Of all the forces that can bring trains to a halt, snow has to be one of the fiercest elements that Mother Nature can throw at a railroad. Keeping the tracks clear is a never-ending battle in the winter months. Depending on the severity, plows and flangers can do a good job winning the battle. But there is one more big gun in the snow fighting arsenal when all other means have failed – the rotary snowplow.
Hard-charging, steam-powered equipment like, the one maintained by the Colo./New Mexico narrow gauge tourist line, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (CT&SR), is an impressive sight to behold! Enjoy the high-altitude, high-flying action Trains.com cameras captured on such a rare occasion in winter of 2020.
If you want to see an equally interesting rotary snowplow in miniature, Trains.com Unlimited Members can check out this motorized Proto: 48 (O fine scale) model featured in the June 2020 issue of Model Railroader magazine!
