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Snow Fighters 1 by Paul K Withers Lots of photos Soft Cover
Snow Fighters-1 by Paul K Withers
Soft Cover
112 pages
Copyright 2016, 2017
CONTENTS
Alaska
Santa Fe (ATSF)
Algoma Central
Baltimore & Ohio
Belt Railway of Chicago
Bessmer & Lake Erie
Bangor & Aroostook
Burlington Northern
BNSF
Butte, Anaconda & Pacific
Canadian National
Canadian Pacific
Carbon County
Central Vermont
Chicago & North Western
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Chicago Great Western
Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
Conrail
Copper Range
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern
Delaware & Hudson
Denver & Rio Grande Western
Call the Plow
PROLOGUE
Railroads operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - they earn their keep by moving freight and passengers. To do this, they need to maintain their tracks with what they call non-revenue equipment - non-revenue because it earns the carrier no money. As with most corporations, expenditures for this equipment are limited, and falling tothe bottom of the maintenance expense priority list is money for snow removal. As a result of the whims of Mother Nature, budgeting for snow removal is difficult. Thus, most equipment was purchased after a particularly harsh winter - then it sat around, sometimes for years, until the call came. The result was a fleet of equipment that was built around the turn of the 20th century, which saw very limited usage, being still in operation more than 100 years later.
The first type of equipment that railroads acquired was the simple plow. The smallest type was mounted on the front of a locomotive. But the word "smallest" meant anything from the weed-cutter model mounted on the front of a diesel, to massive plows attached to steam engines that were similar in size to that seen on Canadian Pacific 400768. These were effective, but in the case of larger sizes, they were heavy and complex and had to be mounted at the start of winter, and removed in spring. The weight of the plow was also an issue. The larger the plow, the more unbalanced the locomotive became.
To alleviate these problems, railroads began mounting plows on freight cars, typically older, retired cars. Common cars drafted into this duty were flat cars, gondolas, ore cars, and hopper cars. To keep snow from building up between the rails, the Hanger appeared. Again, these were built on older freight car platforms, modified boxcars and cabooses were typical. For those needing a more substantual platform, retired steam engine tenders provided a good starting point.
For those railroads with deeper pockets, there were new third-party snowplow builders or owned large shops that could construct new cars. One major builder was Russell Snow Plow Co., of Ridgeway, Pa. This company began building cars after World War I, and many remain in use today. As for railroad-built cars, Canadian Pacific built all of its plows at its Angus Shops in Montreal from the 1920s though the early 1950s.
For railroads looking for a machine that could tackle deep snow, builders offered a steam-powered rotary snow blower. Builders included Leslie, which sold 64 plows between 1885 and 1903. These were built by third-party manufacturers, the most common being Cooke Locomotive & Machine Works. In 1905, Leslie sold the rights to the plow to Alco, which built 71 of them between 1905 and 1937. Lima-Hamilton built the last four Leslies under license from Alco. More than 40 of these machines exist today.
The final snow mover we cover that was built in sizable quantities was and is the Jordan spreader. A highly adaptable machine, it was suitable for spreading ballast, cutting right-of-way contours, and for plowing snowfalls measuring 18 inches or less in its most common as-built appearance. With the addition of optional tall front snow blades, it could even tackle of but the most measurable snow falls.
The design was perfected by 0.E Jordan in the late 1800s, and mass production began in East Chicago, Ind., in 1910. More than 1,400 spreaders were built by 1960, when the company was acquired by Jackson Vibrators, renamed Jackson Jordan. In 1990, Jackson Jordan was acquired by Pandrol International. Along with the Speno Co., it was renamed Pandrol Jackson. In 1999, Pandrol Jackson was absorbed into Harsco Track Technologies. New spreaders are available today by special order.
And finally, there are the home-built snowplows - the one-of-a-kind cars assembled out of parts and pieces lying around the back shop, with the mind of the master mechanic supplying the blueprints. One of these is shown below. Using a frame from a retired freight car from a predecessor, steel plate and angle iron, and a tarpaper shack with lumberyard windows, this car served this short line well for a number of years.
All pictures are of the actual item. There may be reflection from the lights in some photos. We try to take photos of any damage. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
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