On Feb 8, 10:24 am, "Boltar" wrote:
Snow had collected on the conductor rails on the piccadilly line this
morning (presumably Tubelines were still asleep since arn't they
supposed to clear them?). Anyway , the shoes were sparking nicely and
the lights and other systems were going on and off. Does constant on/
off of the juice do the train systems any harm in the same way
constantly flicking a PC on/off would eventually kill it? Am I right
in suspecting this will probably affect the newer trains with
electronic control systems more than the old electro mechanical ones?

B2003

Ice and snow on the power rails is a common occurrence on most
systems.
The wayside power delivery system and the train-borne power collection
system are designed to handle the interruptions and intermittent
contact. Some newer electronic propulsion control units may trip out
if too many on-off cycles occur in a short time frame but are easily
reset. Most trains have more than one collector shoe per car so that
one shoe may be interrupted and spark while the other carries current.

Ray