Western Railroad Discussion > how much snow for a rotary plow

Ive been listening to the Truckee Feed on railroad radio tonight trying to figure out how much snow is falling on Donner pass with this latest series of storms. Since the truckee cam is down at the moment, ive been using my imagination. The dispatcher says there is currently a little more than a foot of snow on top of the rails, which sounds easy enough for a flanger to push safely. Would 5 feet be too much for flangers/spreaders? or more like 10 feet to call out the Rotary?

Just curious.


Thanks!

The cam is up now!

Well, at ten feet I would assume you would need a rotary. I think if they get used this year, it will not be because of overall snow fall. It will be because of an avalanche. We just got a ton of rain, which has turned our snowpack into an Ice block. Now we are getting snow falling on the ice, it's the perfect recipe for avalanches.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/17 08:09 by Anglingthewild.

czuleget Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The cam is up now!

The webcam at Truckee is still "off line" as of 5 minutes ago.

Yes, it could take an event like an avalance for them to call out the rotaries. 

I was told this by a UP Employee several years ago.

To paraphrase..."Generally they use the Rotary Plows as a last resort. It is only after they can no lnger clear the line with flangers and spreaders and the cats that they call out the rotaries. The problem with rotaries is that they plow a narrow channel through the snow which then freezes hard and then has to be cleared again, and again using the rotaries." 

easyed4449 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To paraphrase..."Generally they use the Rotary
> Plows as a last resort. It is only after they can
> no lnger clear the line with flangers and
> spreaders and the cats that they call out the
> rotaries. The problem with rotaries is that they
> plow a narrow channel through the snow which then
> freezes hard and then has to be cleared again, and
> again using the rotaries." 

That's the problem with the Rotaries--once you use them, you're stuck using them for the rest of the season...