Rotaries: Avalanche on the Mountain

Just a few guess on this:

1) Maybe there are no switches on the former SP Sierra Mountain Grade?

2) Maybe there are trackside marker poles, to indicate were to lift the blades?

3) Maybe the operators/crews are SO EXPERIENCED and completely familiar with their territory, the REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING?

.  I'm familiar with flanger signs but unless you have a cupola how can you see them from the side window... The plow  also has to be lifted at each hwy crossing (if there are any)   Yes an experience crew might be able to go a whole subdivision from memory  but that's asking a lot. What are those things sticking  up on the roof of the  flanger that look like radio antennas??

  Maybe I'll   try e-mailing  UP.    Thanks for the reply , appreciate it.

BTW I'm sure they know what they're doing.  

Ice breakers for inside the snow sheds & tunnels.

Best RR vid in years!   The old F7 never missed a beat, nor would you expect it to! Hats off to these gents for a job well done in conditions few can appreciate.

Hello Greg, agree with you even the best crew on a flanger that was qualified for this section of the railroad I bet have their "oh crap moments"

At night I would think it would be a real challenge.

The videos I seen of the flangers the operator is positioned in front of the blade so he may be able to see things that required the blade to be raised before they get to it.

I think in these conditions over Donner Summit and other routes indicator signs would only be good until the snow got so deep and then they would become useless.

 The force and weight and the amount of the snow coming out from under the flanger the signs better be well planted or the snow would knock them over.

Out there the snow is usually very wet and heavy. I am surprised how they run the Rotaries and the Flangers with the doors and windows open and the crewman do not look like their overly dressed. 

Must have good heaters!!!!!

In the one post where they showed the snow plow going up and over the drift up in Canada someone made a comment about being on a flanger crew and said it wasn't much fun.

Like anything it takes practice and I am sure there are those @#$# moments.

As far as the items on top of the locomotive cab I was wondering if these are for breaking icicles inside of tunnels. They don't look very heavily built so it is just a guess.

I did notice thought that they are not very straight either like they may have been hit by something.

I have a hopper car that was made by Lionel that has girders on the inside that form a peak.

On the side of the hopper it has " Ice Breaker Use Only Use between Altoona and Cresson"

The marking on the side was the only reason I bought the car due to the fact I live close to this area.

Just some thoughts.

Can you imagine trying to do this in the steam era with Cab Forwards and all steam powered equipment ???  Would have to have been one of the most dangerous jobs in the world !  YOY !!

This kind of makes sense... Apparently riding in the flanger is pretty rough. They take some or all of the springs out of the trucks so it the plow doesn't bounce up & down. Who Knew? not me! anyway ..

The flanger has a blade, controlled by the conductor in the locomotive cab, that drops between the rails to clear ice and snow. Flangers are allowed to operate at speeds up to 40 mph-well above track speed-so that the blades can throw the snow clear of the track. Train crews out of Roseville are called to run the flangers with an engineer, conductor, and a brakeman (who rides in the flanger).

OMG! Where's Part 2???

We can't leave the crew up there in peril... we gotta' see this through!!

I'm getting the picture now, Flanger operations on Donner pass are unique with  special equipped engines and flangers..

. Flanger operator controls the plow from the engine , not the actual flanger. (whether it's a Conductor, Section forum .Road master I don't know)

The engines also have large ICE breakers , (ice cycles hanging  down at the entrance of tunnels, perhaps inside as well)  That might explain why there is no cupola with windows  on the flanger. Flying ICE... Yes where's part 2