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Rotary snowplows on the Southern Pacific

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Yeah either it's very packed or it's wet snow. Wet snow is like trying to shovel wet concrete, except it weighs even more per volume, or at least it feels like it because of how it sticks.
 
destrekor said:
I actually cannot believe they have not developed a more modern giant snow-thrower assembly than that model.
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I got the impression that they only need to roll them out every few years, so there is probably not a lot of motivation for a new design as long as they can keep the old ones running.
 
Markbnj said:
I got the impression that they only need to roll them out every few years, so there is probably not a lot of motivation for a new design as long as they can keep the old ones running.
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True. I had seen the video that mentioned that after the post I had already typed. That one said once a decade, and I'm sure it is simply a matter of what rail line and what region of the country, some see heavier snows blocking passes than other regions.

With any kind of once a year or fewer frequency, I could see how little drive there is to finance and manufacturer any updates, when there is no market considering everyone is happy with the equipment they have today.
 
Got a real soft spot for old iron, and to see these old rotaries in action really is a moving experience for those so inclined. I must admit to a bit of disappointment to see this Anandtech thread being infested by YouTube style comments, but I will keep hoping for better, cheers, all!
 
crashtech said:
Got a real soft spot for old iron, and to see these old rotaries in action really is a moving experience for those so inclined. I must admit to a bit of disappointment to see this Anandtech thread being infested by YouTube style comments, but I will keep hoping for better, cheers, all!
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That will always happen in OT. 😉
 
Sweet thanks for the videos guys 🙂

I fuckin love winter, well the -25c weather is kinda shitty, but the rest is great. So that + trains, I seriously need a change of pants
 
Neat stuff.






But good god, the soundtrack.
They're removing snow from traintracks. The sound is more suited to something about mobilizing a million soldiers for all-out combat.
 
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destrekor said:
Yeesh I was even more off: I was thinking it was on a frozen segment of the Southern Pacific. And I was trying to think: why the hell are they even plowing snow on a frozen body of water? :biggrin:

On topic: Awesome piece of machinery. I love seeing sturdy and still efficient ancient machinery.

I actually cannot believe they have not developed a more modern giant snow-thrower assembly than that model. I might think a giant corkscrew assembly, or just a series of those rotary assemblies staggered smaller in front of one another, might help them push through deeper snow faster with less waste of fuel trying to push through with more power.
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Some places use rail cars that have jet engines on them that they can reposition to blow the snow out of the way. I'd have to figure they could develop something new, but they really just don't need to.

I'd guess the real way to fix this would be a change to the tracks.
 
darkswordsman17 said:
I'd guess the real way to fix this would be a change to the tracks.
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Not much they can do with the tracks in those mountainous areas, or anywhere else, really. Most of these rights of way were settled back in the mid-19th century. In the mountains the tracks are following the only viable route for miles in any direction, which was hacked out of the rock at enormous cost. In some places they use snowsheds, which are massive concrete structures that basically bury the tracks out of harm's way, but they are hugely expensive.
 
LTC8K6 said:
This was taken in Aurora, NE in 2010. Looks to be about 8-10 feet of snow?

http://wordlesstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Giant-Snow-Blower-Train-1-640x431.jpg

This is the same rotary plow with a few feet of snow on top, #972559. It is based in NE, so presumably they get enough snow once in a while to break it out.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1977531
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Nice pics. They actually look like very simple machines. Just a cutting surface mounted to some sort of fan that throws the snow out the opening. All it really needs is something to make it spin, and maybe some hydraulics for adjusting the side plates.

There are some companies making large-scale snow removal equipment, including rail mounted, but the market is probably more in Europe. Here there are probably just a few routes in the western mountains that present serious challenges.
 
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