Re: [melb] burning sleepers at North Melbourne

["B." <gunzel412@dingoblue.gunzel.net.au>]

> <pshute@melbpc.org.au> wrote in message
> ui0p3tcat3rgmi6t0m6rvbqha8fu9c8hb3@4ax.com">news:ui0p3tcat3rgmi6t0m6rvbqha8fu9c8hb3@4ax.com...
Daniel Bowen <dbowen@custard.REMOVE.net.au> wrote in message
TF%_5.21653$xW4.169314@news-server.bigpond.net.au">news:TF%_5.21653$xW4.169314@news-server.bigpond.net.au...

>> I regularly see smouldering sleepers while I wait for my
>> train at North Melbourne.  I can see that many sleepers
>> have old burn marks, and that some are burnt very deeply.

>> What causes these fires? Cigarettes or something hot
>> dropping off a train?  It seems to happen regularly, and I
>> expect that sleepers are not cheap to replace, so why
>> doesn't anyone seem to care if there is smoke billowing up
>> from the tracks?

> I've seen them before at Richmond, and other places. I
> think it's just the hot weather that causes it. At Richmond
> years ago I saw a station assistant pour water from a
> bucket over one. But they rarely venture up to the
> platforms these days.

Methinks that the primary culprit for these sleeper fires are
sparks from brake blocks.  Especially in Summer, when it's hot &
dry.

ISTR last year Bayside had a bad batch of brake blocks and
successfully set fire to great stretches of the SHM line.

--
B.

Email - gunzel412 at dingoblue dot net dot au
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