#rotary snowplow

[eltristanexplicitcontent]

Rotaries and Flangers on Donner Pass!

[mountrainiernps]

The people whose work is caring for this mountain are pretty darn awesome.

From the paid employees, to concession employees, to volunteers and interns, these folks make everything happen at this national park.

From plowing open roads for the summer, to checking on the backcountry toilets (maybe that should be “toilets”), there’s a lot of work that has to be done so we can recreate and relax.

Whether helping to open a visitor center or clean up a trail, volunteers and interns have gone that extra step to provide a positive experience for the visiting public.

To one and all of our caring workforce, thank you!

To learn how you can contribute, visit our volunteer page at www.nps.gov/mora/getinvolved/volunteer.htm For more information on working at Mount Rainier National Park see https://www.nps.gov/mora/getinvolved/workwithus.htm

NPS photo. Rotary snowplow removing snow from roadside with work truck passes on pavement. October 2019. NPS photo. Wooden box with toilet seat in wilderness along Wonderland Trail. Background of forested ridges. 2003. NPS photo. Volunteer at information desk in Sunrise Visitor Center talking to visitor. June 2015. NPS photo. Volunteers with Washington Trails association working on Eagle Peak Trail building a water bar. June 2021.

[thebunnylord]

All I want for Christmas is …

Thomas: YOU!

Edward: world peace

Henry: an ornamental tree

Gordon: a Christmas special express where everyone dresses up and has a fancy dinner and listens to classical music. And for Spencer to do us a favor and put himself on top of the scrap pile.

James: a special red livery that’s metallic and is so shiny that it blinds on coming traffic

Percy: my two front teeth

Toby: new upholstery for Henrietta

Duck: a nap by the sea

Donald: a new snowplow

Douglas: a rotary snowplow

Oliver: I’ll take a rotary snowplow too

Emily: can I also have my own rotary snowplow?

Diesel: world domination

Daisy: makeup

Annie and Clarabel: a holiday on a nice heritage railway

Philip: that creepy looking snowman balloon.

Paxton: a hippopotamus

Rosie: roses

Duncan: an autographed rock and roll album

Sir Handel: a hand grenade launcher that I can use against George

Peter Sam: peace on earth and good will to men

Rusty: a new brake down crane

Rheneas: heavy duty earplugs

Skarloey: same

Duke: another nap

Spencer: caviar and high quality cigars

Sir Topham Hatt: ….

Sir Topham Hatt: would you guys be fine with a new coat of paint and a day off?

[sudriantraveler]

Scary Jack Frost

Ok, so as many of us know, railroading in the snow sucks! On top of that, recently I’ve been thinking a bit about locomotive folklore, and I think I’ve come up with a sufficiently intimidating idea for the locomotive version of “Scary Jack Frost”.

A giant rotary snowplow with a gaping maw of long jagged icicles, and a tender full of snow. From its funnel belches not smoke or steam, but storm clouds for a massive blizzard which trails in its wake.

This depiction is not worldwide. It is most commonly associated with engines in the United States and Canada, particularly on lines such as the Colorado narrow gauge railroads which deal with particularly aggressive winters in which there have been many major struggles against the snow throughout history. This version of Jack Frost is by no means only found within North America however, a similar version can also be found in Scandinavia, Russia, and even in Scotland, as well as pretty much anywhere else where the winter months are often particularly brutal.

Scotland is somewhat of an outlier from the rest of the UKs railways, whose engines generally describe a somewhat tamer in appearance but still respected/widely feared interpretation of Jack Frost. This interpretation is a snow-white engine with a face surrounded by spikey icicles. Often it is said that their mouth contains icicle teeth as well. This is thought to be something carried over from the rotary snowplow interpretation described previously.

Incidentally, the subject of the Thomas and Friends episode Jack Frost did happen on Sodor, albeit with several differences from its TV adaptation (James’ terror was much more than Alec Baldwin’s narration implies for one thing).

While visual interpretations are different, the powers and abilities Jack Frost is credited with usually remain the same (though there is occasionally still some variation). As well as creating blizzards, they are said to leave behind a trail of ice, making rails slippery and freezing points and signaling equipment. Their whistle is often associated with cold howling winds, and their headlamp, far from being a source of a warm glow, brings a biting chill which is said to leave a coating of frost on anything its cold light touches as well as freeze diesel locomotive’s fuel and extinguish steam locomotive’s fireboxes.

Personality-wise the locomotive version of Jack Frost runs the gauntlet from being a sinister force to a troublesome mischief-maker to even occasionally a heroic figure, in which case they might freeze points to divert engines away from avalanches or other hazards or, in an act that is seemingly in contradiction with the rest of their description, protect engines left out in the cold from the worst of the winter weather. The latter interpretation is the most uncommon amongst locomotives however, with the most common interpretations generally being considered bad news for any engines to encounter.

As a final note, the previously mentioned incident with Percy and James is not the only notable time the subject of Jack Frost has come up on Sodor. Henry claims that after his Kipper wreck, as he was fading in and out of consciousness waiting for help to arrive, he could’ve sworn he saw a snow-white silhouette of something like an engine in the distance on the tracks ahead. He claims the figure disappeared shortly before the breakdown gang arrived, seemingly vanishing into a flurry of snowflakes.

[whumpster-fire]

Okay RWS/TTTE Tumblr, I have to share possibly the funniest "RWS is a fucking documentary" story ever, as relayed by Youtuber Hyce telling the story while three other guys at the Colorado Railroad Museum try to guess what happened next: (go watch it on YouTube for a good ab workout)

I think the synopsis on this incident being read is here?

This is an absurd week-long saga involving seven different engines getting stuck or derailed, sometimes repeatedly. In a nutshell, behind a keep reading so you can guess along with the video:

To set the stage: The Rio Grande Southern was a crappy podunk railroad in Southwestern Colorado. I'm getting the vibe that this was kind of the real-life equivalent of the Mid Sodor Railway. Relevant locations are Ridgway, the northern terminus, Durango, the southern terminus, Rico, a town kind of in the middle of the line, and Lizard Head Pass, the highest part of the line, which is between Ridgway and Rico. On either end the RGS meets a larger and more competent railroad, the Denver and Rio Grande Western.

Rio Grande Southern #20 gets stuck in the snow while traveling South from the north terminus of its line in Ridgeway. In the middle of the night, in the mountains. It sounds like in a snowstorm.

The next day, two other engines, RGS 22 and RGS 42, come up the mountain from the other direction with a snowplow to free it, along with a little railcar that was just trying to deliver the mail. They set off back towards the south and all of them almost immediately get stuck again.

After three days of the original train, the rescue train, and the railcar all being stuck in the snow, two more rescue trains are sent from either end of the line. On the northern end, the superintendent of the railroad and "every available man" set out with the only engine present, Denver and Rio Grande Western #455, who was leased from the neighboring railroad and probably really wants to go home. On the southern end, D&RGW #458 is "borrowed" to go help, which I think means this engine was not even leased, this is just an engine from a completely different railroad that has to come help because the RGS has gotten basically its entire fleet stuck and the one remaining engine, #41 is small and not very strong.

The superintendent's rescue train also gets stuck, and the borrowed engine's tender derails and rolls over. Neither of them get anywhere near the stuck train. There are now three stuck rescue trains and the original train gets stuck too.

D&RGW #271, who is also not actually part of the railway with the stuck train, comes up with a breakdown crane to put 458's tender back on the rails. This is successful, and 458 continues on towards Rico. 271 apparently decides not to deal with this whole cursed rescue mission, and decides to go home and take the crane with it. On the way home, 271... gets stuck in the snow.

271 gets unstuck by its crew and goes home. 458 meets up with #41, and they take the rotary snowplow up to free the original rescue train, consisting of #20 (which has now been stuck in the snow for SIX DAYS), #22, #42, and the railcar). They FINALLY free the stuck train, and head back towards Rico.

On the way back down, #458 and #41 derail AGAIN.

They finally make it back to Rico... meanwhile the superintendent and #455 are STILL FUCKING STUCK on the other side of the pass.

Poor #458, who is not even supposed to be here and might have some sort of damage from the tender derailment but I'm pretty sure is the biggest and strongest engine here, sets out with the rotary plow again to rescue its sibling, but the damaged tender derails TWO MORE TIMES.

458 gives up and tries to turn back (RWS translation: this poor engine's probably sobbing about wanting to go home by now)... but a couple miles outside of town is blocked by an avalanche!

458's crew (and presumably the rotary plow's) just fucking abandon their engine and walk the rest of the way.

Eventually, some time later RGS #20 and #42 go and free the superintendent. #458 has presumably gone home and refused to set wheel on the RGS ever again.

But the ultimate "RWS is a fucking documentary" moment: 84 years later, the Rio Grande Southern Railroad is a distant memory. The only survivors of this whole clusterfuck are RGS #41, RGS #42, the Railcar... and RGS #20, which has been right there next to the guys telling the story the entire time while they have been absolutely losing it and roasting the fuck out of this railway for the last 20 minutes. Everyone remembers this and starts joking about how they've probably given their steam engine PTSD flashbacks and apologizes to her.

[leahsfiction]

LRB i'm looking up rotary snowplows and here are some photos of them in action:

photo credits: Jim Cunningham, Gerald Olson (2 and 3), Brian Jennison

[ID: railroad snowplows throwing enormous plumes of snow in a clockwise direction. in one photo there is also a gray plume of smoke from the engine.]

[sepublic]

Credit to Youtuber Laszlo Ven for the idea; For the Nizziverse, I've decided to make the Driller's alt-mode a Rotary Snowplow engine. Trains, when fully equipped with a line of cars, are long and winding, just like the Driller, so the two translate back and forth from each other very easily! Not only that, but...

I've always wanted to include Astrotrain in the Nizziverse. He's known for having a space shuttle and a train engine for his alt-modes, and typically functions as a troop transport, being huge in other continuities besides G1 to accommodate his passengers. So keeping an enormous size in mind, it makes sense for Astrotrain's train mode to be the whole train and all of its compartments, and not just the engine...

So to make things simple, I've made Astrotrain and the Driller into the same character; Like Scorponok or the Cassettes, his robot mode is an animalistic creature, one suited to tunneling through the ground. His first alt-mode is a train with a rotary snowplow at the front, and as for his flight mode...

For the sake of simplicity, I'm thinking it'll just be an original, Cybertronian transport design. I'm not sure what it'll look like; It might be long and serpentine, just like Astrotrain's other modes, for the sake of simplicity. When coming up with characters and/or alt-modes, I want the transformation to be something that could be pulled off in real life, up to the complexity of a third party toy.

Given the shape of Astrotrain, I feel obligated to make his flight mode something that doesn't stretch his T-cog, so to speak. I have considered having his flight mode be achieved by having Astrotrain split into multiple segments, which then combine with each other at different connection points, like a combiner; Or maybe the entire length of Astrotrain can fold in on itself to become more bulky and less stretched out, to provide a more creative flight mode. Maybe Astrotrain's segments don't combine, but transform into an individual fleet of shuttles.

Given the Driller is now an adaptation of Astrotrain, that also means his colors will change, too; Instead of just a monotonous silver, it'll be gray and purple, with bits of yellow and red scattered throughout. He's fully sapient and capable of speech; Maybe when Astrotrain talks, a proper head will pop out of the mouth to have a conversation with.

Astrotrain feels like a good fit because again, Dark of the Moon has that whole Space Race motif going on; That's why I've included characters such as Cosmos and Blast Off, for example. Astrotrain probably landed on Earth somewhere in Siberia, scanning an actual rotary snowplow train for his vehicle mode, before using the tracks to transport Decepticons and resources for the cause. Being a Cybertronian in disguise, his train mode is capable of traveling off-rail. Since he was in Siberia, that made it convenient for Astrotrain to travel to Chernobyl as Shockwave’s backup.

[gb-diesellok]

Boyfriend sleeping...so that means... documenting more of the lore from my memories! My au..incase more of you want to make ocs that come from that world. I want to make it have as many answers as possible!

I will add a handful of race names and locations that I rememeber. Obviously...Apollo Victoria isnt the only one!

What kind of lore are you interested in?? I want to document a lot of types of rolling stock! Like ballast spreaders, rail grinders, speeders, hirail vehicles..rotary snowplows.. i want to add some of the slang we use too...

As comprehensive as i can make it...as one person..

[graeagle]

Western Pacific Railroad Museum ran their Rotary Snowplow today clearing some snow from the tracks. It was awesome to see it in action! Photo credit @bigfish @westernpacificlives (at Western Pacific Railroad Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpHbDBSORyx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dieselfutures]

Winther Motor and Truck Company Rotary Snowplow

[eltristan]

[eltristanexplicitcontent]

Buried Alive by a Rotary Snow Train

[mountrainiernps]

To a lot of people, no visit to a national park is complete without camping overnight.

While Mount Rainier has no campgrounds open in the winter, there is winter camping, also known as snow camping. The winter camping season was declared open December 28, 2023, when the snowpack on the ground became deep enough to protect the soils and plants. It can run until May 15, 2024, weather and snow permitting.

There are some key things to remember for winter camping.

One important thing is to get a permit. Parties of 1 to 12 people can get their permit on the day or one day prior. You can get them at the Longmire Museum (open daily 9am to 4pm), the Carbon river Ranger Station (8:30am to 4pm daily) and at self-register kiosks (east side of park at closed entrances. Parties of 13 or more people need to get their permit in advance on Recreation.gov.

When setting up camp on (or in) the snow, remember to go at least 300 feet from a plowed road or parking lot. This distance is to keep you safe and not buried under snow flying out of a rotary snow plow. You also have to set up camp at least 300 feet from any marked trail or route, or building, and at least 100 feet from any water.

Another key item is to remember that if you are camping above Longmire, the road from Longmire to Paradise is closed every night. You can not drive on the road until it has opened for everyone. It is unsafe to drive on roads and parking lots until morning snowplow operations are complete. In the morning, you’ll need to call 360-569-2211 or check Alerts to find out when the road is open for travel.

There’s a lot more information on enjoying winter recreation in the national park on the park’s websites. Please make sure to research beforehand and come prepared for both winter and fun.

When was the last time you camped at Mount Rainier in the snow?

What was the best part of winter camping for you?

Are you thinking of visiting this winter and camping in the snow?

Winter camping and permit information can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/winter-camping.htm . Park information on winter safety can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/winter-safety.htm  Park information on winter travel can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/winter-travel.htm 

These photos are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS Photo. View looking across a snow-covered Paradise Valley to Mazama Ridge on a cloudy day. January, 2022. NPS Photo. View from the closed and snow-covered road to Sunrise looking up a snowy Fryingpan Creek from the road bridge. February, 2021. NPS Photo. Road from Longmire to Paradise at Longmire with gate on the road closed. Snow covered trees line road and Mount Rainier is in the background. January, 2021.

[someenchantedcentury]

Rotary Snow Plow

1960s

[publicdomainbooksdevotee]

ROTARY SNOWPLOW

[honey-dont]

just some guy!

your weird stoner uncle who gives you cool rocks he finds :) perhaps a little too into plowing snow