Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee
A substantial amount of time was spent in the last CTA board meeting debating why they insist on painting so many station structures white when it leads to unsightly rust streaks within a year of being applied. Honestly, probably a fair question.
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Not sure how they can avoid repainting... just let the steel rust?
Newer stations and structures have metallized/galvanized coatings (dull gray) especially in areas exposed to salt, but that's not realistic for the hundreds of older stations that CTA has.
I don't mind a little bit of rust as long as it doesn't lead to deterioration. CTA should probably establish a regular cycle of touchups and repainting for steel components, like IDOT does. Maybe 8 years for touchups and 16 years for strip/repaint? Some stations (expressway or adjacent) will need more frequent repainting than others.
Also, it seems like everyone on CTA staff could use a primer on galvanic issues. I've seen several times where steel and aluminum, or steel and stainless, are in direct contact. Add winter salt to that mix and now you've got a serious rust problem that could easily be avoided.