Edwin_m Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I was wondering if there was some way to couple a snow plough to a locomotive at the "wrong" end, perhaps a long towbar (and if applicable a brake pipe) that attaches to some kind of hook in the face of the plough? Having something like this would make it much easier to get a pair of ploughs out of a siding and coupled at both ends of one or more locos, and I'd have thought pulling one with a chain might be asking for trouble if you had to stop suddenly! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D6975 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I suspect that the answer is no. I base this upon the fact that it was quite common to see a depot's 2 snowploughs stabled at opposite ends of the depot, sharp end against the buffers during the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzyo Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Hello all IIRC at Carlisle two ploughs would be coupled together nose to nose with a bar coupling, looking on the following photo it must have fitted where the plate is with the four bolt heads. It's also at about the right hight to couple on to a loco as well. The new ploughs have a plate fitted to the plough, but this is at a different hight to the standard buffer hight. OzzyO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Edwin You don't mention what type of snowplough you are talking about. There have been many different designs down the years. Coupling nose to nose with a bar used to be common, but others have said it is more usual these days to park them back to back - or even more conveniently as at Peterborough at either end of a siding with access for the loco in between. Photos showing bars and other couplings here http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/snowplough Paul Bartlett Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Thanks for your responses. My original question was speaking in general terms and just interested in knowing whether there was a single answer or many different ones. I was aware of them being parked back to back as illustrated and it seems to me that you would need to couple a loco to the sharp end to park them that way or to separate them when needed. Unless of course they just found three or four blokes to push... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishlocos Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Hi all Hope I can the large snowploughs can be linked together with a towbar if you look at the pic ozzyo posted at the bottom yellow stripe on the blade the is a square panel i am sure this can be opened and a towbar fitted to link a loco or another snowplough together. kind regards Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted June 23, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2012 Pretty certain that the plate allows a towbar to be used for shunting moves. Pic taken today at Tonbridge West Yard on a passing visit. Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted July 1, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 1, 2012 Whilst looking for something else, I came across this: Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Thanks to everyone for their responses. The caption of that last link just about clears it up, and this photo from Paul's link above shows two older ploughs coupled with a metal bar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I was wondering if there was some way to couple a snow plough to a locomotive at the "wrong" end, perhaps a long towbar (and if applicable a brake pipe) that attaches to some kind of hook in the face of the plough? Having something like this would make it much easier to get a pair of ploughs out of a siding and coupled at both ends of one or more locos, and I'd have thought pulling one with a chain might be asking for trouble if you had to stop suddenly! I was sent this picture earlier today.. I'm a little surprised how complicated it looks.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMRG Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hello! Interesting photo, thank you for sharing as it does clear up the reason for the fitting of the points above the coupling covers, which do not seem to have been place on earlier versions of the ploughs. They're must be for lifting the blade to blade coupling into position!! Kind regards, GBMRG. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 I was sent this picture earlier today.. I'm a little surprised how complicated it looks.. Thanks for that. Looks more like an air-to-air refuelling system than a simple coupling! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Thanks for that. Looks more like an air-to-air refuelling system than a simple coupling! Yes, if you look at the LH plough you can see that the drawbar is pinned to a bracket on the plough underframe. The damping springs which absorb traction & shunting shocks are built into the drawbar. On a standard hook type coupling all that gear would be mounted behind the headstock & hidden under the floor. Don't know about complicated, but it looks flipping heavy, which presumably is why the brackets with a SWL marking have appeared on the blade nose. I bet that's a fun job fitting that lot together, let alone loading it back into the plough cabin. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted January 12, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 12, 2013 Don't know about complicated, but it looks flipping heavy, which presumably is why the brackets with a SWL marking have appeared on the blade nose. I bet that's a fun job fitting that lot together, let alone loading it back into the plough cabin. Chris At least it's not a job that'll not be done every day! Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Whilst on the footplate in the 70`s I was only once sent as driver`s mate on a snow ploughing movement: Chester, Via Mouldsworth to Northwich and back to Chester via West Cheshire Junc. and Helsby..........as a propelling movement, ploughing`s not much fun; and blinkin` cold with our heads constantly in and out of the window spying the road and trying to sight the pegs..........we got 'dusted' quite a few times en-route, as the plume shot up and off the blade as we encountered the many small areas of drifting. What it must be like to tackle really BIG drifts; I can only imagine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Happy Hippo Posted January 12, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 12, 2013 Don't our American friends call such a coupling a 'Rooster Bar'? Regards Richard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 12, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 12, 2013 Whilst on the footplate in the 70`s I was only once sent as driver`s mate on a snow ploughing movement: Chester, Via Mouldsworth to Northwich and back to Chester via West Cheshire Junc. and Helsby..........as a propelling movement, ploughing`s not much fun; and blinkin` cold with our heads constantly in and out of the window spying the road and trying to sight the pegs..........we got 'dusted' quite a few times en-route, as the plume shot up and off the blade as we encountered the many small areas of drifting. What it must be like to tackle really BIG drifts; I can only imagine. Quite destructive if you happen to meet a Foster Yeoman (very large) bucket loader hidden inside one and coming the other way as happened at Merehead in 1978 - the bucket loader won. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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