Through extensive testing of nearly 30 years SolidStick has demonstrated proven benefits to the railroad industry by reducing friction between the wheel flange and rail. This reduced friction results in less energy required to move the train, thereby saving fuel, but also translates into reduced wheel wear.  The figures to the right illustrate the type of wear savings which have been observed over years of SolidStick use.

Figure 1 represents a new wheel and how it typically would interact with the rail. In Figure 2 the area which is lubricated by the SolidStick system is highlighted. Notice on the wheel, the lubricant is applied directly to the throat of the flange where it contacts the tread of the wheel.  Testing has demonstrated that the lubricant is transferred from the wheel to the rail where it provides lubrication benefit for subsequent trains.  In Figure 3 Notice with the non-lubricated wheel, a thin flange condition becomes present as well as the tread being worn down across the whole width of the tread of the wheel. This is a result of extreme pressures and wear generated during flanging events. With the lubrication provided by SolidStick the following characteristics will typically be observed as compared to a non-lubricated wheel:

• Reduced Flange Wear

• Hollowed Tread Wear

• Increased Flange Height

Wheel inspections over the years have demonstrated that non-lubricated wheels will have a thinner flange and tread wear across the entire tread surface, whereas, the lubricated wheel will have less flange wear and increased tread wear. The advantage of this is that it takes significantly longer to wear the tread down to condemnable limits than having to turn for a thin flange.