Is it hot where you are? OObject celebrates Summer (and this SF heatwave) with a refreshing list of 20 different train-mounted railroad snowplows. Some look simply like giant plows, but the most gadgety look like giant snowblowing window fans.
A little research turns up that these powered variants were developed by a dentist in the late 1800s as a tool to get through passes blocked by snow drifts too deep for the others. They’re electric or diesel powered, and in Donner Pass near Tahoe, they were sometimes double-ended on trains so they could saw down the snow in both directions. The stills are inspiring but I found some videos of some in action (and getting stuck) below. [OObject]
