# Snow Plow ?



## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Have you ever seen a snow plow like this in HO?

There are plenty of the "Russell" type with the cupola, but I've never seen one like this. And I'm pretty sure I need one. 










Image source


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

The entire top 1/4th is a cupola.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

No. S'not. If the entire second story of a house has the same footprint as the first you don't call it a cupola.

"A small structure built on top of a roof".

The most common caboose form in American railroad practice has a small windowed projection on the roof, called the cupola.

The cupola section (vertical projection with window) on a restored caboose on exhibit at the Toronto Railway Historical Association.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

I guess the point of my irony was missed.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I'd much rather have a fan-type snow blower but I can't justify the price for something that will never really see snow.

It is motorized too, but they want as much as one of my new Roco sound locomotives.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

LateStarter said:


> I guess the point of my irony was missed.


T'was. I'll try to do better.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Stumpy said:


> Have you ever seen a snow plow like this in HO?
> 
> There are plenty of the "Russell" type with the cupola, but I've never seen one like this. And I'm pretty sure I need one.
> 
> ...


You’ll have to make one yourself then....


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

Seems like a new kitbash or scratch build is in your future!


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

There are wood kits out there...


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Scored on fleabay for $15.

I expect this will go into the "after I retire" project box. 932 days to go.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Hmm...


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Stumpy said:


> Hmm...


I wish you luck...
I've never seen that kit, and I know nothing about it, but generally speaking, Ambroid kits (although superb models) are difficult.
I was successful with one in the old days though.
Have fun!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Mine was fully assembled and weighted with about 50 16 penny finishing nails when I picked it up at a swap meet for $3. I managed to get them out, add weight under the blade, replaced the trucks with better rolling ones, add the rear ladder then touch up the paint. While all that sounds like a lot, like most projects built by by modelers who've passed on, I've left it pretty much as they built it, and only doing light cosmetics and operational tweaks.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Too much work for me.....I’ll take the RTR Walthers Proto version, thank you.....


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

So the Ambroid and Northeastern Scale Models instructions are the same. I guessing Ambroid "became" NSM?


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Stumpy said:


> So the Ambroid and Northeastern Scale Models instructions are the same. I guessing Ambroid "became" NSM?


Ambroid was originally a model airplane company.
When they got into model railroading they contracted Northeastern to supply wood parts and instructions.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Stumpy said:


> So the Ambroid and Northeastern Scale Models instructions are the same. I guessing Ambroid "became" NSM?


That makes sense...note the lack of a zip code on the Ambroid address and a zip on the Northeastern one. That would date the one before 1967, the other after......


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Since you'll be using a wood model as the basis, there shouldn't be any problem bashing it to the BM 3699 prototype.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Easy peasy. 

Gotta find the light, bell, horn and a few more windows.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

You likely won't find prototype matches to _all_ the parts for bashing, but if you can cut basswood with an X-Acto blade  you shouldn't have any problem making a great model.
Keep us posted.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

BTW, look to Tichy first, for parts, particularly windows.
They make a host of MW crew car windows.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Meanwhile...

Plastic Walthers Kit (supposedly, it was in an Athearn box w/o instructions).

Need snow.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

That's how far the front truck will turn

18" radius? Nope.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Old_Hobo said:


> Too much work for me.....I’ll take the RTR Walthers Proto version, thank you.....
> 
> View attachment 556318


I found a battered one cheap at a train show...stripped the paint and cast on details, replaced missing parts of my own, and added a working headlight and safety flasher. A dab of paint and dry transfers and OU812 is part of the MOW fleet...


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Stumpy said:


> That's how far the front truck will turn
> 
> 18" radius? Nope.
> 
> View attachment 556370


I filed the journal boxes on mine, it takes 18" radius just fine and no one is the wiser.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

shaygetz said:


> I found a battered one cheap at a train show...stripped the paint and cast on details, replaced missing parts of my own, and added a working headlight and safety flasher. A dab of paint and dry transfers and OU812 is part of the MOW fleet...
> View attachment 556385


Very nice!


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## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

This question comes from a realistic railroading operational standpoint as well as a model railroading standpoint (but I think I can answer the model railroading standpoint as it's cool and why not) but is there an appeal to getting one of these snow plows over a Jordan spreader that can not only plow but also provide numerous other functions? I'm assuming a Jordan spreader would be more expensive than these snow plows as they have many more moving pieces and railroads often liked to to the cheapest easiest thing but was just curious...


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

There are rotary kits too:








This is a Red Ball kit from way back when. The tender, engine and caboose are all rescues.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

shaygetz said:


> I filed the journal boxes on mine, it takes 18" radius just fine and no one is the wiser.


Good idea. I'll see what I can get away with.

Might have some slimmer trucks in cast off box too.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

afboundguy said:


> This question comes from a realistic railroading operational standpoint as well as a model railroading standpoint (but I think I can answer the model railroading standpoint as it's cool and why not) but is there an appeal to getting one of these snow plows over a Jordan spreader that can not only plow but also provide numerous other functions? I'm assuming a Jordan spreader would be more expensive than these snow plows as they have many more moving pieces and railroads often liked to to the cheapest easiest thing but was just curious...


Walthers Proto also makes Jordan spreaders....they are about $30.00 more expensive than the snow plow.....


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## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

Old_Hobo said:


> Walthers Proto also makes Jordan spreaders....they are about $30.00 more expensive than the snow plow.....
> View attachment 556436


Yes I know I purchased a kit that I put together myself and figured the actual snow plows would be cheaper which would also make it more appealing to us modelers I was mainly curious if anyone knew why railroads wouldn't just buy Jordan Spreaders since they can plow and do much more things than just the snow plow that basically can only plow?


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

This is the nicest plow kit I've ever seen on rails... at a club meet.
Extremely expensive though.








Standard Gauge Rotary Snow Plow - Kit -- Undecorated


Meet winter head-on with this rugged rotary plow. The kit is based on Rotary OM, which was built by Cooke and delivered to the Rio Grande narrow gauge in 1889. The same design was also used by many standard-gauge roads. Includes decals for Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific...




www.walthers.com


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

afboundguy said:


> I was mainly curious if anyone knew why railroads wouldn't just buy Jordan Spreaders since they can plow and do much more things than just the snow plow that basically can only plow?


My guess: As you said, the plows were cheaper. Any given road probably had/has both, but when you needed to clear snow you would need more units to get the job done. Spreaders were certainly used for snow removal, but a a fleet of them would mostly sit idle otherwise.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Wedge plows (1840’s) preceded Jordan spreaders ( 1890’s), and railways seldom scraped equipment if it was still useable, so they kept and used the plows even after spreaders came about.....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Jordan spreaders are like a good multi-tool...some of the tools work better than the others, but every tool doesn't work as well as one specifically made for the situation. They were made primarily for grooming roadbed and ballast. 

They are definitely awesome looking...don't know what possessed me to sell mine...


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## afboundguy (Jan 10, 2021)

All makes sense thanks!!!


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Wonder if it plowed like this or this is just a two MOW cars parked on a siding.










Image source... Connecticut Digital Archive | Connect. Preserve. Share


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Electric snow plow... Connecticut Digital Archive | Connect. Preserve. Share

Make sure to hit the "full page" button and zoom in.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Stumpy said:


> Wonder if it plowed like this or this is just a two MOW cars parked on a siding.


An idler car and a snowplow...
I never would've thought to link those two together.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Stumpy said:


> Wonder if it plowed like this or this is just a two MOW cars parked on a siding.
> 
> View attachment 556718
> 
> ...


I couldn't imagine them being run like this, the boom tender would've been run with a big hook and/or run in regular MOW service as a tie and tool car. It certainly could not bear the strain of being between the plow and the pusher engines, it would have folded up like a cheap lawn chair the first major drift the plow hit.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Probably just a couple of off-season MOW cars parked together on a spur.....


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

shaygetz said:


> It certainly could not bear the strain of being between the plow and the pusher engines, it would have folded up like a cheap lawn chair the first major drift the plow hit.


One of the reasons I wondered about it. Then I questioned whether that wooden plow would have been pushed at high(er) speed like the ones you see in the YT videos blasting through 12' drifts.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)




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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

That’s a real snow buster! 🙂


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