MoW: Rail Heater and Sun Kinks

Paul Giske posted
Question: What are each of these pieces of equipment shown here?
Gord Mahon It's a propane rail heater all 3 pieces are one unit.
[Some comments indicate the power is provided by an old Kershaw ballast regulator frame. More than one person referred to it as the "bomb." Other comments talk about fires being started.]
Dennis DeBruler Is this used instead of "fire rope" to expand the rail after it has broken because of cold weather so that the rails meet again and can be welded?
Joe Kveton No,this is used in spring and fall then the rail is not proper laying temperatures.
Dennis DeBruler What do you do during hot Summer days when the rail is significantly hotter than the year's average temperature?
Joe Kveton Dennis DeBruler you restress the steel in fall.

Joe Kveton commented on the above posting, Facebook resolution, cropped

It seems the desired track laying temperature is 70-degrees instead of the years annual average temperature. Or maybe the chart Joe posted was for his work area.

Update: A photo of a "sun kink," or what the big wigs call "thermal misalignment." I am shocked by how severe the kinks are. I found this link in a Facebook posting. The comments indicate that not only was it probably laid too cold, there is not enough ballast to hold the track. Also, the anchors may not have been fastened properly.

The heat from wildfires can also cause the rails to expand enough to cause kinks.

Jason Crawford posted
Heat and rail don't mix....we are in high level alberta on bridge watch for the forest fires.... came across this on a patrol.... fire did this to the rail.. you can see there isnt much left for forest... 3 fires over 350,000 hectres burnt so far got some much better ones BUT a little gun shy to post them claimed one bridge so far .....

NS Locomotives , Equipment and its Predecessors posted
[Some of the comments indicate the left track also has heat kinks.]