have not had a chance to check on UP snow clearing through donner area, there enough snowfall to possibly warrant them?
From what I am seeing from multiple sources, yes they should be out running over the Donner Pass. UP service interription notice states that they had avalanches on the pass, so they wouldturn the rotaries out to clear the tracks.
thanks do you know of any sources you could point me to so I could keep an eye on it myself?
Outside chance you might get more information here.
will check it out thanks
Clearing avalanches risks major damage to rotary snowplows since an avalanche, in addition to snow, contains rocks, boulders, tree limbs of various sizes and the occasional dead animal.
Would imagine small dozers and skid steers ( bobcats for one ) are needed for avalanche clearing.
Any pictures I’ve seen show full-sized dozers in use. Throwing a skid-steer at an avalanche (rather the results thereof) would be an exercise in futility. Maybe for “trim” work…
BNSF operated a Rotary in South Dakota in late December 2016 to clear the Mobridge Sub (ex-MILW mainline).
Checkout BNSF produced video here
From what I have heard, the warm storms melted a lot of the snow, reducing the likelihood rotary snow plows will be used.
this was one aspect I had been trying to ascertain, thanks for confirming.
watching now thank you
UP prefers to used their beefed-up Jordan Spreaders in the Sierra Nevada and Cascades if they can. Once the rotaries are used they are more or less committed to continue to use them unless the banks are cut back to make room for the snow. “Snow Crabs” to widen the cuts and wing blades on Flangers were part of SP’s arsenal and are still used by UP.
It helps a lot that the division points on either side of the Sierra, Roseville and Sparks, are both in places that don’t often get much snow.
I like when I see electrically-powered rotaries like this. The steam units just look so dirty with all that black soot and smoke spewing out of them. I know they aren’t really that much dirtier than more modern electro-diesel-powered units, but that’s how they look to me.
Nice view of an SP/UP rebuilt Jordan Spreader. The long wings are especially liked when clearing double track since snow can be pushed across the opposite track and hopefully out of the way by a second spreader on the adjacent track. The front blade can be angled right or left.
Did someone post a pic of a leslie rotary? I can’t find it…
The picture above is of a jordan spreader…
BTW, the only remaing operational steam powered rotaries are used on heritage/tourist railroads where the steam power is part of the attraction…
I think there was a reference, but no images or videos. There are plenty of them on the web, though. I’ll let those interested search on their own - “rotary snow plow” will get plenty of hits.
I doubt Diesel powered plows (D/E, actually - many use/used a locomotive to power the traction motors driving the blade) are any where near as dirty as the steam versions - there’s a lot of particulate matter in that steamer exhaust.
Even if the steam powered units were still in regular use on the Class 1’s, the infrequency of their use would make them less of a threat to the environment than your common house fire…
I do like watching those broken wing (odd name huh??) spreaders work.
up in maine here so I do a fair amount of snow movement and always wish my trucks/tractors would move 40 ft wide path LOL
USAF had some plows that had a nose blade, wings on both sides, and extensions on the wings. I don’t recall exactly what they’d clear, but at full extension, they were only good for a few inches of the white stuff…
I’ve never run a Jordan, but watching one working at clearing brush one time led me to believe you’ve got to be an octopus with one fantastic memory to get down a line with any speed. That operation was "move two cars, stop, make adjustments for things like culverts, mileposts, or whatever, then move again until it was time for the next adjustment.
But at full extension, they’ll clear quite a swath.
Of course, the “snow dozer” folks at UP are working on a ROW optimized for their use.