During the winter it is not uncommon for snow and ice to accumulate on and around railroad tracks. To maintain optimal track performance it is desirable to keep certain areas of the track free of snow and ice year round. For example, it is particularly desirable to keep the areas where tracks cross each other (frogs) and where tracks merge or split (switches) free of snow and ice. Though the system of the present disclosure will be described herein primarily with reference to railroad track switches, the description is not meant to be limiting. It should be appreciated that the system is applicable to other applications as well.
Railroad track switches are used to divert a train from one train track to another train track. The railroad switches typically include a pair of rails that move from a first position to a second position. The switches typically include moving parts that are exposed to the environment. Snow and ice build-up on the switch can cause the switch to malfunction.
A number of different types of railroad track switch snow removers are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,997 to Reichle et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,425 to Keep, Jr.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,161 to Upright. The railroad track switch snow remover often includes a blower that blows heated air or ambient air across the switch. Though some heaters and blowers of the snow removing devices are electric powered, most are gas powered, as they are typically located in remote locations. Sometimes the snow removers include temperature and moisture sensors so that an operator at a remote location can determine when to turn the devices on or off. Some devices are programmed to automatically turn themselves on or off depending on the reading from the sensors.
A problem with the existing systems is that malfunctioning device can be difficult to identify. In some cases, the devices are turned on when it is not snowing or turned off when it is snowing. In the first case, fuel is wasted, and in the second, the switch may malfunction due to undesirable snow accumulation in the tracks. Moreover, existing switch snow removal control systems are not configured to collect, store, and/or report data regarding performance and other conditions of the device. A system that can be used to effectively monitor and control snow removal devices located in remote locations is desirable.
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USPTO Backgrounds