Resulting into melting snow and the water getting the electrics,causing trains to come to a halt.

Does any one know of a directive NOT to brush snow onto the tracks?

 

[causton]

I don't know the exact directive behind it, but can confirm in the instructions I have read saying under no circumstances to brush it onto the tracks!

 

[pdeaves]

I know a TOC where staff are instructed not to sweep leaves off platforms and onto the track. I think it would be reasonable to assume there is a similar instruction regarding snow.

 

[Trog]

Could it be that platform snow would also contain salt, which would corrode the rails and fastenings, as well as potentially affecting track circuits as salt water conducts electricity. I know locally some of the rail clips adjacent to platforms have been replaced with sherardized ones for this reason.

 

[EM2]

Could it be that platform snow would also contain salt, which would corrode the rails and fastenings, as well as potentially affecting track circuits as salt water conducts electricity. I know locally some of the rail clips adjacent to platforms have been replaced with sherardized ones for this reason.

This is the reason why the local instruction at my station says not to clear snow onto the track.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Why would platform staff want to clear snow onto the tracks which would then only hamper the passage of trains!?

It appears from previous years that the action is to do nothing and not attempt to run a service at all

 

[broadgage]

If snow is to be removed from platforms, then it is far easier to sweep it the width of the platform and onto the track, rather than half the length of the platform to a pile at each end.
Not sensible for other reasons though, hence the prohibition.

The volume of snow likely to be swept from a platform is unlikely to much affect the trains, but could so do in extreme circumstances.

I recall a DC EMU suffering damage to shoe gear as a result of a huge snow ball made on the platform and rolled of the end by kids.

Anyway, as others post, these days the policy seems to be to close down in the event of snow.