With the big Nor’easter coming our way, SLIPPERY RAIL CONDITIONS are likely to hit New Jersey as soon as tomorrow. I missed my usual NY train, and had to sprint to catch the 7:43 train to Hoboken., where I found a NJ Transit pamphlet about slippery rail.
The Transit Advisory warns of a “challenging season” for this “age-old problem” in the pamphlet. Decaying materials on the rail become “PECTIN, an oily residue that can make it difficult for trains to gain or maintain traction.”
One of the tricks and treats up NJT’s sleeve for slippery rail conditins, other than spreading sand on the rails prior to peak periods, is “deploying AQUA TRACK”–NJT’s high-pressure rail washing system. Our awesome pamphlet reports “Since AQUA TRACK SYSTEM has been deployed over the past six years, slippery rail delays have been reduced by about 50 percent.”
No delays this morning, except my own of course. But as the fall season lives up to it’s name, we can at least hope to draw some enjoyment on the autumn scenery, as Bob Dylan pictures it…
Train wheels runnin’ through the back of my memory,
When I ran on the hilltop following a pack of wild geese.
Someday, everything is gonna be smooth like a rhapsody
When I paint my masterpiece.
- jerseyjim
[image: sparrowfarm.com]
I’ve always liked Bobby Weir singing that song, but to each his own. I haven’t been able to understand any lyric that Dylan’s sung since about 1974.