Does ice or snow affect railroads?

Absolutely, ice and snow can have a profound effect on railroad operations. The ice that builds up on the brake shoes makes it take a lot longer to stop the train during cold weather because it takes awhile for the shoes to warm up, dry out and actually stop the train. read more

The locomotives and rolling stock are heavy enough to crush their way through any ice or snow on the railhead, so the "traction" problem should be about the same as on wet rail. Snow or ice can, however cause other problems which delay or prevent rail operations. read more

The wheel runs over the snow, and compacts it to ice. Thankfully locomotives have 4 wheels per side, and usually after the second wheel passes over the ice, it knocks it off the rail. It all depends on the temperatures and the type of snow. read more