Western Railroad Discussion > D&RGW Snowdozer

During December 2008, we were visiting family in the Denver area and had an opportunity to photograph a seldom seen piece of D&RGW snow fighting equipment.

We received a telephone call from a fellow railfan indicating that the Snow Dozer" was clearing snow on the Moffat sub. Despite the fact that the roads were snow-packed and slippery, we set out to get some pictures. The final picture was taken from Blue Mountain Estates Road but unfortunately that was also the end of the photography. It was so cold at the curtain on my camera froze or at least it quit working.

I don't know if the correct name is really the "Snow Dozer but that's what I had heard it being called.

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Cool! I always like seeing action shots with all too uncommonly used equipment. I bet riding in that thing was a kick!

Texican65 Wrote:
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> Cool! I always like seeing action shots with all
> too uncommonly used equipment. I bet riding in
> that thing was a kick!

Call me chicken, but it looks like 3 or 4 engines behind it.  Looks like anyone riding the Snowdozer could end up between a rock and a hard place.

mapboy

Looks like a Jordan Spreader to me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spreader_(railroad)

mike woodruff
north platte ne

Me too, snow dozer, ballast profiler, rock slide clearer, lots of uses.

Out 

Very cool! I love that you got the DRGW no trespassing signs in there. 

Joel Poland
Columbus, NE

Great catch. Didn't realize D&RGW had these.

GN / BN called theirs Sno-Dozers, maybe does BNSF too. Apparently they were built from a collection of parts from the RR hardware market. Note the front blades rotate rather than lift for example. The side blades are more of a slab and possibly have a pulley system to lift them. Another example was on the Oregon California and Eastern, one of them is cosmetically restored and on display roadside at Olene, Oregon.

Jordan Spreaders have two posts that the side blades ride up and down on, also tube steel diagonal supports and locking devices. From what I've seen the snow is lighter in the Rockies, or powder, compared with the Coastal Ranges.

t4p.

+ Here's the OC&E plow on display, the nose plow simply goes up and down with a winch:

++ here's a GN version with a steel carbody, note the front plow. This was in Skykomish and was apparently scrapped around the time of the merger;

+++ here's an extensive website on the Jordan Spreaders, there's a couple of similar plows in the 'other spreaders' section:
http://www.trainweb.org/JordanSpreader/sectionlist.htm



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/24 16:32 by TCnR.

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Great shots!!

Older carmen have called it a "Snow Spreader" but it's also know as a "Snow Dozer" by younger carmen (on the Rio Grande).

We are fortunate to have two preserved units: One is located at Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado. It's the 044. The other is in Helper, Utah. It's the 042.

 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/24 18:20 by rrpreservation.

There is a third in Alamosa, at least was when the SLRG shut down. 

rrpreservation Wrote:
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> Great shots!!
>
> Older carmen have called it a "Snow Spreader" but
> it's also know as a "Snow Dozer" by younger carmen
> (on the Rio Grande).
>
> We are fortunate to have two preserved units: One
> is located at Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado. It's
> the 044. The other is in Helper, Utah. It's the
> 042.
>
>  

Western Pacific bought a snow dozer built by Rio Grande for the WP in 1914. Even with its all steel Jordan Spreaders, the snow dozer lasted until 1978, 7 years longer than the last Rotory plow. Rio Grande did a heck of a job building these, their longevity proves it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/24 18:55 by TomG.

D&RGW 042 in Helper earlier this year.  https://maps.app.goo.gl/KEQb7fpPACmaZUx88

 

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Great/rare catch there!
Nice warm heater in those thing's cabs right?
I assume there's a diesel motor inside the long hood for running hydraulics?

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/24 07:05 by RailRat.

The D&RGW units were modified Jordan Spreaders.  In D&RGW days, they were kept at strategic points on the D&RGW system for use in snow removal.  Seldom remarked about, the D&RGW never owned a standard gauge rotary snowplow.  The railroad just didn't feel that they were necessary for clearing it standrad gauge lines in Colorado and Utah, as Colorado snow is drier and "fluffier" than Sierra or Cascade snow.  There were years when even the spreaders spent most or all of a winter unused.  Even the D&RGW's narrow-gauge rotary plows spent quite a few winters unused.

WW Wrote:
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> The D&RGW units were modified Jordan Spreaders. 
>

What was modified?

Jordan was the Company name with Patents etc. The function of a snow spreader would be common but not the Company name or design features.

http://www.trainweb.org/JordanSpreader/history.htm

The Rio Grande Snow Spreaders were built at Burnham by Rio Grande forces. The Rio Grande did also have Jordan Spraders as well and were used for snow, but the Snow Spreaders were only used for snow and not for M-O-W projects.

The Snow Spreaders originally utilized former RGW flatcars. 3 of them were made: 042, 043 and 044. Later 042 and 043 were remodeled in the 1940s using old boxcars, but the 044 is original to its design. Attached, is an older photo of DRGW 044 at Hot Sulphur Springs (my shot circa 2014) and a folio sheet.

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/24 11:43 by rrpreservation.

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RailRat Wrote:
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> I assume there's a diesel motor inside the long
> hood for running hydraulics?

No hydraulics, just air and gravity.

mapboy Wrote:
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> Texican65 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Cool! I always like seeing action shots with
> all
> > too uncommonly used equipment. I bet riding in
> > that thing was a kick!
>
> Call me chicken, but it looks like 3 or 4 engines
> behind it.  Looks like anyone riding the
> Snowdozer could end up between a rock and a hard
> place.
>
> mapboy

3 units
 

Excellent!

RailRat Wrote:
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> Great/rare catch there!
> Nice warm heater in those thing's cabs right?
> I assume there's a diesel motor inside the long
> hood for running hydraulics?

Oh ya…the BN Snow Dozer stored up at Skykomish and used on Steven’s Pass during the winter…has 3 oil stoves inside.

And yes, there is a diesel generator, guessing it’s used to power the hydraulics as you suggested.

This is not correct.  The D&RG and D&RGW did have a Standard Gauge rotary snow plow which also had narrow gauge wheels sets. It spent most of its time on the ng wheels as it was based at Salida.  I will supply the details later. It is in the roster of Leslie rotary snow plows CN #63 with a Cooke boiler, published by Trains Magazine, Jan 1987. 
It was buiilt in Oct 1903 First #12, then to #18, in 1906, in Nov 1910 to #071.  Scraped at Salida Jan 1949.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/24 14:38 by PlyWoody.