Metro-North Snowfighting Equipment

[Otto Vondrak]

I can't find a current MOW roster, can someone help me fill in the info? How many rail-based plows and flangers and other snowfighting equipment does Metro-North have to apply to clearing the tracks?

-otto-

[DutchRailnut]

A few Ballast regulators. http://gbrower.com/images/Ballast%20Regulator%20(2).jpg
a few Badger ditch diggers
a few Jet powered snow blowers. http://www.largescaleonline.com/eimages ... Blower.jpg
and 5 snow blower trucks to clear third rail.
rest is locomotive snow plows

Snow removal from tracks has not been much of problem, its the snow piled up between tracks in yards, that hinders repairs and inspections, parking lots and acces roads are blocked.
The trains do a great job of clearing snow

[railmason357]

Is there a hack that has a flanger?

[DutchRailnut]

Flanger was scapped at same time as Niagara Jct Switchers, last time it was used was 2 days after 1996 snowstorm.

[Otto Vondrak]

Odd that they would scrap all of the flangers. Railroads keep that stuff in storage for years knowing they will need it "some day..."

-otto-

[MNR's #1 Conductor]

Otto..........

Here are some shots of one of our snow blower trucks in action clearing switches and track in Stamford Yard after this past big snowstorm..........

[MNCRR9000]

Great pictures!

[Otto Vondrak]

Nice to have trucks to clear the yard, but no rail-based equipment to clear the mains?

[BurrRd]

the truck snow blowers have cleaned most of the new haven line interlockings, as well as the c+s department.

[kitn1mcc]

and probally a few backhoes as well

[RearOfSignal]

Nice to have trucks to clear the yard, but no rail-based equipment to clear the mains?

It's mostly the interlockings that need clearing, there's hi-rail equipment that does that with blowers.

[MNR's #1 Conductor]

Nice to have trucks to clear the yard, but no rail-based equipment to clear the mains?

The switches on the Main Lines are cleared mostly manually by the C&S personnel, but if needed, the Snow Jets can be called in to blast the show away, and also they use the same trucks as photographed. I mainly seen maintainers out there in the interlockings doing the cleaning the ol' fashioned way!!! And for snow buildup on the tracks themselves outside the interlockings, nothing beats a 130-ton locomotive or EMU, "plowin' the road" (For example, a Mini-Bomb out of Stamford Yard plowed the New Canaan Branch after the last big storm)

[RearOfSignal]

Nice to have trucks to clear the yard, but no rail-based equipment to clear the mains?

(For example, a Mini-Bomb out of Stamford Yard plowed the New Canaan Branch after the last big storm)

Yeah and it got stuck up there, then the Stamford switcher came to rescue it, it got stuck too, then the PMMO came up to save the day.

[roee]

Does Metro-North not have any switch heaters at it's interlockers? I know I've seen ones on NJT.

[RearOfSignal]

Does Metro-North not have any switch heaters at it's interlockers? I know I've seen ones on NJT.

Yes, they do. However, not sure about the interlockings with just split point derails, I don't think the derails have heaters. Had to get talked passed a signal at CP230 a few weeks ago during the massive snow storms, couldn't see where the split derail was exactly with snow up above top of rail, but could see that rail wasn't split or broken anywhere, so we went.