Snowploughs

**Snowploughs** (US: **Snowplows**) are devices used by the engines to clear snow from the tracks as they pull their trains during winter. They are usually fastened onto the engine's front buffers and push the snow aside when the engines run through it. Most snowploughs are painted in the colour corresponding to their engine's livery.

Some engines are known to hate their snowploughs as they tend to be uncomfortable, such as the case with Thomas.

## Types

### Standard Gauge

#### Buck Grate

The buck grate ploughs have an angular wedge shape, with sections on the front replaced with curved bars. Designed with Steam Engines in mind, the buck grate allows a steam engine to lightly blast a stream of steam at the snow, melting it for easier removal. The bars are also heated by this action and melt the snow further, also serving to vent out excess steam towards the snow. The buck grates are primarily used by smaller engines, and usually have 3 color placement options.

Thomas's original buck grate was malformed, leaving it uncomfortably tight. After other engines used it, the plough met it's end via a falling tree. It was eventually replaced by a properly manufactured one.

Users:

* Thomas: Blue; gained green bars and white trim after his repaint.
* Edward: Blue; eventually replaced by a smoother.
* Percy: Green; eventually gained red bars and black trim.
* Duck: Green; eventually gained black bars.
* Oliver: Green.
* Rosie: Pink; gained cherry red bars after her repaint.
* Hiro: Black; eventually replaced by a basher scoop.
* Nia: Black; eventually gained orange frames.
* Stepney: Black; eventually gained green bars and goldenrod yellow frames, plus red trim.
* Stanley: White with silver bars and red trim.
* Ashima: Hot pink with royal blue bars and white trim.
* Raul: Yellow with green bars and blue trim.
* Gina: Green with red bars and white trim.
* Billy: Orange with yellow bars and green trim.
* Whiff: Dark green with yellow bars and black trim.
* Arthur: LMS maroon with gold bars and yellow trim.
* Harvey: Maroon with yellow bars.
* Fergus: Royal blue with red bars and gold trim.
* Bill and Ben: Golden yellow with red bars.
* Charlie: Violet with light purple bars.
* Scruff: Lime green with dark green bars.
* Belle: Royal blue with red bars and gold trim.
* Porter: Viridian with yellow bars.
* Timothy: Dark blue with red bars.
* Ryan: Purple with white bars and gold trim.
* Albert: Red with blue bars and black trim.
* Rajiv: Royal blue with white bars and gold trim.
* Samson: Viridian with red bars.
* Tamika: Yellow with red bars and teal trim.
* Gabriela: Dark cyan with red bars and gold trim.
* Gator: Two-tone green with red bars.
* Theo: Dark green with gold bars and trim.
* 13: Dark grey with red bars.
* Hong-Mei: Deep blue with red bars and trim.
* Hurricane: Reddish brown with red bars and black trim.
* Jinty and Pug: Black with red bars and white trim.
* Lady: Red-violet with gold bars and dark purple trim.
* Logan: Deep blue with yellow bars and wasp stripe trim.
* Wilbert: Navy blue with red bars and black trim.
* Skipper: Blue with green bars and navy trim.
* Clover: Pink with purple bars and magenta trim.
* Buddy: Green with orange bars and teal trim.
* Rodrigo: Red with black bars and wasp stripe trim.
* Boomer: Yellow with white bars and red trim.
* Liza: White with mint bars and gunmetal trim.
* Young Tucker: Red with yellow bars and blue trim.
* Dino: Grey with black bars.
* Kessie: Red with blue bars.
* Crystal: Various crystals.
* Ernie: Green with white bars.
* Vicki: Maroon with yellow bars.
* Sonny: Dark navy blue with gold bars and black trim.

#### Smoother

The smoother ploughs have an flatter shape and steeper angles, and are primarily used by smaller tender engines, and usually have 2 color placement options.

Users:

* Edward: Blue.
* James: Red.
* Emily: Emerald green.
* Rebecca: Yellow; eventually replaced by a basher scoop.
* Gordon: Blue; temporary plow.
* Donald and Douglas: Black.
* Spencer: Black; eventually replaced by a basher scoop.
* Maria: Purple with chocolate trim.
* Engine 1020: Black.
* Molly: Yellow; eventually gains pink trim.
* Carlos: Black with silver trim.
* Neville: Black.
* Carlos: Black with silver trim.
* City of Truro: GWR green with dark red/brown trim.
* Waldo: Red with blue trim.

#### Basher Scoop

The basher scoop ploughs have an blocky wedge shape, with a slope and curve angled to shift snow to the right sides of the engines. The basher scoops are primarily used by large tender engines, and usually have 3 color placement options.

Users:

* Henry: Green with red stripes.
* Gordon: Blue with red stripes.
* Yong Bao: Salmon; later red with yellow stripes and green trim.
* Kwaku: Red with light yellow stripes.
* Lorenzo: Ultramarine blue with red stripes.
* Mallard: Garter blue.
* Merlin: Silver with red stripes.
* Murdoch: Dull orange with green stripes.
* Rebecca: Yellow with red stripes and navy blue trim.
* Sam: Persian green with white stripes and black trim.
* Duchess of Hamilton: LMS crimson red with gold stripes.
* Shane: Teal green with yellow stripes.
* Spencer: Silver with black stripes.
* Ferdinand: Teal.
* Flying Scotsman and Green Arrow: LNER apple green with white stripes and black trim.
* Frieda: Blue with yellow stripes and red trim.
* Hank: Ultramarine blue with white stripes and red trim.
* Hiro: Black with gold stripes and red trim.
* Duchess: Cream with gold stripes.

#### Sideline Chute

The sideline chute ploughs have an curved half-pipe shape, angled either left or right. The sideline chutes are primarily used by diesel engines (the smaller ones using the left angle and the larger ones the right), and usually have 3 color placement options.

Users:

Left plows

* Donald: Black; eventually replaced by a smoother.
* Mavis: Yellow and black hazard stripes with black frames.
* Natalie: Blue with red frames and yellow connectors.
* Norman: Orange-red with yellow frames.
* Iron 'Arry and Iron Bert: Grey-green with yellow hazard stripes.
* Paxton: Dark green with yellow frames.
* Philip: Yellow with dark green frames.
* Salty: Crimson.
* Shankar: Orange with brown frames.
* Dart: Yellow with maroon frames.
* Den: Orange with slate grey frames.
* Dennis: Two-tone grey.
* Sidney: Navy blue with yellow frames.
* Splatter: Purple with grey frames.
* Dodge: Olive with grey frames.
* Diesel: Black.
* The Mainland Diesels: Orange-red with yellow frames.
* Fernando: Aqua with light grey frames.
* Frankie: Blue-green with black frames.
* Mark: Silver with black frames.
* Mack: Yellow with black frames.
* Mason: Blue with orange frames.
* Arnold: Black with grey frames.
* Oscar: Brown with grey frames.

Right plows

* Percy: Green; eventually replaced by a buck grate.
* Duck: Green; eventually replaced by a buck grate.
* Douglas: Black; eventually replaced by a smoother.
* Diesel 10751: Yellow with blue frames.
* Noor Jehan: Cream with her patterns and purple frames.
* Bear: BR brunswick green with lime frames.
* BoCo: Green.
* Daisy: Green with yellow frames.
* Derek: BR brunswick green with yellow frames.

## Trivia

* The snowplow types went unnamed in Thomas and Friends, leading to the creator to create their current fictional names. Most of the snowplows come from 3D-printed designs.