St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-01-07
CLEARING THE TRACK
SNOW PLOW A NECESSITY IN
THE WINTER.
Sometimes Even That Powerful Ma
chine Is Unable to Cope With
the Tremendous Drifts
on the Rails.


inches is a heavy snowfall, getting it
off railroad tracks is about as easy
for an engine as cleaning it off the
sidewalk is for the small boy.
A snow pillow, which Is nothing
more than a gigantic scraper, with
perhaps an enormous horn or plow-
share in front, is pushed down the
track by an engine and scrapes and
pushes the accumulated clogging
white mass off the track to either
side
But in the northern, and particular
when it makes up it's mind to snow,
every one knows it; where the falls
are feet in depth and in the east only
inches; where the railroad runs
through open plains on which the re-
sistless sweep of the wind drifts the
white crystals into hills and valleys,
humps and hollows so large that they
seem large even to steam car
something more effective than mere
pushing must be employed.
This Something" says writer in
ST. Nicholas, lis the rotary snow
plow, an invention which is in use on
every railroad on which large drifts
collect in the winter and where snow
sheds and snow guards-fences built
In exposed places to keep the snow
from drifting on the track-are in.
effective.
Pillow Does the Work.
The snow pillow Is huge machine,
as big as a freight car and built of
steel. On the forward end is a mon
ster wheel with powerful blades of
steel, looking like an overgrown cleo
trio fan, so arranged that their angles
can be changed.
This wheel, which is perpendicular
to the track and revolves at right an
giles to it, is Enclosed in a casing or
drum also of steel and with sharp
steel edges. The top of the drum is
supplied with a pipe or chute. Inside
the snow pillow is a steam engine,
which drives. this huge fan wheel at
from 100 to- $50. revolutions every
minute.
! Behind the snow plow are coupled
from one to three or even more pow
erful engines, and behind these car
On the car are many men with
shovels, for despite it's enormous pow
er even the rotary gets stuck at times
and has to be ANONYMOUSLY dug out.
When the Snow Triumphs.
Perhaps the snow is but four or five
feet deep and the plow as soon as it
strikes the snow bores through it at
great rate. Wonderful to see, the
snow eaten away from the bank by
the whirling blades is tossed out of
the chute at the top Of the drum or
casing In solid stream, to fall in a
curving arch and with thunderous
roar from 100 to 200 feet away. This
arch is frequently 80 and even more
feet high. Billows of snowdust fill
the air and the most beautiful rain
bows surround the falling cascade of
snow.
When the pillow gets stalled the men
tumble off the car and shovel it out
of it's prison. Then the whole train
backs off couple of hundred yards
and takes new start. Down the
track it sweeps, gathering speed and
momentum with every puff-puff of the
exhaust, and smash! it goes headlong
at the drift, mighty fan-wheel whirl-
ing, engines pushing, men yelling,
snow scruchfng, and over all the roar
of the falling stream of snow and the
binding, cutting clouds of ice par
ticles it sets free.
The drift may yield to one bucking,
in which caseg thA linen. congratulate
themselves at having an easy time of
it. But more often even the mighty
rush of the train, engines, plow and
car is stopped by the drift, which
lookss'so soft, but is in reality SO
tough. Then it is shoveled out again
and backs off for another rush.