Union Pacific Feather River Rotary Snow Plow
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The rotary is rarely called out… but January 1993 saw a series of storms with heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Union Pacific mainline through the Feather River Canyon was hard hit. And so the rotary was called to duty.
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| Producer | Pentrex |
|---|---|
| Run Time | 45 Minutes |
| Narration | Yes |
| Shrink Wrap | Yes, Brand New |
| Technical Details | No Region Code, NTSC |
Pentrex presents a rare and exclusive look at a Union Pacific rotary snow plow at work. In January 1993, a series of cold Pacific storms brought heavy snowfall to northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Union Pacific Railroad’s main line through the Feather River Canyon was unusually hard hit.
While spreaders kept the mainline open, trains made slow progress through the Canyon due to inoperative signals, snowbound sidings, and frozen switches. Pentrex has captured the beauty of this winter wonderland as trains attempt to negotiate the snow-covered Feather River Route. For the first time since it acquired the line in 1982, the Union Pacific dispatched one of its Cheyenne-based rotary snow plows to Portola, California. Not since the days of the Western Pacific Railroad has a rotary been needed to protect the mainline through the Feather River Canyon.
Steve Lee, Manager of Steam Operations for the UP, takes you on a tour through the cab of the rotary and explains its history and operations. From trackside and aboard the train you will experience this awesome machine at work. The battle of snowplow against the winter elements is captured here for you to experience in all its fascinating splendor.
rickyfreni –
Nearly 30 years ago, the Union Pacific Rotary Snowplow operated over the former Western Pacific route for the very first time. Stock Footage from UP’s Feather River Route in 1991 with the Parade in Portola is used as well as a crew change depot.
Jordan Spreader 903031 would face west with SD40-2 number 3634, & C30-7 number 2511, while the WP’s own spreader would have to be towed to Keddie for repairs. Before leaving Portola, an eastbound Auto Carrier with C40-8 9314, 9308 & SD60 number 6039 arrives for a crew change while heading to Nevada. The Snowplow arrives in Portola on January 10, after 60 hours of going slow from Cheyenne Wyoming, especially overnight stops. The next day January 11th, the snow busting action has officially begun with SD40-2s 3243 & 3262 pushing on the rear of the plow while clearing the yard tracks in Portola. The following day, the rotary was supposed to operate from Keddie to Bieber, but unfortunately, it’ll have to go as far as Westwood.
Fun Fact: most of the Rotary crew are the same workers that operated 844 & 3985. Like the Steam Giants, the Plow would use the Water tender that was previously used on the Turbines, as well as bringing out some coaches for the crew to rest as well as the dining car for the team to grab a bite to eat.
Locations aside from Portola & Keddie include Hawley farm near Beckwood Pass, Layman Camp, Spring Garden with as westbound doublestack led by C40-8 number 9278 & SD40-2 number 3659, Tunnel 32 at Milepost 280 with Dash 8-40CW 9431 & 9417, C40-8 9125, SD40-2 3501 & C30-7 2538, Rich Bar Tunnel with 9417 & an unknown C40-8, Indian Falls on the Highline from Highway 80, Mocassin, North Crescent Mills, Greenville, & Westwood as night falls with some help from the fire department, & the next day, the consist would have to be re-arranged for the return to Keddie & Portola.
Curtis Watson –
It’s certainly spectacular to see the rotary in action, especially in the Feather River Canyon. My favorite part was the cab tour–what a machine! I would recommend!
David Holland –
this video is very special because Union Pacific rarely uses a snowplow, now they use Jordan spreaders. if you want to have a blast watching rotary snowplows hard at work, then you will love this.
JGWJ –
Really enjoyed watching this. Always impressive to see Trains traveling through SNOW. We have lots of snow in Michigan, but nothing like snow in the West. This is an opportunity to see how they handle keeping the tracks cleared.
nssd60e –
A great video of the rotary blowers of California, Watch them work through deep snow and to keep the mainline clear. We also get to see other snow fighting equipment like Jordan Spreaders do their work.