Snowplough duties from the late 80's to present

[greg81]

Hi folks,

 

With all this cold, snowy weather I got thinking about seasonal rail activities and thought that would I post up a quick question.

 

What traction was favoured for snowplough duties by BR, and any of the post-privatisation operators from the late 80's to present day? Also, does anybody have any photographs that they could share in relation to this subject?

 

I am starting to put together my minimum space layout and really fancy a couple of Flangeway ploughs for it.

 

Many thanks.

[The Stationmaster]

Going a bit earlier than that (but not much) the following were to my knowledge used for ploughing on the WR in the very severe snow conditions of early 1978 -

 

Working with snow ploughs, usually 2 x Class 37 although on one occasion three were used. These were probably the best because they had good route availailability and good low speed power. Best combination I know of was a pair of 37's sandwiched by independent ploughs which were rescued by another pair of 37's (without ploughs) after they got stuck.

 

However one combination which didn't work too well was a pair of 37s with independent ploughs going in one direction meeting a quarry 5 ton bucket loader coming the other way, the bucket loader won and derailed one of the ploughs.

 

Someone also used a Class 47 (without a plough and it didn't even have miniature ploughs) and despite what the Driver had to say about it the loco managed to cope quite well in drifts up to about 5-6ft deep.

 

I used another Class 47 (again without ploughs) in thigh deep snow and it coped quite well provided you reversed at frequent intervals to clear the snow off.

 

Boiler fitted 47s had the immeasurable advantage of being usable with steam lances (which were not used with snow ploughs) and the loss of them could pose major problems. A pal of mine (who is now MD of a passenger operating company) tried an experiment with a lance converted to operate off an air reservoir pipe but it was only any good if snow was really dry, and preferably powdery whereas a steam lance could shift solid ice if used with sufficient 'determination'.

 

Sorry no pics of ploughing - too busy shovelling, chipping, or steam lancing.

[LNERGE]

From the 1969 sexual uppendix..

 

http://richard2890.fotopic.net/p62796888.html

 

I thought there was some restriction on 40, 44, 45, and 46 being used for snow clearance duties..

[Guest stuartp]

There used to be a photo on the booking office noticeboard at Appleby of a couple of iced-up 25s at Blea Moor with drift ploughs, my understanding is that these were the preferred traction on the northern part of the LM, if for no other reason than there were plenty of them about.

 

As for the ER, my current boss used to be a York driver in the 80s, his preferred traction on drift ploughs was a nose-first 20, because the length of the bonnet meant you didn't have to keep poking your head out to see where you were going and they were nice and warm. With non-bonneted locos visibility was severely restricted with the plough in front , so much so that if two were available they were often driven from the second loco. However, he recalls that two locos were rarely available. Failing a 20, a 45 was the preferred traction as they were impossible to overload and the cab heaters were 'epic' ("but not a 46, they were crap").

 

While I was at Barnsley in 1989 Tinsley's ploughs trundled past one sultry August day with a couple of 31s in the middle, apparently on a test run, much to the amusement of the assembled throng waiting for the crossing gates to lift. However, I believe 31s were not favoured for actual ploughing on account of lack of grunt.

 

Of course, as to whether 'preferred' normally equated to 'supplied', well you'll have to search out photographic evidence.

[br2975]

Try this for some shots of 2x37s in action in South Wales circa 1979, by Ian Walmsley who at that time worked at Canton

.

You need Page 3

.

http://www.whamart.co.uk/photogallery/south%20wales_1.htm

.

Brian R

[The Stationmaster]

From the 1969 sexual uppendix..

 

http://richard2890.fotopic.net/p62796888.html

 

I thought there was some restriction on 40, 44, 45, and 46 being used for snow clearance duties..

 

 

Might well be related to route availability restrictions ands their propensity to derail in awkward places (plus the grotty handbrakes on the EE Type 4s, awfully difficult to get the scotches under when they up to their axleboxes in frozen snow).

[porkie]

I remeber seeing a pair of 56's in traction magizine a few years back, Loadhaul and EW&S livery I think?

[LNERGE]

I thought it might be to do with the buffers being on the bogies? The forces of ploughing being transfered through the bogie pivots instead of straight through the main frames.. I'm not aware of such restrictions on EM1's though.

[mjh]

There is a nice colour pic on the back of the dust cover to 'Snow, Flood & Tempest' by P J G Ransom of 2 class 31s (31275 and 31142) clearing the Cumbrian Coast line with drift ploughs in 1996.

 

Motive Power Monthly has an article in the May 1991 issue on the snow storms in February 1991 that includes another colour pic - 47345 and 47362- with drift ploughs ADB965196 and ADB965198, at Rugby. There is also a picture of 47345 at Shortlands on the SR(?) between two of the class 40 bogie based drift ploughs. In the reports it states that 60022 based at Tyne Yard was being used 'with snowploughs' in the north-east - I assume this means with independant ploughs.

[Etched Pixels]

South Wales test runs seem to be a pair of 66's down the district line. No idea what (if anything) gets used in reality.

[Jim Martin]

Rail Express No. 152 (January 2009 - the first large-format issue) includes an article on snowplough train formations, tied in with their review of the Flangeway OO model. There's all sorts shown: paired 25s, 47s, 37s, 33s, 31s, 66s and 73s with a plough at either end (or only at one end, in one case); various single locomotives with either one or two ploughs; some self-propelled snowblower formations (blower plus a couple of support vehicles). Depends on place and time, I suppose. My personal favourite would be the single 08 shunter with a ZZV plough at each end, an Old Oak Common standby dating from 1986.

 

Jim

[Chameleon]

One thing I've always wondered about those snowploughs, the shift snow to left and right in equal measures so surely if they are clearing a bouble track line, all they are doing is shoving it from one line to the other? If they came back on the other line, they will just shove it back again?

[Fat Controller]

One thing I've always wondered about those snowploughs, the shift snow to left and right in equal measures so surely if they are clearing a bouble track line, all they are doing is shoving it from one line to the other? If they came back on the other line, they will just shove it back again?

When the snow's that bad, I think they're quite content to get one road open, and not bother about the other.

[scottishlocos]

Hi

 

As we speak class 37's 401 425 the DBS 2 are being used in Scotland Aberdeen and Inverness on snowplough duites

DRs 37667 has also been been used and WCRC 33207 was on standby at Edinburgh Craigentinny depot!!!!

 

Also i think that class 37's are prefered for snow clearing because they have bonnent nose can anybody confirm this

[Baby Deltic]

I thought it might be to do with the buffers being on the bogies? The forces of ploughing being transfered through the bogie pivots instead of straight through the main frames.. I'm not aware of such restrictions on EM1's though.

That was the correct reason. I think damage occurred to the segmental bearings on a class 45 bogie pivot due to the high buffing loads generated during ploughing. All 1Co Co1 loco's were banned due to the bogie mounted buffers and drawgear

[LNERGE]

They were also banned from most humps, certainly Whitemoor.

[Craig Watson]

One thing I've always wondered about those snowploughs, the shift snow to left and right in equal measures so surely if they are clearing a bouble track line, all they are doing is shoving it from one line to the other? If they came back on the other line, they will just shove it back again?

 

Depends which type of plough your using, independants plough equally whereas Beilhacks (mounted on ex class 45? bogies) can be adjusted to clear to either side, in the past we've used both types plus the snowblower to clear the WCML south of Carstairs.

 

As you run through the snow the ploughs tend to break it up so a few runs over each line can pretty much clear the line for train running.

 

I was out today in 37667 clearing loops on the WCML in our area using the minature ploughs on the loco, this is our main form of patrolling nowadays, the ploughs and blower have been used up north over the last few weeks though,

 

Here are a few pics from over the years!

 

First up, the snowblower ADB 968500 in action around Carstairs in 2001, the pics were taken by a colleague, i'm in one where we are preparing to turn the machine on it's turntable, you can also see why the OHL needs to be switched off (the arrangement of this is one of the main reasons I or one of my colleagues travel on board)

 

The North facing ploughs at Mossend in early 2009, two independants and a Beilhack, there are a corresponding set of South facing ploughs at the other end of the yard, for use a pair of ploughs are marshalled either end of two locomotives.

 

The ploughs are taken out on a test run at the start of winter, here's one such run waiting on a crew change at Mossend,

 

37667 at Carstairs today while we were changing ends to run back to Motherwell, and a view from the cab of Law Junction down loop,

 

There is also a large gallery of shots taken during a familiarisation course we had to do a few years ago on my fotopic site at,

http://craigsrailway...t/c1399840.html

 

The Carrbridge derailment has also saw the use of DBS & DRS motive power used together on ploughing duties with DRS's 37423 working with DBS's 66139 on a set of independant ploughs from Inverness to the derailment site at Carrbridge, there's a pic on the railscot site at,

http://www.railbrit....e2.php?id=27152

I also posted an account of working on the ploughs in 2001 on the old site, i'll try and dig it out and post a link.

 

Hope this answers some questions!!

 

Cheers

 

Craig

[Chameleon]

Hows it going up at Carrbridge anyway?

[Craig Watson]

Hows it going up at Carrbridge anyway?

 

The loco is still on site, and will be for the next few months if the rumours are correct, work is ongoing replacing the signalling equipment which will bring the loop back into use.

 

Cheers

 

Craig

[scottishlocos]

Hi Craig

 

Thanks for posting good pics can you confirm why 37's are preferred for snowplough duties

is it because of the bonnet nose or is it that 3-piece ploughs work better

 

many thanks in advance

[greg81]

Thanks for the replies to my original post. I seem to remember seeing a picture of a couple of 31's sandwiched between the ploughs on the cover of Rail circa 1996 (I think?). I believe they were clearing the Cumbrian coast route.

 

I noticed this week that a snowblower has been parked up in the sidings just to the South of Stirling station.

[greg81]

Thanks for the replies to my original post. I seem to remember seeing a picture of a couple of 31's sandwiched between the ploughs on the cover of Rail circa 1996 (I think?). I believe they were clearing the Cumbrian coast route.

 

I noticed this week that a snowblower has been parked up in the sidings just to the South of Stirling station.