Stumbled onto this pic on Facebook. No information.
Similar style still used, Effective is Key!! Wedge Type Wedge plow - Wikipedia
What's crazy is when they get stuck. There are some good videos of them on youtube.
Interesting that you posted this thread because the Jordan spreader https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spreader_(railroad) is used for most snowfighting around here. It is the railroad equivalent of the motor grader. I guess if it can move rock it can also move snow no matter what kind of wheels it runs on.
That seems to happen most often with the Russian trains, they have snow as high as the tops of the engines pushing the plows!!
I've watched a lot of youtube videos of them in action. The weird part to me would be that they can rarely see ahead of themselves. I understand they are on tracks, but it would still freak me out. I've had to slow down and/or stop many times over the years when pushing powdery snow because I could no longer tell where I was on the road. For short runs I can tell by the tilt of the grader if I get off the crown. But after 100yds or so of blind running at 15-20 mph I lose my nerve.
The way I understand it, if you can see the signals are green then you don't have to be able to see anything else. They are not like car traffic signals, you will not get one signal that is green and the next one be red, you will always (hopefully) pass an intervening yellow before you see a red one. Besides that any old freight train cannot stop if some obstruction pops up around the next bend so the plow does not necessarily need to either.
I got to see this one in person 30 some odd years ago. I don't remember much about, but this thread reminded me of it
Now that these self driving cars are being pushed at us I'm wondering when someone will adapt that technology to the trucks plowing the snow on the streets?
That's been around for years. During a big storm, I'm always half asleep after a 2 or 3 days. Can't remember doing some parking lots, so the loader must be driving it self.
I understand all of that.... But how far can you drive a vehicle without seeing ahead before you freak out?
Most trains don't have much for a headlight, so even driving at night could be hairy. Keep in mind that there is no driver in the plow. He might be 2 or 3 cars back, so you can't see anyway.
Used to be a siding close to my parent's place. Growing up I would spend hours watching them shunting cars, or plowing. I remember the Jordan spreader, never knew what it was called till now, so thanks. When they got rid of the caboose, I remember the yard down there full of them going of to be sold, or scrapped.
Funny, your link took me to information about a railroad museum about an hour away from me that I didn't know was there. Up until 1994, they ran an old steam loco with a dining car on an abandoned section of track. An arsonist burnt their shop, and they lost almost everything in 1994. It is just a static display now.
Since we're on the subject of moving snow, there is a marvelous narrow gauge railroad that runs between Skagway, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon. Or used to--it only goes as far as Carcross, Yukon, now. It was built in 1899ish, and was considered one of the world's engineering wonders at the time. They had a steam powered rotary snow blower--and they still bring it out from time to time. Here is a video from 2011. It's not going through a lot of snow, but you get the idea. In the pass, the snow would easily be 10' to 20' deep.
I don't care if we get a lot of snow this year. I would rather 2 or 3 feet of snow per storm than the snow and rain we got for the last 2 winters. I know the loader does all the work, but the wet heavy stuff plays me out too.
There are 2 or 3 operators in the plow and they are pushed by a locomotives . Bob
Yeah, the video posted above is a perfect example of using a blower. Also obvious in the video that the blower requires a LOT of power to keep it spinning!!! Not sure how the old pic I posted is operated. Guessing there's no one riding the front car that has the plow attached. Probably farthest person forward would be in the first push engine.
We've had very easy Winters here the past 3-4 years. It's been at least 5 years since I've used the wing. We've had our current Grader 2 Winters and haven't had the plow on it yet. I'm very content with that.
The wedge plows here have nothing to operate. No wings like some and the blade is like a cow catcher and stays at the same height. There might be an observer up front, but all he would have is a radio. Any work like in rail yards and around switches is done with an actual plow designed for that stuff, or the guys go out with the truck and do it by hand if it's too far for the plow. The ones here have a blower with large rubber tines ( I assume so they don't damage anything) for doing the switches.
The CN one in the picture you posted has wings that are operated from the cab on top of the plow. Bob
I realize that, but that is a stock photo from the internet. The ones that used to be around here were shorter, and had no cab like the one in the OP. The picture I found and posted seems to be closer to a caboose, but they have not been around here since I was a kid.
Like this, but not wood. The newer ones (not new now) the wings were like doors, and I think the center could be raised and lowered between the rails. They did have a cab up above, but if there were ever any here in my area, they must have just passed through because I never saw them in action. This is what they use now, at least locally. I think they level ballast as well.
I took a trip on the Skagway to Carcross railway a few years back and marvelled at that old original trestle that looked like it was made out of old bed-frames (at least from a distance). I can see why they eventually by-passed it