We are being blamed for shutting down the Washington DC subway

[EdG]

This is the weirdest hair news that I have ever read.


Hairy situation: DC’s rail system may be taken down by human shedding
The fuzzy coating from riders' heads could cause electrical sparks and fires.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/hairy-situation-dcs-rail-system-may-be-taken-down-by-human-shedding/ (https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/hairy-situation-dcs-rail-system-may-be-taken-down-by-human-shedding/)

Human Hair is Shutting Down the DC Transit System
(http://973thedawg.com/human-hair-is-shutting-down-the-dc-transit-system/)http://973thedawg.com/human-hair-is-shutting-down-the-dc-transit-system/



While I certainly believe that a layer of shed hair can be a fire hazard, that enough has accumulated on a subway's electrical rail to cause problems points to poor maintenance.

That someone is cleaning shed hairs from a subway is something to think about the next time you find yourself cleaning shed hairs from the shower drain or vacuum cleaner. ;)
Ed

[Sarahlabyrinth]

...Not ours though, we keep it bunned. :p

[EdG]

...Not ours though, we keep it bunned. :pWe are double-plus-good! :cheese:
Ed

[TatsuOni]

...Not ours though, we keep it bunned. :p

Juast what I was going to write! :D

[MusicalSpoons]

...Not ours though, we keep it bunned. :p

:laugh: true!


I recently saw a documentary about the London Underground (metro/subway) and they had overnight cleaning teams cleaning out bags full of dust/debris/hair out of the ridges between the slabs in the tunnels to prevent fires - it's most likely shed at stations but with strong draughts it all ends up in the tunnels. (With some parts of the Underground going 24hrs now I don't know if that's still in place; the documentary was a couple of years old.)

[Jo Ann]

Watch...the next thing you know, the government will be handing out hairnets to all who do not have their hair contained.

Some hair is more equal than others :p

[EdG]

:laugh: true!


I recently saw a documentary about the London Underground (metro/subway) and they had overnight cleaning teams cleaning out bags full of dust/debris/hair out of the ridges between the slabs in the tunnels to prevent fires - it's most likely shed at stations but with strong draughts it all ends up in the tunnels. (With some parts of the Underground going 24hrs now I don't know if that's still in place; the documentary was a couple of years old.)I suspect that litter would be the biggest problem.
Ed

[Groovy Granny]

Wow..that is weird...and gross :p ....I never gave it a thought shudder: lol

[EdG]

Wow..that is weird...and gross :p ....I never gave it a thought shudder: lolApparently, the DC Metro operators never gave it much thought until now. ;)
Ed

[Arciela]

Yeah, this is the fault of poor maintenance! I was not expecting that haha very random :flower:

[Bill D.]

That's a tangled and hairy situation. :D

I've heard of watersheds, and by (not quite logical) extension, viewsheds. How about the hairshed of a public facility - the total area of people that sheds hair into it, just like a watershed.

[EdG]

Yeah, this is the fault of poor maintenance! I was not expecting that haha very random :flower:


I've heard of watersheds, and by (not quite logical) extension, viewsheds. How about the hairshed of a public facility - the total area of people that sheds hair into it, just like a watershed.We have advanced the state-of-the-art in subway system design. :cheese:
Ed

[Jo Ann]

Apparently, the DC Metro operators never gave it much thought until now. ;)
Ed
The Powers That Be had to find SOMETHING to blame their poor maintenance habits on, after having to close down various train lines this past year...might as well have it be something as obscure as hair--that way, everybody's to blame *insert eyeroll here*

[EdG]

The Powers That Be had to find SOMETHING to blame their poor maintenance habits on, after having to close down various train lines this past year...might as well have it be something as obscure as hair--that way, everybody's to blame *insert eyeroll here*I believe the hair is an excuse for poor maintenance. The solution is better maintenance. The Metro operators will not have any luck telling passengers to shed less. ;)
Ed

[embee]

That is one of the strangest things I've read in a very long time!

And you know, it surely has to be blamed on somebody...... :(

[CindyOfTheOaks]

Hair nets and body suits for all ! Conform !


:lol:

[girlwithsixarms]

Ew. Yikes. Montreal had some issues when it was introducing new trains to the metro system where parts of the track were apparently damaging the undercarriage as they went by, enough that they pulled all the future trains for a while until they sorted the issue. Now I'm wondering...could it have been the hair??

A friend of mine who visited DC over the summer found the subway very frustrating because they wait 10 seconds after the train has stopped to open the doors (here in Montreal, it's not uncommon for the doors to open before the train has fully stopped moving) but she did not mention the hair fires...

[EdG]

Ew. Yikes. Montreal had some issues when it was introducing new trains to the metro system where parts of the track were apparently damaging the undercarriage as they went by, enough that they pulled all the future trains for a while until they sorted the issue. BART was having electrical problems last year. They measured 2kV surges on a 1kV line (https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/transportation/mass-transit/whats-frying-the-electrical-systems-on-bart-trains). I am not sure if the problem was ever completely root-caused.
Ed

[girlwithsixarms]

I am not sure if the problem was ever completely root-caused.

Heh heh..."root-caused"...

[SallySue]

I live in DC and it's true, our metro does keep catching fire. Next time I'm waiting for a train, I'll find something else to do besides detangle my hair. :laugh:

[EdG]

Welcome, SallySue!
Ed

[SallySue]

Thanks, Ed!

[Hairkay]

Hair can also be the saviour. It is one of the best things to use to help clean up an oil spill at sea.

[EdG]

Birds find shed hairs very useful for building nests. I know this from experience. ;)
Ed