Removing Snow in the Passes for the Railroad

[Delmonico]

I'm sitting here waiting on a repairman and doing some more picture looking.  Did you ever wonder how they kept the passes clear in the 19th century for the Railroads?  Before the middle 1880's they were shoveled by hand or the trains just didn't run.  In the 1880's the rotary plow was invented and used a separate steam engine to power the plow which was pushed by one or more steam locomotives.

These pictures were taken about the time of WWI but show what these looked like, the first is the set up heading to the big drifts on the Denver and Salt Lake RR.



The second is plowing snow in Rollins Pass west of Denver.



Awesome equipment.

[Dr. Bob]

Cool.  Need one of those for my driveway and the street out to the highway!  We could sure use some of that Global Warming here in the Mid-West & Plains right about now!

[Silver Creek Slim]

Great pictures, Del.

Slim

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Don't think it'd fit in my drive, Del, but it sure would come in handy right now..........Buck

[Ransom Gaer]

The Cumbres & Toltec RR that runs between Antonito CO and Chama NM on the old D&RGW narrow gauge line still uses an 1880's vintage rotary snowplow to clear the line to start summer operations.  They do it in May.  There is typically a bunch of railfans that show up to watch.  They announce the trip in advance.  I went down a few years ago to watch the show.  It was really cool.  Definitely worth the trip down there.

Ransom Gaer