SANDITE

Sandite is a substance used on railways in the United Kingdom to combat leaves on the line, which can cause train wheels to slip and become damaged with flat spots. Sandite consists of a mixture of sand, aluminium and a unique type of adhesive.
Leaf build up on the railhead can also cause signalling issues and disappearing trains on the rail control systems (because of the electrically insulating effect of the leaves, which can prevent operation of track circuits).
Sandite is usually applied by a special train which first clears fallen leaves from the rails, then sprays the sandite onto the rail surface. Multiple units used for this have included:

★ British Rail Class 937

★ British Rail Class 936

★ British Rail Class 951

★ British Rail Class 960

★ some loco-hauled stock

Contents

See also

See also

★ Sandbox (railways)

★ Slippery rail