Western Railroad Discussion > Rotary du Jour, Cutting Room Floor (Soda Springs)

More from the Floor..
These are from Soda Springs yesterday.
SR

Photo 1.  Approaching Soda Springs.
Photo 2.  The Rotary always aims it's throw to the downhill side of the track (Anything thrown uphill would only come back- one way or another (Neither good).  From Truckee to Tunnel 41 they throw to the right, into the Cold Stream and then Donner Lake watershed.  Out of Tunnel 41 the throw is to the left into the (former) Lake Van Norden watershed.  Here at Soda Springs, in this photo, they are sweeping out the accumulated snow that has packed in around the vane door (Actually- I don't know what it's really called) so they can flip it to throw to the right-  coming up is the Yuba River watershed.  They will only go as far as Shed 10 on this day, but if they were continuing West they'd flip sides one more time at Emigrant Gap for the American River on their left.
Photo 3.  Looking righteous.

Photos 4&5.  Two more with the 15mm fisheye.
Photo 6.  I was trying to get artsy with the reflection in the water-  it kinda worked.

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"Photo 3.  Looking righteous." As he should in this noble cause!  :>)

Yeah, the chosen steed makes it happen...
SR

Okay, I'll be as eloquent as possible,
You are so fricken nailing this series of events!

Next Frog is on me (unless SP3204 pays first...).

S_W

Posted from Android

Are those red blades in the rotary wheel permanently set, or can they be "adjusted" in how they cut the snow?

Stevo_Weimario Wrote:
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> Okay, I'll be as eloquent as possible,
> You are so fricken nailing this series of events!
>
> Next Frog is on me (unless SP3204 pays first...).
>
> S_W
>
> Posted from Android

I initially thought my cardboard WILL FOAM FOR BEER sign was a kinda tacky idea, but, actually…
This is working out rather nicely!
SR

coach Wrote:
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> Are those red blades in the rotary wheel
> permanently set, or can they be "adjusted" in how
> they cut the snow?

They are hinged in such a way that they will dig in in the direction the wheel is turning. No adjustment needed.
When the Rotary is stopped, and the wheel is turning slowly, it makes a distinctive clunking sound as the blades flop over with nothing to dig into.
SR

Look at the chunks of ice in the plume.  You don't want to be hit by that stuff.

As Stevo says, you are doing an absolutely incredible job on the rotaries at work. Most people would not know how to safely get up there, but obviously you are in the neighborhood and know how to get to the places for these unforgetable shots! I am guessing that everyone on this sight has been amazed at your coverage of these beasts that don't get out very often. I have so appreciated the others who have covered them also! I believe I will let Stevo cover the Frog next time...SP3204.

Thanks, Craig. Local Knowledge helps, of course, but living up here is the bigger advantage in shooting The Hill. Weather events are relatively short lived, shorter than most imagine. Storms generally last hours, not days. So if you want snowy conditions you need to move quickly or it’s over and you’ve missed it.
And living up here means I can get to places quickly too. Norden is about 20-25min away, so I’m not investing an entire weekend the way many of the others have to- theirs is by far the bigger investment of effort, time and money!
Anyway, thank you all-
SR

Thank you for the continued efforts! #1 is fantastic with so much texture and motion. The photogenic "floor" crew bring more action into the photos. 

Great shots and close views that 99.8% of us will never experience! 
#1 is a blast in several aspects. 

I REALLY like Pic 4!!

Good pics. You said you would cover the question in this section about how long it takes to flip the chute from one side to the other. upkpfan

upkpfan Wrote:
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> Good pics. You said you would cover the question
> in this section about how long it takes to flip
> the chute from one side to the other. upkpfan

I gave the subject attention in the caption for Photo 2. There is a door that acts as a chute to throw left or right, and the blade then turns to match. It only takes a moment- unless the door is caked with snow and ice, as in my photo.
SR