Rats and the railways

[TheSeeker]

A friend lives near a railway line and has a problem with rats, in the garden and sometimes in the house. The track is curved and I think there is a "flange greaser" (it that's the right term) nearby, possibly also points.

I once read that rats will eat the grease. Is that correct?

 

[pdeaves]

A friend lives near a railway line and has a problem with rats, in the garden and sometimes in the house. The track is curved and I think there is a "flange greaser" (it that's the right term) nearby, possibly also points.

I once read that rats will eat the grease. Is that correct?

I doubt that rats would be interested in modern grease (happy to be proved wrong, though). Historically, grease was made from some sort of plant matter (edible to rats) but I'm not sure it is now.

 

[DarloRich]

Surely all the class 25's have been withdrawn. I think they ate a lot of grease.........................

EDIT - it is most likely easy access to waste that is attracting them rather than the railway itself. What else is in the area?

 

[Spartacus]

A friend lives near a railway line and has a problem with rats, in the garden and sometimes in the house. The track is curved and I think there is a "flange greaser" (it that's the right term) nearby, possibly also points.

I once read that rats will eat the grease. Is that correct?

I'd be amazed if it wasn't petroleum based these days, and although rats will eat pretty much anything when push comes to shove, I think that it would be pretty close to the bottom of their very extensive list.

Come to think of it if they ate the grease, knowing rats, the greasers would be rendered inoperable regularly as rats would quite happily chew through the rubber hoses supplying the grease in order to get a better supply of the stuff.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

EDIT - it is most likely easy access to waste that is attracting them rather than the railway itself. What else is in the area?

Yep, this exactly. I sympathise with the OP's friend - rats can be an awful problem to deal with. But assuming we're talking, just an ordinary bit of railway line, not a station or anything like that, it's unlikely to be the railway that's attracting them. There'll be something else in the area that's providing them with shelter/food.

 

[Ken H]

Are the rats eating insulation on the railway?

 

[WesternBiker]

I agree with the others that modern grease is highly unlikely to be attractive to them - famously they ate the grease (and the leather) on the seals of Brunel's atmospheric railway (the grease being made from rendered animal parts).

Rats are burrowing animals and, like foxes, often like the sides of cuttings as locations to burrow (with the added benefit of not having too many humans around). But they'll forage quite widely for food - so I agree with the other posts above, that something else must be attracting them. They like food left out for wild animals and birds - and most people don't realise that they really love wooden decking, as it makes the perfect nest!

 

[DarloRich]

Yep, this exactly. I sympathise with the OP's friend - rats can be an awful problem to deal with. But assuming we're talking, just an ordinary bit of railway line, not a station or anything like that, it's unlikely to be the railway that's attracting them. There'll be something else in the area that's providing them with shelter/food.

We have an issue where we live with rats being attracted by badly stored rubbish bags.

They like food left out for wild animals and birds - and most people don't realise that they really love wooden decking, as it makes the perfect nest!

because of the above I have had to take my bird feeders in

 

[WesternBiker]

because of the above I have had to take my bird feeders in

Or put them somewhere where they are really hard for rats to reach: they're not as acrobatic as squirrels, so something suspended off the ground should be OK. But they can feed from bird tables (and obviously ground feeders).

 

[DarloRich]

Or put them somewhere where they are really hard for rats to reach: they're not as acrobatic as squirrels, so something suspended off the ground should be OK. But they can feed from bird tables (and obviously ground feeders).

Finding them on my windowsill watching me work was a bit of start! After that I took in all the bird feed and made sure there were no items that would help with climbing

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A friend lives near a railway line and has a problem with rats, in the garden and sometimes in the house. The track is curved and I think there is a "flange greaser" (it that's the right term) nearby, possibly also points.

I once read that rats will eat the grease. Is that correct?

It's possible the rat-grease connection dates back to the 19th century. One of the many things that did for Brunel's "Atmospheric Railway" was rats eating the grease (which was at the time made from rendered-down animal fats) and leather that sealed the atmospheric pipes.

I'd be surprised if animal-based lubricants are used today on any sort of scale, though rats aren't picky eaters and there's lots of other things to attract them both to the railway and to your friend's garden.

 

[Ediswan]

I'd be surprised if animal-based lubricants are used today on any sort of scale, though rats aren't picky eaters and there's lots of other things to attract them both to the railway and to your friend's garden.

What has been introduced is soy based electrical wiring insulation. Numerous reports of expensive damage done to motor vehicles by rodents.

 

[OhNoAPacer]

Where I worked there were rat tooth marks in bars of soap. They are very very omnivorous, I mean they even ate the canteen food!

 

[choochoochoo]

I am surprised that railway signalling (and power) cables aren't damaged more often by rats. I know a lot of it stored in conduit, but that's hardly going to put off a determined vermin

 

[pdeaves]

I am surprised that railway signalling (and power) cables aren't damaged more often by rats. I know a lot of it stored in conduit, but that's hardly going to put off a determined vermin

Many trough routes have things like bottle brushes at certain points to deter vermin from entering. It's not 100% effective (they can chew up whatever's before it) but it seems to have a positive effect.

 

[WesternBiker]

Finding them on my windowsill watching me work was a bit of start! After that I took in all the bird feed and made sure there were no items that would help with climbing

If they’re becoming that tame, I think you have a problem…!

 

[dosxuk]

I am surprised that railway signalling (and power) cables aren't damaged more often by rats. I know a lot of it stored in conduit, but that's hardly going to put off a determined vermin

Cable designed for installation outside is often designed to be rodent resistant - basically really tough outer layers that are specifically developed that their teeth won't be able to get a grip. Doesn't irradicate the problem but does massively increase the time taken to cause any real damage.

 

[alxndr]

I am surprised that railway signalling (and power) cables aren't damaged more often by rats. I know a lot of it stored in conduit, but that's hardly going to put off a determined vermin

They don't tend to eat the outer insulation but they can be quite fond of internal wiring. Generally it will be spotted and action taken before it becomes a problem, where there is vermin there is droppings, and that's a good indicator that it'll be a wise idea to check all the wiring very thoroughly and get some more rodent-proofing in place ASAP.

 

[Trestrol]

They don't tend to eat the outer insulation but they can be quite fond of internal wiring. Generally it will be spotted and action taken before it becomes a problem, where there is vermin there is droppings, and that's a good indicator that it'll be a wise idea to check all the wiring very thoroughly and get some more rodent-proofing in place ASAP.

Vermin love location cases as they are warm and sheltered. Steps are usually taken to fill the bottoms with gravel but they still get in. I have seen many a picture of a team that's gone to a case to find a fault, inside they have fould a fried rat. I once worked for three plus years in the original parcels office in Newcastle. I never saw one rat in all that time and that was under the station.

 

[Paul Jones 88]

Years ago I knew a bloke that worked as a night cleaner on the Underground, he said that he saw rats that were bigger than the average jack russell down there, imagine these chewing up the wiring

 

[DaleCooper]

It could be due to a lack of predators, get a cat or a Jack Russell.

 

[Annetts key]

I don’t know what type of grease rail greasers use, but I suspect it’s an adhesive type grease.

Point operating equipment uses a variety of lubricants depending on the equipment type. This includes petroleum based lithium grease, adhesive type grease, teflon based lubricants or PTFE grease.
Currently popular are Interflon Lube TF, Interflon Lube EP, Interflon grease MP1

Are the rats eating insulation on the railway?

I am surprised that railway signalling (and power) cables aren't damaged more often by rats. I know a lot of it stored in conduit, but that's hardly going to put off a determined vermin

Cable designed for installation outside is often designed to be rodent resistant - basically really tough outer layers that are specifically developed that their teeth won't be able to get a grip. Doesn't irradicate the problem but does massively increase the time taken to cause any real damage.

The sheath used for signalling cables, including 650V AC, 110V AC and 110V/120V DC signalling power cables is a tough rubber. The insulation is also rubber (PCP type). The telecommunications cables typically use polyethylene for the sheath. I’m not sure what the electrical distribution cables use.

Rats (and other rodents) don’t normally attack any of these cables. Whether lying on the ground, or in troughing. Except if they get to a constriction (for example where cables bend to exit the route or bend to turn via a T-piece junction). The do like using the cable routes / troughing as hiding places and as transit routes.

When they do attack cables, they don’t just gnaw the sheath and the insulation, but also cut through the copper cores. They are not so keen on metal (steel) armoured cable, but this is not used much these days.

Inside equipment location cases/cupboards/cubicles, mice are just as much a problem as rats. Again, most of the time they don’t touch the PVC or rubber cables and wires. Unless they get to a constriction. Or they are nesting inside an item of equipment, in which case where the nest is, they sometimes chew through both the insulation and the copper core.