Can a commuter train weighing in at thousands of tons be stopped in its tracks by a bunch of leaves?

The answer is yes, but it's not the leaves that are the problem, it's the oily residue left behind when a train runs them over them.

NJ Transit says it happened Monday morning, but commuters are skeptical when they look out the train window and don't see fallen leaves on the tracks.

Could you please explain how the rails became slippery? Seriously, I have never heard of such rail condition. — Anna Vishnevetski (@yunona01) November 5, 2018

The cold-pressed leaf residue literally turns to the consistency of grease and that can wrack havoc when it gets between the steel wheels and rails, even when there no fallen leaves to be seen, rail officials said.

It doesn't just happen on NJ Transit. Officials on SEPTA, the commuter rail system that serves suburban Philadelphia, Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road also blamed train delays on crushed leaf oil. New York's MTA, that runs the LIRR and MN, even has a cute name for it - "slip slide."

On Monday morning, NJ Transit rail delays reached a high of 30 minutes due to slippery rails. The greased up rails were blamed for at least one train, the 8:12 am Montclair-Boonton line train, over shooting the station in Upper Montclair, said Jim Smith, an agency spokesman.

The @NJTRANSIT_MOBO 8:12 just blew past upper Montclair, stopped briefly to consider backing up to get all the stranded passengers, then decide to just keep going and leave us here. pic.twitter.com/VrRLlJAeh6 — Jordan (@thatjordanc) November 5, 2018

Slippery rail conditions were encountered throughout the system Monday morning, Smith said.

NJ Transit's primary tool to fight the problem is the "AquaTrack", a specialized train that blasts the slippery residue off the rails with high pressure water jets. The AquaTrack shoots 17 gallons of water per minute directly onto the head of the rails at a pressure of 20,000 pounds per square inch.

How long an AquaTrack cleaning lasts depends on the conditions and weather, Smith said.

"The Aqua train washes off the oils that are released from the crushed leaves," he said. "Once more leaves fall and are crushed, the oil returns and we get slippery rail. When it rains, that makes it very slippery."

NJ Transit can deploy the AquaTrack train to treat trouble spots, as needed, Smith said.

Beside the AquaTrack, a commuter train's locomotive also can spread sand on the rails which help increase traction, Smith said.

SEPTA and the MTA use a similar power wash train to get the goo off the rails.

The MTA has a specific protocols, including reducing train speeds in trouble spots, according to the agency website.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

