Western Railroad Discussion > How much snow is required for the Rotary to be used?

I was doing a search for snowpack on Donner Pass in the past few years when the Rotaries were used to clear the line. So far, I haven't come up with a good baseline for the amount of snow on the ground needed to bring the Rotaries out. I saw in 2011 about 15 feet on the ground, but that was after a series of Spreader derailments and an avalanche. 15 feet is 180 inches, and so far at the base of Sugar Bowl, they have 130 inches. Another strong storm this weekend brought in a few more feet and they're expecting 30+ more inches for Wednesday's storm.

https://www.onthesnow.com/california/sugar-bowl-resort/skireport.html

Is it reasonable to assume 180 inches is a good baseline, or are there more variables needed to see another Rotary clear the line?

Thanks!

Posted from iPhone

it depends on if the  sides get built up enough it can't be pushed out of the way with cheaper equipment, or a major accumulation all at once 

What was said above is true. The biggest need for a rotary would be for a series of continuous heavy storms that dump more snow than the Cat’s and spreaders can push out of the way before a hefty accumulation.

Gary

Posted from iPhone

Thanks for the information

dancollins3 Wrote:
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Rotsary utilization is not dependent so much on snow depth as it is on snow conditions and avalanche posibility,