Motive Power Review

Snowfighting Photo Gallery

Rotary Plows

Rotary plows, developed in 1883 by Orange Jull and marketed by the Leslie Brothers, are the largest of pieces of railroad snowfighting equipment. These behemoths can throw snow hundreds of feet from the tracks and can clear a swath through a dozen or more feet of snow. Due to operating expenses, however, they rarely see service. A measure of their importance can be seen in the fact that Union Pacific and BNSF each have no fewer than 10 rotaries available. Today most rotaries are powered by electricity supplied from a trailing locomotive, a specially converted power car, or an internal diesel engine. Several steam powered rotaries survive, and a few are operable today.

[THUMBNAIL] A photo of Edward Leslie, one of the original Leslie Brothers. Edward "started it all" when he founded the family business, then took his brother Samuel into the business. Due to a patent rights dispute, Edward's descendants did not inherit the rotary business.
Photo: Leslie family, courtesy of Allan Leslie

[THUMBNAIL] Edward Leslie poses with an early rotary plow. It is not clear which plow this is; although it appears to be marked as a company demonstration unit, it definately is not the original prototype rotary plow. It could be one of the plows displayed at the 1893 Columbian World Exposition in Chicago.
Photo: Leslie family, courtesy of Allan Leslie

[THUMBNAIL] One of the Leslie Brothers' early advertising pamphlets.
Photo: Leslie family, courtesy of Allan Leslie

[THUMBNAIL] UP 900075 at the Illinois Railway Museum. This was one of the last, and largest, steam rotaries built in the US.
Photo: Jeff Lubchansky

[THUMBNAIL] Union Pacific 900080 at Cheyenne. This is Union Pacific's oldest rotary, but it is one of the newest in the country; it was built by UP in 1958 as #080. Parts from an old rotary were used in building this plow. It is powered by an internal 16-576C diesel (the same as in a GP9), rated at 1750 hp.
Photo: Rick Steele

[THUMBNAIL] Another view of UP 900080 at Cheyenne.
Photo: Rick Steele

[THUMBNAIL] UP 900080 in the snow. The plow is probably working the Feather River Canyon in this view.
Photo: photographer unknown

[THUMBNAIL] Union Pacific 900081 at Cheyenne. Another one of UP's homebuilt plows, this one was built in 1966 and was powered by a 3000 hp diesel. It was built using components from a variety of sources; the cab side window appears to be from an Alco PA. The plow was retired in 1994 and is now at the Museum of Transport, St. Louis.
Photo: Rick Steele

[THUMBNAIL] UP 900081 at the Museum of Transport, St. Louis.
Photo: Dave Pierson.

[THUMBNAIL] Union Pacific 900082 at Cheyenne. This was the last rotary built by UP, being completed in 1971. It is similar in design to #900081; it is powered by a 2500 hp diesel. This plow was used as recently as October 1997.
Photo: Rick Steele

[THUMBNAIL] Union Pacific steam rotary 900099 at the Forney Transportation Museum, Denver, CO. Built in 1909, this plow was successively numbered LHP&P 099, CW&E 099, LNP&W 099, UP 099 and UP 900099. It is one of several ex-UP plows in museums around the nation.
Photo: Brian Fritz

[THUMBNAIL] Southern Pacifc MW208 and MW205 at Sparks, NV, 12 June 1993. These plows are electric plows converted from steam rotaries. They have long been stored out of service without their F7B power units attached. MW205 was originally SP 715, then SP 706, and finally SP 7205 before receiving its current number; it was converted to electric power in 1958. MW208 was SP 707, SP 712 and SP 7208; converted 1970.
Photo: Tim Harris

[THUMBNAIL] Another view of the SP rotaries at Sparks.
Photo: Tim Harris

[THUMBNAIL] A third view of the rotaries at Sparks.
Photo: Tim Harris

[THUMBNAIL] Southern Pacific MW205 and MW208 at Sparks, NV. This view shows the coupler hardware that can be installed to facilitate moving rotaries around a yard.
Photo: Richard Percy, courtesy of Jim Czarnecki

[THUMBNAIL] Southern Pacific MW221 and power car MW8221, Roseville, CA, 17 Aug 1996. This plow was originally SP 717, built 1922; the "snail" was SP F7B 8292.
Photo: Evan Werkema

[THUMBNAIL] Southern Pacific MW211 and power car MW8211 at Roseville, CA, 17 Aug 1996. The plow is ex-SP 7211, built in 1937, the power car ("snail") is ex-SP F7B 8292. This plow-snail set was called into service over Donner Pass in 1997 and again in 1998.
Photo: Evan Werkema

[THUMBNAIL] ex-Southern Pacific MW210 at the California State Railroad Museum, Sacremento, CA, 18 June 1995. Built in 1937 as SP 7210, this plow was converted to electric power in 1968 and was retired to the museum in 1983.
Photo: Evan Werkema

[THUMBNAIL] SP MW209 (leading) and MW221 in action in Yuba Pass, 1 April 1982.
Photo: Brian Jennison

[THUMBNAIL] Burlington Northern 972555 at Mandan, ND, 18 January 1997. This plow was one of five BN plows called into action early in 1997. It was built in 1925 as GN 95009.
Photo: Gerald Olson

[THUMBNAIL] BN 972555 on the Linton Sub, 19 January 1997. The plow is digging through a drifted-in cut, throwing an impressive plume of snow, and the diesels behind are clearly working hard.
Photo: Gerald Olson

[THUMBNAIL] BN 972555 approaches a grade crossing in Braddock, ND, 19 January 1997. The snow is lighter here, but the plow is still creating quite a snowstorm.
Photo: Gerald Olson

[THUMBNAIL] BN 972555 breaks through a grade crossing, Braddock, ND, 19 January 1997. Unfortunately the scanned image doesn't clearly show the snowstorm the plow is churning up as it cuts through the roadside snowbanks.
Photo: Gerald Olson

[THUMBNAIL] BN rotary 972558 at Lincoln, NE, with RSPU #972573, circa 1995. This plow, formerly CB&Q 205028, was the first steam plow converted to electric power, in 1949. It is one of the oldest plows on BNSF's roster.
Photo: Jim Cunningham

[THUMBNAIL] Another view of BN 972558 at Lincoln, NE.
Photo: Jim Cunningham

[THUMBNAIL] BN #972559 at Alliance, NE. This plow was built in 1915 for the Copper River & Northwestern.
Photo: Jim Cunningham

[THUMBNAIL] Another view of BN #972559 at Alliance.
Photo: Jim Cunningham

[THUMBNAIL] BN 972559 in action at Beardsly, MN, in March 1997. The winter of 1997 saw more rotary usage than any winter since 1949.
[Click for an extra-large version]
Photo: Jim Cunningham

[THUMBNAIL] A Burlington Northern (ex-Northern Pacific) rotary working at milepost 50 on Stampede Pass, 19 January 1972. The passenger train is Amtrak #32, the eastbound Empire Builder. The identity of the rotary is unknown, but it is probably #41 or #42.
Photo: Jim Fredrickson, courtesy of John Phillips

[THUMBNAIL] Northern Pacific 9, a steam rotary, at Lewiston, Idaho 6 April 1967.
Photo: Marked "Honderson", courtesy of Walt Ainsworth

[THUMBNAIL] Northern Pacific 10 on the turntable at Lester, WA (Stampede Pass), pre-1956 Built in 1907, this plow was never renumbered or converted to electric power, and survives to this day (see below).
Photo: Ruth Eckes, courtesy of John Phillips

[THUMBNAIL] ex-NP 10 while stored in a derelict condition at Snoqualmie, WA, on the Puget Sound & Snoqualmie RR. This plow has since undergone cosmetic resotration and is on display.
Photo: Brian Fritz

[THUMBNAIL] Front view of ex-NP 10, at Snoqualmie.
Photo: Brian Fritz

[THUMBNAIL] Right-side view of ex-NP 10 at Snoqualmie
Photo: Brian Fritz

[THUMBNAIL] Cab closeup of ex-NP 10 at Snoqualmie, WA.
Photo: Brian Fritz

[THUMBNAIL] Santa Fe 199361 at Topeka, KS, 29 June 1990. This is a homebuilt rotary, using the blade and carbody components from an 1892 rotary (ATSF 99802) and the frame of a steam locomotive tender (from 4-8-4 #3765). It was built 11/1959. BNSF called the plow into action in 1997, but it broke down and another rotary was brought in to finish the job.
Photo: Evan Werkema

[THUMBNAIL] Santa Fe 199361 in 1987.
Photo: Doyle Davis

[THUMBNAIL] Santa Fe 199361 in 1987.
Photo: Doyle Davis

[THUMBNAIL] Santa Fe 199361 in 1987.
Photo: Doyle Davis

[THUMBNAIL] Another view of Santa Fe 199361.
Photo: photographer unknown

[THUMBNAIL] Former LIRR 193 at Steamtown. After many years in private ownership, this plow is now part of the Steamtown collection, but is in dire need of restoration.
Photo: Jeff Lubchansky

[THUMBNAIL] CN 55361 at the Canadian Railway Museum, Delson, Quebec. This is the only rotary plow in Canada.
Photo: Jeff Lubchansky
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