Western Railroad Discussion > Winter recovery

I just heard from my friends that the UP ran a Double Track plow up the North Platte Cutoff to Yoder this morning.
It was by LaGrange a little bit ago.
Wonder if the boys have the rotary ready?

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/19 19:12 by Bob3985.

Was listening to the scanner Saturday on the BNSF Valley Sub to Gurnsey.  They have crews running out of hours, with roads closed and no way to recrew.  Issues with switches freezing shut and electric motors not working.  Equipment issues, and the power outage that we had did not make matters any better.  Several trains had to stop and throw switches for crossovers by hand.  All and all another winter day.

One thing that really irks me about the media is when they report that a winter storm "has closed the railroad."  The reality is (and the descriptions in this thread correctly reflect it) that the railroad would likely run just fine, EXCEPT for the fact that crews can't get to work or get to their trains because of closed streets, roads, and highways.  

When I lived in Wyoming, it was always interesting to watch a winter storm snarl and close I-80, stranding a zillion trucks (whose antics were often responsible for the highway having to be closed) while trains just kept running unimpeded on the adjacent UP mains,  There IS a lesson there, but nobody wants to hear it.

Interesting to hear. What does UP call a double track plow.
I know what Canadian Roads and the Eastern folks call a double track plow but I haven't seen one on the UP.
I know other roads would run two Jordan Spreaders for double track, that would be my best guess.
tia.

+ Photos in the Streamliner?

Bob3985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just heard from my firends that the UP ran a
> Double Track plow up the North Platte Cutoff to
> Yoder this morning.
 

Bob3985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just heard from my firends that the UP ran a
> Double Track plow up the North Platte Cutoff to
> Yoder this morning.
> It was by LaGrange a little bit ago.
> Wonder if the boys have the rotary ready?

Since pretty much all the technical information about the big rotaries there in Cheyenne, has been trashed, do the "boys" even know how to maintain/operate them?

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting to hear. What does UP call a double
> track plow.
> I know what Canadian Roads and the Eastern folks
> call a double track plow but I haven't seen one on
> the UP.
> I know other roads would run two Jordan Spreaders
> for double track, that would be my best guess.
> tia.
>
> + Photos in the Streamliner?
>
> Bob3985 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I just heard from my firends that the UP ran a
> > Double Track plow up the North Platte Cutoff to
> > Yoder this morning.
>  

A "Double Track" plow only pushes snow to one side only, normally the right side.

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting to hear. What does UP call a double
> track plow.

UP's double track plows are designed to throw the snow to one side unlike a wedge plow that throws the snow both ways.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

That's correct...in Canada and the Eastern Roads.

Perhaps the OP meant a double 'wing' plow, often called a Jordan spreader. UP has lots of those. I'm not that conversant on the North Platte Cut-off through Yoder but I thought it was single track, I only chased around there one or twice.

There's also a few of the older SPMW flangers across the UP system, I doubt that's what we're talking about though. One of the rebuilds with the big windows was in the Blue Mountains for a few years.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TCnR Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Interesting to hear. What does UP call a double
> > track plow.
> > I know what Canadian Roads and the Eastern
> folks
> > call a double track plow but I haven't seen one
> on
> > the UP.
> > I know other roads would run two Jordan
> Spreaders
> > for double track, that would be my best guess.
> > tia.
> >
> > + Photos in the Streamliner?
> >
> > Bob3985 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I just heard from my firends that the UP ran
> a
> > > Double Track plow up the North Platte Cutoff
> to
> > > Yoder this morning.
> >  
>
> A "Double Track" plow only pushes snow to one side
> only, normally the right side.

Ok, that's what everyone else calls them but I haven't seen or heard of them being used on the UP. This would be interesting news. A photo would be very interesting.

+ ...and then that would explain trying out new equipment by working around Yoder.

Bob3985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TCnR Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Interesting to hear. What does UP call a double
> > track plow.
>
> UP's double track plows are designed to throw the
> snow to one side unlike a wedge plow that throws
> the snow both ways.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/19 19:48 by TCnR.

Maybe it's this guy:

Date: 12/01/19 17:10
CNW Snow Plow----ready for action!

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4912453

+ Wait, no PHall, just joking.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/19 19:32 by TCnR.

Recent examples of 'double track' snow plows:

Date: 07/20/19 18:19
Let It Snow......
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4832870,4832870#4832870

Date: 03/28/18 02:29
MBTA Plow extra
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,4517929,4517929#4517929

Photo #2 in this post:
Date: 11/12/17 22:20
Elevators on the Swift Current Sub, and a Preserved Plow
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4416054,4416054#4416054

Perhaps someone on TO has had the pleasure of running these. I seem to remember comments about they always derail on the same side. Interesting to see the new thinking discovering why the old thinking stopped using them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/19 20:23 by TCnR.

Since pretty much all the technical information
about the big rotaries there in Cheyenne, has been
trashed, do the "boys" even know how to
maintain/operate them?

I'm pretty sure if they can rebuild two steam engines successfully they can figure out how to start a diesel.

Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/19 06:19 by trainupaboy.

trainupaboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Since pretty much all the technical information
> about the big rotaries there in Cheyenne, has
> been
> trashed, do the "boys" even know how to
> maintain/operate them?
>
> I'm pretty sure if they can rebuild two steam
> engines successfully they can figure out how to
> start a diesel.

Maybe so, but none of them have been very successful with the 3 E Units, nor the DDA40X. That big diesel powered snow plow is a whole different piece.

Its a GP39 in a box.  Its not that complicated.  

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> trainupaboy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Since pretty much all the technical information
> > about the big rotaries there in Cheyenne, has
> > been
> > trashed, do the "boys" even know how to
> > maintain/operate them?
> >
> > I'm pretty sure if they can rebuild two steam
> > engines successfully they can figure out how to
> > start a diesel.
>
> Maybe so, but none of them have been very
> successful with the 3 E Units, nor the DDA40X.
> That big diesel powered snow plow is a whole
> different piece.

And I still have my rotary snow plow manual at home.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

That's pretty cool Bob. Thanks for always being a gentleman!

Posted from Android

When I was on the crew September/October meant time to check out the rotary and support equipment.
We would assemble a pseudo plow train with the rotary of choice (900080 or 900082), water tank car and our SW10 (1243/96).
The mechanical guys would check all the fluid levels, fire up the plow, and check to make sure everything worked. If anything needed replaced they did that too.
After Lynn and I helped get this stuff together I would climb into the Diner/Bunk car and remove all the canned supplies from the previous year.
Those usually went to Salvation Army or another organization that fed the needy.
Then I would go to the store, purchase fresh canned good, supplies and other necessities.
Restock everything that needed it so it was ready. All I had to do when the call came was to grab my prepared grip and head to a store for
perishable food like meat, veggies and Milk/Orange juice and other requested items.
This way we couold be ready to depart within a few hours of the call.
And in my time on the crew the call came 8 times. I helped plow Kansas 3 times, Laramie to Walden 2 times, Yoder Sub once, Feather River (Portola and part of High Line) once, and BNSF Forsythe to Aberdeen once.
All were different conditions. Line thru Kansas and the BNSF line were the deepest at 12-15 feet.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY