This is a view from an unknown railroad in an unknown location, but it does look like some work is being done on this early and interesting rotary snow plow. Because it is being worked on outside of a snow shed and under steam, and not in a yard, it's probably a repair or removal of debris.
Wow, that's an early Rotary plow, and it looks like a passenger car was grafted onto the back of it.
ReplyDeleteThat's the original 1888 body on the CM's "tiny" (9-foot rotor) Leslie # 08 (later designated at Rotary A). Later it was rebuilt without the cupola and fewer windows. Can't say on the location, though it looks similar to the terrain climbing toward Hagerman Tunnel above Leadville. No guarantee, though.
ReplyDeleteJudging from the text on the bottom, this might be a Jackson photo as it's similar to the text and numbering on an image of the plow above Leadville. (Silver Rails: The Railroads of Leadville, Colorado, p. 174).
http://www.silverrailsleadville.com
chris james
That's great information, Chris...Thanks for clearing up the mystery of this rotary snow plow's home road and location!
ReplyDeleteRuss
Um, no…it would appear I was dead wrong. Adrian. J. Hunthausent on the CM forum feels this is probably a Great Northern or Norther Pacific Rotary, nowhere near the CM or Leadville.
ReplyDelete-- Group, that is most definitely NOT the Midland plow. All of the early Leslie plows had more or less the same body, but this one has been modified in a way the Midland's never was; the body of this plow has been raised nearly to the same level as the cupola, but the long row of windows has been left in place. The side door is also in a different place than on the Midland's plow.
Andrew DSodge adds..
-- When I saw the photograph I noticed two things: the plow and the structure between it and the hillside. While I agree that the plow looks like the early version of the Leslie used on the Midland, I do not recognize that structure as being anything on the line. None of the sheds on the High Line that I have ever seen photographs of have a sloped roof. All the sheds photographed on the west side are the same rectangular design used on the east side.
When the Midland rebuilt its plow in 1891, the cupola and all of those windows were eliminated.
The Midland's Leslie plow was the 10th one built. The first nine were bought by the UP, OR&N, SP, and NP. All four of those roads traversed territory with hillsides like the one in the photo.
Thanks for the update, Chris. I appreciate your input and interest!
ReplyDeleteRuss