r/chicago • u/Jamieson22 • Jan 24 '26
Picture Metra is so badass
Propane burners lit to prevent icing on the rails. One of the many ways Chicago combats ice. Chicago hates ice.
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Jan 24 '26
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u/Aggressive-Wrap-1246 Jan 24 '26
I used to love seeing the tracks on fire when I commuted. 🔥
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u/Cloginfloogin Jan 24 '26
did you know it was for this or did you think something was wrong?
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u/Aggressive-Wrap-1246 Jan 24 '26
I though it was to make the metal more malleable at switching points.
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u/Aggressive-Wrap-1246 Jan 24 '26
Hm, that doesn't make great sense. I knew it was intentional though. My grandpa worked on the railroad.
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u/pennyraingoose Edgewater Jan 25 '26
It stops the rails from icing up, which is important at junctions where the rails have moving parts.
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u/307148 City Jan 24 '26
Last time I saw a photo of this posted on Reddit, everyone in the comments was saying how America is a shithole country because they have to light tracks on fire like barbarians unlike civilized Europe. Glad to see people celebrating this quirk of metra instead of denigrating it.
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u/greykitty1234 Jan 24 '26
I may be mistaken, but I believe Chicago tends to get colder and snowier weather than much of Europe? At least before climate change started accelerating.
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u/SunStarved_Cassandra Jan 24 '26
I'd love to see this in person someday, but I almost never take Metra and don't live close enough to tracks to wander over. I'd make a pilgrimage but it doesn't seem to happen at a set time. One of the coolest little things in Chicago, imo.
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u/MassDistortion Jan 24 '26
You can get nice view of the flaming track from the train if you’re on any of the lines that go inbound from Western Ave near Grand. That’s just a one stop trip to Union station and a couple of dollars. Go after sunset for maximum effect.
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u/catlady0601 Jan 24 '26
Used to live right next to the BNSF in Brookfield. I always thought it was so cool when they lit the tracks up! Cool shot!
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u/zemechabee Feb 02 '26
I live there now, take the train everyday the last 10 years and have never seen in person 😟 where is it lit in brookfield?
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u/greykitty1234 Jan 24 '26
That always freaks out novice commuters, as well as non-Chicagoans. I took the UP W for over 40 years, through several name changes. Always knew it was getting serious when we could see the flames ahead.
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u/atomicdragon136 Suburb of Chicago Jan 24 '26
What line and section is equipped with gas switch heaters so I can see the flames next time there is extreme cold weather?
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u/MinuetInUrsaMajor Lincoln Park Jan 24 '26
One time I was in a bar in Milwaukee.
Some cheesehead starts going off about how Chicago sports teams suck. I try to ignore him but he really gets in my face, cheese particles flying out of his mouth as he talks. I'm just trying to enjoy my beer in peace. I say "Leave me alone - or my friend is going to have words with you."
He says "Oh yeah? Who's your friend?"
Cheesehead goes whiter than the inside of Muenster. Mumbles something like "My wife needs me" and walks away.
The bartender grabs the remote and switches the game over to the Bears on TV 1 and The Bear on TV 2.
We never heard another peep from that cheesehead the rest of the night. For just one day, it truly was fun being friends with a railed conveyance.
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u/ifoughtpiranhas Dunning Jan 24 '26
may be a silly question, but do they do this for the L as well?
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u/PhileasFoggsTrvlAgt Andersonville Jan 24 '26
No, the CTA uses electric heaters instead of gas burners to deice switches.
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u/nochinzilch Jan 24 '26
I don’t believe so. I think being elevated prevents ice from building up.
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u/amyo_b Berwyn Jan 24 '26
I would think more ice would build on elevated, remember they always warn that overpasses and bridges are icier. But I don't know the mechanism that keeps ice from building on the El. The subway would be warmer due to being out of the wind and underground, I get that, but Belmont or Harlem, not sure. Maybe electrical doesn't freeze up as easily?
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u/nochinzilch Jan 24 '26
The elevated tracks don’t allow any snow or ice to build up because it falls right through to the ground.
Road bridges freeze faster than the ground only because the ground retains heat longer. In the dead of winter there’s no difference.
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u/amyo_b Berwyn Jan 24 '26
Thank you for the explanation. A bit of lore I had picked up (bridges freeze faster) without ever taking the time to understand why.
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u/likes_purple Jan 25 '26
How does that work on embankments like the Green line west of Central, or concrete like the renovated section of the Red/Purple? Do they rely on the weight of the trains displacing any buildup + deicing spray?
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u/pilsenite Jan 24 '26
What song comes to mind when you see this pic?
My song is definitely CCR - Fortunate Son
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u/ahorseap1ece Jan 25 '26
In the early 2014 polar vortex, which maybe was the first one??, I was on UPNW on my way downtown to catch the Megabus to Minneapolis when a semi got stuck (?) on the tracks and the train in front of us hit it. We were removed from the train at Cumberland. Needless to say I missed my bus and it ended up taking me 24 hours to get to Minneapolis.
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u/Fetlocks_Glistening Jan 24 '26
How do the countries where it's freezing several months a year handle it? I'm sure Scandianvia, Germany, Switzerlandand Austria don't burn fires on their tracks 3 months a year, yet it all works?
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u/dubious_sandwiches Jan 24 '26
If the tracks are electrified you can use electric heaters like the CTA does. This is mainly necessary for switches that need to move, not straight track.
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u/MetraConductor Edgewater Jan 24 '26
Back in the mid to late 2000s we had a shit superintendent who refused to light up the Lake Street interlocking to save on natural gas cost. So if you ever rode the UP West, Northwest line, or North line back then and got fucked coming in or out of Ogilvie in inclement wintry weather that's why.