Rail snowploughs at work

[Rheged]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-56117670

A mildly interesting 27 seconds worth of video...........................but why, given all of the modern, powerful, efficient locomotives that exist in Britain today, do they still use 60 year old class 37s to push the plough?

[PR19_Kit]

'cos 37s are plentiful, cheap and very reliable. 

[kerick]

The work trains get the old stuff.
Looks like they got the job done pretty well.

[zenrat]

Back when I worked for the British Rail Regional Civil Engineer (Southern) Plant Section at East Croydon they kept the snow ploughs (IIRC there were two) at Ashford Crane Repair Depot.  They were built from old three axle steam loco tenders.  I was told that they had recently been checked to make sure they were still in gauge and they had discovered that the springs had sagged over the years and if they had used them as they were they would have removed all the coping stones from the platforms as they passed through.

[NARSES2]

  I was told that they had recently been checked to make sure they were still in gauge and they had discovered that the springs had sagged over the years and if they had used them as they were they would have removed all the coping stones from the platforms as they passed through.

That would have been a classic "ooops" moment 

[Doug K]

'cos 37s are plentiful, cheap and very reliable. 

37s are as native to the highland line as the stags they used to paint on the side of them  at Inverness TMD 🙂

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Came across this mighty beast at Skagway, Alaska on the White Pass & Yukon Route:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBSuNz3g0oA
That's the way to do it!

[Captain Canada]

Very cool. I was watching a video the other day of a rail snowblower.

[PR19_Kit]

Came across this mighty beast at Skagway, Alaska on the White Pass & Yukon Route:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBSuNz3g0oA
That's the way to do it!

Also available with diesel power. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjBQ3MaBYiU