$50,000 Trolley Engines Protected With Hair Nets

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BOSTON -- A Boston transit worker has figured out a way to save thousands of dollars a year in trolley engine repairs.

All it takes is a simple hair cap and some electrical tape.

Tom McHale hit upon the idea when he was in a Boston wholesale butcher shop buying steak tips. He noticed the fine mesh hair cap he was required to wear looked to be about the same size as the air intake on the trolley motors.

The agency has been plagued each winter by train motors failing when air intakes get clogged with snow. Taping the hair cap over the air intake solved the problem, because it allowed the air in, but kept the snow out.

A box of 1,000 hair caps costs $50. Replacing one broken motor can cost as much as $50,000.

http://www.wftv.com/technology/9161418/detail.html