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Canadian Railroads > MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032Date: 01/27/25 11:02 MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032 Author: feclark One of the funkier uses of an older switcher was CN's conversion of S-4 8032 to snow plow unit 50560. According to the 1989 TSG, this was done in 1980. An excellent John Benson photo appeared in Extra 2200 South Issue #77, Oct.-Dec. 1982, if you are able to look that up. I also checked to see if it had been posted on TO in the past, and there is a post that gives some links to other sources. The 22-year old TO post (some of us missed that one!) is https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,182805,182819#msg-182819.
I was able to shoot the beast twice. 1. On September 14, 1985, a group from the Bytown Railway Society made a day trip to Montreal, which included access to Taschereau Yard. We were able to shoot the left side, although the snow blower at the cab end was obscured by a shed. 2. On July 9, 1989, Glenn Courtney and I were taken in to Taschereau by Pierre Patenaude for a productive shoot. I think I still managed to crop part of the snowblower, one of those 'aw, nuts' moments in railfanning. These are the first scans I've made for TO using VueScan software. I was finally completely fed up with the rotten results of SilverFast which had been given 'free' by Mac when I got my iMac in 2020, as compensation for the fact that Epson no longer updated their drivers to keep pace with the computer companies' constant updating. I hope I get the hang of this, to generate scans comparable to what I used to be able to do. Fred Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/25 11:06 by feclark. ![]() ![]() Date: 01/27/25 12:07 Re: MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032 Author: refarkas Great first scans. What a beast!
Bob Date: 01/27/25 17:15 Re: MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032 Author: poshell Great photos Fred. I remember CN 50560 Snow Fighter very well.
This unit modification was headed up (from a Work Equipment perspective) by a former co-worker and friend Germaine Cournoyer, Superintendent Work Equipment Operations, St. Lawrence Region in Montreal. I arrived at CN H.Q. in July of 1979 when the project was well under way and was not involved in its design or construction. CN 50560 Snow Fighter is ex-CN 8032 Class MS-10e, MLW S-4 built in 1954. It was not the success everyone had hoped for and was shortly sidelined. It was stripped of its snow clearing attachments and sold as a surplus asset. The last I recall, it had been converted back to a conventional locomotive and was at the Claremont Concord Railroad as their 105. During my tenure as System Work Equipment Evaluation Supervisor I snapped a couple of photos of CN 50560 on a visit to the Work Equipment shop at Tascherau Yard in 1980 or 81. Both pics at CN Work Equipment Shop Taschereau Yard Montreal, QC. I cropped them a little tight as well. :-( ![]() ![]() ![]() Date: 01/27/25 18:21 Re: MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032 Author: NiagaraMike Never saw shots of this unit before-really interesting!
Date: 01/27/25 19:06 Re: MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032 Author: feclark poshell Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > Great photos Fred. I remember CN 50560 Snow > Fighter very well. > This unit modification was headed up (from a Work > Equipment perspective) by a former co-worker and > friend Germaine Cournoyer, Superintendent Work > Equipment Operations, St. Lawrence Region in > Montreal. > I arrived at CN H.Q. in July of 1979 when the > project was well under way and was not involved in > its design or construction. > CN 50560 Snow Fighter is ex-CN 8032 Class MS-10e, > MLW S-4 built in 1954. It was not the success > everyone had hoped for and was shortly sidelined. > It was stripped of its snow clearing attachments > and sold as a surplus asset. The last I recall, it > had been converted back to a conventional > locomotive and was at the Claremont Concord > Railroad as their 105. > During my tenure as System Work Equipment > Evaluation Supervisor I snapped a couple of photos > of CN 50560 on a visit to the Work Equipment shop > at Tascherau Yard in 1980 or 81. > Both pics at CN Work Equipment Shop Taschereau > Yard Montreal, QC. I cropped them a little tight > as well. :-( Thanks. I love the optimism implied by the paint job on the working face of the plows! There are a few modifications since your shots, like the addition of the plexiglass [?] shield around the front generator, and whatever that box is on the right-side walkway, ahead of the cab. Fred Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/25 12:48 by feclark. Date: 01/27/25 19:30 Re: MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032 Author: TCnR Interesting modification. In the past we've had quite a few questions on why the iindustry uses rotary snowplows while the highway crews moved to this style of plow.
While the rotary snowplow was invented in Canada they no longer use that style of equipment to clear snow, that we've heard about anyways. t4p, Date: 01/28/25 15:10 Re: MLW Monday/MoW Monday - CN 50560, plow conversion of S-4 8032 Author: poshell Thanks for the link back to the 22 year old TO post Fred. I attached my pics and info to the string just in case anyone is following it after all these years. :-)
Yes, the higher and stronger plexiglas (Lexan) front shield gave the diesel engine power plant mounted on the front deck (for the snow blower and hydraulic cylinder operations) some extra protection from blowing snow and the elements. I am not sure what the tall narrow box in front of the Engineers window is but I would hazard a guess that it is an auxiliary cab heater, possibly propane or diesel fuel fired. |