It is a familiar sight by this point for Chicago-area residents, but it’s still a fascinating spectacle as railroad workers light fires along rails during periods of cold weather. Metra did just that on Friday morning, lighting up fires in the morning amid a prolonged period of cold weather in the area. ⁠ ⁠ These fires are lit to help fuel gas-powered heaters at different points along the tracks, especially near switches. Those heaters have to be manually lit, and they are dedicated to helping melt ice that accumulates and freezes on the switch components and the tracks.⁠ ⁠ 📸: georgemycyknbc⁠ ⁠ #metra #coldweather #chicagowinter #transportation #trains