Motive Power Review: Snowfighting Photo Gallery

Motive Power Review

Snowfighting Photo Gallery

Other Equipment

Conrail SB1000 near Buffalo. This modern snowblower is the modern version of the rotary. It was imported from Germany to fight lake-effect snow around Buffalo. It has dual snowblower units, which can throw snow to either side, and it can rotate 180 degrees on its chassis to plow in the other direction. Plows of this type are used in Norway, and probably other European countries.
Photo: photographer unknown

A Conrail "snow jet" snowblower, during Altoona railfan days. The snowblower on this hi-rail vehicle is a jet engine, with its exhaust ducted downward to blow the tracks clean.
Photo: Jeff Lubchansky

A New York Central "snow jet", an early version of the Conrail device seen above.

Metro-North's jet powered snowblower at Poughkeepsie, NY, on 7 March 1998.
Photo: Milo Tsukroff

A side view of the Metro-North snowblower.
Photo: Milo Tsukroff

A closeup of the engine and exhaust duct on Metro-North's snowblower.
Photo: Milo Tsukroff

Rio Grande flanger OC at the Colorado Railroad Museum. This little flanger clearly shows the blades used to clear snow from between the rails. Larger equipment such as Jordan spreaders may also be equipped for flanging.
Photo: Brian Fritz

Denver & Rio Grande Western 052, an old standard gauge flanger, at Alamosa, CO, 4 August 1987.
Photo: Evan Werkema

Rio Grande 062, another old standard gauge flanger, at Alamosa, CO, 4 August 1987.
Photo: Evan Werkema

Lehigh & Hudson River flanger #305. This is a typical (but rather old) flanger, essentially a caboose with flanger blades hung under it.
Photo: photographer unknown, courtesy of John Stewart

Southern Pacific MW319, a more modern flanger, at Roseville, CA, 17 August 1996.
Photo: Evan Werkema

Snowplowing doesn't always require special equipment - Rio Grande 489, on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, Chama, NM, is wearing a snowplow pilot for winter duty.
Photo: Brian Fritz

Durango & Silverton 473 with a pilot plow.
Photo: Brian Fritz

A Union Pacific SD60M wearing a pile of snow This unit has obviously met with a large snow drift, and is still wearing much of it.
Photo: photographer unknown

Union Pacific 168 (GP9) plowing light snow at Moulton, Iowa, Feb. 1980.
Photo: photographer unknown

Another view of UP 168, this time near Bloomfield, Iowa, same date.
Photo: photographer unknown

A Kershaw snow broom at the Rocester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. This device, built in 1969, was formerly used by Eastman Kodak Company.
Photo: photographer unknown

Burlington Northern 972577, a Rotary Snowplow Power Unit (RSPU), at Skykomish, WA, 27 July 1982. This RSPU is a former F9B; other BN RSPUs were former F9As.
Photo: Evan Werkema

Another BN RSPU, #972573, based at Lincoln, NE, circa 1995. All of BN's RSPUs are fitted with winterization covers over the radiator fans, to deal with the extreme cold encountered in plow service.
Photo: Jim Cunningham

BN RSPU #972572, based at Alliance, NE.
Photo: Jim Cunningham

Southern Pacific 4817, a snow-duty GP38-2, at Stockton, CA, 28 May 1996. SP has a fleet of GP38-2s fitted for service in snow removal service in the Sierras. They have icicle breakers, plows, defrosters, and special windows designed to maintain visibility in snow and ice.
Photo: Evan Werkema

A Canadian Pacific boxcar outfitted for icicle-breaking service.
Photo: Alan Radecki

Number 9, a snow-sweeper trolley from Washington DC, clearing snow. This trolley was built in 1898.
Photo: Louis Buchler, postcard courtesy of Larry Smith

Quebec Light & Power Co. #454 clearing snow at the Seashore Trolley Museum.
Photo: M. Dwight Winkley, courtesy of Robert Kelly

MBTA trolley-plow 5098 on Commonwealth Ave, Brighton.
Photo: Paul Leahy, courtesy of Robert Kelly

Snowfighting Photo Gallery
Compiled and Maintained by Andrew Toppan (actoppan@hazegray.org)
Copyright © 1997-2003 by Andrew Toppan
All photographs are copyright by the photographers
Reproduction, reuse or distribution without permission is prohibited