Rail squeal is a screeching train-track friction sound, commonly occurring on sharp curves. The noise can be annoying to nearby residents.
Squeal is presumably caused by the lateral sticking and slipping of the wheels across the rail head. This results in vibrations in the wheel that increase until a stable amplitude is reached.
Lubricating the rails has limited success. Speed reduction also appears to reduce noise levels.
The mechanism that causes the squealing also is the cause of wear and tear that is happening to both rails and wheels.
Factors
Factors include:
References
Rail squeal Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA