Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2018 December 1

= December 1 =

Unknown trackside object
So I often see these drum-shaped objects beside the railway track in the UK. They are often painted yellow, but this one is blue. It appears to be wired up to the rails so I'm guessing something to do with the track circuit, but my Google fu has failed me in identifying it. For those purposes I'm surprised it needs to be so big (about a foot across) and the cable so thick. It doesn't appear to be connected to the AWS ramp but I could be wrong.--Shantavira|feed me 14:55, 1 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Looks like it could be a flange greaser, for applying grease to the flanges of rail wheels in an area with sharp curves. Mjroots (talk) 19:14, 2 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Ah thanks! I never knew there was such a thing, but I'm delighted that I can now add (treadleless) flange greaser to my vocabulary. No sharp curves here; the photo was taken at Potters Bar.--Shantavira|feed me 20:06, 2 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Flange greaser (bolded to catch the eyes of passing strangers) is my new favourite term of the week. As I never previously had a favourite term of the week, it's also my favourite ever. Hmm. User:Flange greaser is a redlink. I'm off to request a rename. Mebbe. --15:38, 3 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Ah, now I can post here. Besides Treadle (railway), linked above, there is at least one other place in Wikipedia where these things are mentioned: that is Track (rail transport), where the mention is hiding in a photo caption.  That one uses the name "flange oiler".  Still another name, I'm told, is "rail lubricator"; but I know of some places where rail lubrication is done with water rather than grease. --76.69.46.228 (talk) 05:48, 4 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Further to the above, I asked a knowledgeable friend who regularly travels that way about Shantavira's comment about "sharp curves". He observes that "sharp" has a different meaning at 125 mph, and says that on fast lines "you tend to have lubrication all along". --76.69.46.228 (talk) 22:47, 4 December 2018 (UTC)