Steel is robust, but not indestructible. For example, railway tracks react to high temperatures and can expand. On hot summer days, temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius have been measured in places where tracks are exposed to extreme heat from the sun. These extremely high temperatures cause tension on the tracks, so-called “track buckling”, which in the worst case can lead to a derailment of trains.
One way to lower the temperature of the tracks is to paint the steel with white paint. VGF has been using this “trick” for several years and has already been able to protect highly exposed track sections from excessive self-heating. The paint was applied by hand.