# Vot iss dis ting?



## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

In my recent purchase was this...er...thing...

It looks like a flanger, sounds like a snow plow, and smells like...er...well, yeah....









Walk with me...

The vertical boards on the outside of the blade in real life would be pulled off within the first 100 yards into the snow. The nose is too far forward of the front truck to stay on the track...real or model.








AT first I thought it was the original builder's fantasy, but it is too well built and too well detailed for that. Nut/bolt/washer castings, fine chain, scale lumber and brass castings tell me it could be a craftsman kit, and the flatcar stake pockets resemble those used in Camino Scale Model ones.
















On further inspection, I found that the original builder installed the wings backwards, as the wear plates were facing inside.








WIth that, I'm diving in to see if my suspicions are correct. It'll be a day or two before the walk is done ..








Any help identifying it is appreciated.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Looks like a ballast shaper to me.....I doubt that it’s for snow....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Thought that, but there are no hydraulic standoffs or beams to keep the wings out. In the end, it's a scenic detail that will look awesome in a weed covered siding...there ain't no way I'm going to get this to track well, if at all....


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

On second thought, it could be a home-grown snow plow, to clear snow from urban street tracks, as this similar plow in Toronto did......


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I thought, perhaps, it was a car used to work on a bridge. It almost looks like the front could be lowered down, then the platforms folded out to create a "scaffold" work platform that hung down several feet, allowing workers to rivet steel girders together. The ballast is just that... ballast to keep the car from from tipping over the edge while the work platform was lowered over the edge.

Also, the ends of the ramps are beveled, which seems to indicate they were ramps for something with wheels.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

leave it the way it is ..not only is it easier but it stays a 'conversation' piece, lol


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

Looks like a very primitive design based on a Jordan Spreader...


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

JeffHurl said:


> View attachment 559837
> 
> 
> I thought, perhaps, it was a car used to work on a bridge. It almost looks like the front could be lowered down, then the platforms folded out to create a "scaffold" work platform that hung down several feet, allowing workers to rivet steel girders together. The ballast is just that... ballast to keep the car from from tipping over the edge while the work platform was lowered over the edge.
> ...


As shaygetz had discovered, the wing pieces were installed backwards and upside down on that model....

When properly installed, the beveled edge is definitely for clearing/moving something...either snow or ballast.....


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Neither snow nor ballast seem appropriate. The wings seem much to tall for ballast and the front appears open which would not work for snow. Nothing like a good mystery.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I still feel like the whole front (or back?) 1/3 of the car can pivot up/down... It looks to me like the cables that run for & aft allow that section of the car to pivot down 90 degrees (at least 60*), so then the "wings" can fold down to a gang plank / scaffold that ends up being perpendicular to the track.... like maybe for working on pilings at the end of the length of span.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I think the only thing we can agree on is that this model was based on a real piece of equipment, likely home road made, as it does not appear to be a commercially constructed common piece of equipment.....

Although it appears that it could be distantly related to an early Jordan spreader, but is no where near as sophisticated....









Unless someone stumbles upon a photo or other info for the real thing, we may never know its intended purpose.....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

The chain winches go thru the flat car deck, so by design it wouldn't be able the swivel, and there is no provision modeled or otherwise for the blades to flip or lower. Wear plates would be unnecessary on scaffolding and there's no provision for climbing up and down.

I'm in the homebuilt Jordan spreader camp. I just can't see any shop putting such an awkward, nose heavy creature out. The front truck is too far back, it would swing too wide on a curve and be forced down into the roadbed and snow when pushed. Yet it is so well crafted.

I'm still looking...


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

What if it was pulled behind the engine pushing the snow plow to widen the channel?


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

shaygetz said:


> ... nose heavy creature


I'm guessing that's what the ballast in the rear, flatbed part of the car is for... ballast, to offset all that weight out front.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Murv2 said:


> What if it was pulled behind the engine pushing the snow plow to widen the channel?


You may be onto something. Perhaps a very early, primitive flanger.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Murv2 said:


> What if it was pulled behind the engine pushing the snow plow to widen the channel?


The CP had one just like that, but it was dinky...dare I say 'cute'? It was very small, not much bigger than the single truck it rode on.

That might explain the open front on this one though. That and it would need an engine to keep it from nosing into the cinders.🙂👍 Prototype curves are much broader, even on a logging road, so the outswing of the nose wouldn't be as bad either.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Since there is no provisions for keeping those barn doors open when the car is pushed, I think the doors were put on the right way originally and the car is pulled, that way you just need the chains to "adjust" how far out you want the doors to spread. There is also that fancy X beam that is laying flat, is it possible that it can go up and down?


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Thought it may go that way too, but the sway bars don't allow for that, and you'd need a plow for the plow to get the flatcar thru. The x beam actually runs the length of the car, under the ballast bin, thru to the other end and is bolted to the car at either end. The chains wouldn't last the first 100 yards as they would be now in front of the blades.

I'm loving the conversations, as it's trying my engineering skills and what knowledge I have of railroad equipment.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Lemonhawk said:


> Neither snow nor ballast seem appropriate


So, what else could it be then.....? Maybe small trees/bushes that are growing too close to the tracks.....?


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

I am wondering if it lowers like you said at one point to act as a bridge maybe from one track to another. Flatbed to flatbed type idea ? Or could it have been Moveable wall car to block off areas that might be being worked on, tunnels, etc.....


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

It also occurs that this might be to knock down sand dunes blowing too close to the right of way?


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## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I know it was said in the OP that there was too much detail for this to be scratchbuilt but has it been totally ruled out that this was a kit that was assembled wrong?


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Murv2 said:


> It also occurs that this might be to knock down sand dunes blowing too close to the right of way?


That’s as good of a guess than any other we’ve had.....


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## GeeTee (Dec 23, 2020)

Its a snow crab car.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I googled snow crab car, and found nothing that looks like this. Can you help us with more than just a name, please?


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