Surreal riding the train over flaming tracks

[bigtree]

ABC News @ABC
It’s so cold in Chicago, crews had to set fire to commuter rail tracks to keep the trains moving smoothly. https://abcn.ws/2DHw8Du



Mass KonFuzion @mass_konfuzion Jan 29
That looks crazy during the day... But if you see it at night (um.. while you're riding the train over the flaming tracks), it's past crazy, into surreal.


twitter.com/mateodechicago/status/1090463266176987136

watch:

Link to tweet

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. Looks like they're heating up the switches

Makes perfect sense. Heat up the moving parts of a rail switch so it will operate freely in the cold.

[JHB]

6. Pretty standard. This one is from Boston, last year...

[dalton99a]

2. .

[marybourg]

3. LIRR always did this in their switching yards

[JHB]

5. Yup. Natural-gas flame heaters

[GoCubsGo]

10. So does Chicago.

[marybourg]

11. Wherever it gets cold, I guess

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. They don't set fire to the rails, they turn on the heaters at the switches.

[GoCubsGo]

8. Thank you!!!

I cringe every time I see the "set fire" narrative. Those burners are built into the switches, and they get used far more often than people realize. It's a shame that it takes an extreme event for anyone to notice them.

[TeapotInATempest]

7. Chicago does this pretty frequently.

But I guess it makes an interesting visual for the national media (and for people from warmer climes!).

[Renew Deal]

9. I've seen in before in other places

I didn't think it was that unusual, but I guess it makes a good story.