torch1982 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Hello, Anyone know what effect our excessively rainy late summer and early fall, coupled with the unusual temperature swings we've experienced this summer/early fall will have on the falling of leaves? The changing in color seems pretty close to on schedule (beginning slightly in late August) in more urban areas. Will the leaves begin falling later than usual due to more rain? Will they fall as more of one mass "wave" of leaves or little by little as normal? Will the leaves contain more moisture than normal? The reason I ask is I am also a railroad buff and many local systems including SEPTA have to deal with "slippery rail". This occurs when leaves are crushed on rails by train wheels, depositing the leaf oils and creating patches on the rails that can be slicker than ice. Specialized rail equipment is deployed to blast away the oils using water jets at up to 20,000 psi, and puts down a sand-like gel material to increase traction. The problem is particularly pronounced here in the northeastern US. Some seasons are more intense and longer or shorter than others and some of my fellow railroaders have been wondering what will happen this year with our unusual weather patterns lately. I included a link for SEPTA's info on Slippery Rail if anyone is interested. http://www.septa.org/service/rail/slippery.html Thanks for any info! Mike McGuire, NJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eskimo Joe Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Hi Mike, I found some introductory information online courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Maryland DNR). If I find anything else, I will make sure to pass it along! http://www.dnr.state.md.us/outdoors/fallfoliage/why_leaves_changecolor.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Lightning Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 NJ Transit has an aqua train that starts up around now to deal with the slippery rails(especially in the hillier terrain): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torch1982 Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 Thanks for the info! I will pass it along to my group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torch1982 Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 NJ Transit has an aqua train that starts up around now to deal with the slippery rails(especially in the hillier terrain): Ahh, the aqua train! I caught that baby last year on the Riverline. There's is a little smaller than SEPTA's, but newer and just as powerful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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