The snowmelter

[sanman0516]

New York Central Jet Snow Blower

 

 I will have to get one of these when they come out.

[phillyreading]

Very Interesting but there are a few flaws in the design; # 1-the jet engine exhaust is too close to the knuckle coupler & the brake wheel, the knuckle coupler could have been left off.  # 2-The jet engine don't look realistic at all, looks more like a piece of pipe with pivot points!

In reality a jet engine would melt the snow but would cost a lot of money to operate! 

Lee F.

[laz 57]

I'm getting one.

  Interestingly, the father of a friend of mine worked for the company that made these back in the 50s-60s?  They were first made for the runways of airlines then were produced for the railroads.  Before that I was told that the railroads would use kerosene and douse the switches with it then set it on fire to thaw them out.

laz57

[csxt30]

Here's one of todays !!   

 

[laz 57]

Here's one of todays !!   

 

 

Nice shot JOHN,

Thanks

laz57

[csxt30]

Thanks Laz !!  I lost the picture of the one we have at work. Remember we used to put it on the Coffee Pot, to blow the snow back down to the Chief !! Here's another one like that one used to clean switches in the yards .  This is more like the one we have. There are a lot of these up here in the Nawth !!

Thanks, John

[underworld]

Hey...how about mis using one as a jet powered rail dragster?????

I'm up for the ride!!!

underworld

[sulafool]

I like these too and thought about getting one, EXCEPT--- wouldn't blasting oily smoke fluid directly at the track lead to all kinds of operational problems? I thought track got slimy enough just from the regular smoke precipitation...something to consider

[CSXect]

M.O.W equipment real or fantasy...........You got to love it!!!!

[palallin]

It is interesting to remember that we still have UP 844 thanks to an experiment in snow removal.  She was equipped with piping and nozzles to blow steam on the tracks to melt snow and ice.  The experiments were not successful, though, because of the need to stop often to rebuild boiler pressure and the fact that steam deposited more water--and therefore ice when the temperature returned to ambient. 

[lionelsoni]

George, they had such a thing at Ladd AFB at Fairbanks where I lived in the late fifties.  It thought it was homemade, however--a vertical engine cantilevered off the back of a pickup truck.  I don't recall any other snow- or ice-removal equipment's being used on the runway; but it doesn't snow much up there.

[laz 57]

BOB sounds like where my friends DAD was located at, said he had to do it daily?

laz57

[Warburton]

This snow melter is a nifty idea. I knew I'd have to have one as soon as I saw it. Kudos to Lionel for coming up with a new motorized unit!

[pbjwilson]

Here's one of todays !!   

 

Looks like it belongs on the Buck Rogers Railroad.

[Anonymous]

.

[chuck]

The engines are the smaller units usually found on corporate jets.  The units have exceeded their safe life as jet engines on a plane and are no longer safety rated.  They still "work" as a heat source/thrust diverter and are pretty good at clearing snow ice off of switch points in yards.  NYC was one of the pioneers.  Follow the link to a photo of one of the early units.

http://membrane.com/~elmer/rail/snow/misc/nyc01.jpg 

 

[RR Redneck]

Wow, I didn't know that these things existed. These are pretty cool.

[Dave45681]

 

Both Canadian Pacific and Canadian National each had one of these Snowmelting Units.

http://imagescn.technomuses.ca/railways/index_choice.cfm?id=55&photoid=372850913

CN 4100 2-10-2, and a 2-8-2 were fitted with Steam Lines direct from the Steam Dome and Connectors on the Pilot to furnish Steam to Coils in Melter Portion of this Unit.

Later, two Steam Generator Cars were used to furnish Steam.

 That's kind of interesting too.  (although I do admit I had to stare at the pic for a minute to realize what was going on - too early in the morning yet, i guess :) )

 Would this device suffer from the same problem mentioned above of where to put all the water once you melt the snow?  I know it's a lot less volume when melted, but it still needs to be deposited somewhere eventually so as to not freeze back on the rails. (think of the weatherman inches of rain to feet of snow conversion, (I think 1" rain = 1 foot snow?))

 That would be another interesting thing for Lionel to produce.  Maybe if the jet model is well received, we will see this in a future catalog too.

 Thanks for the link. 

[phillyreading]

Here's one of todays !!   

 

Looks more proto-typical!  The one by Lionel looks too toy like to beleive!

Lee F.

 

[csxt30]

Lee : click on Chuck's link from up above !! There's a picture of the real one or prototype !! I think Lionel did pretty good !! Let us know what you think after you see that picture !!

Thanks, John

http://membrane.com/~elmer/rail/snow/misc/nyc01.jpg

 

[CSXect]

Lee : click on Chuck's link from up above !! There's a picture of the real one or prototype !! I think Lionel did pretty good !! Let us know what you think after you see that picture !!

Thanks, John

http://membrane.com/~elmer/rail/snow/misc/nyc01.jpg

 

That looks like a good scratch build project

[csxt30]

Lee : click on Chuck's link from up above !! There's a picture of the real one or prototype !! I think Lionel did pretty good !! Let us know what you think after you see that picture !!

Thanks, John

http://membrane.com/~elmer/rail/snow/misc/nyc01.jpg

 

That looks like a good scratch build project

There you go CSXect !! A person could go either way, make it like the real NYC prototype or from a Lionel work train car like I think Lionel did !! After seeing the picture Chuck found, I like it a whole lot more now !! I think now, down the road, we'll see more of this stuff !!

Thanks, John 

 

[ChiefEagles]

Loks liek something CSX would come up with.   Hope the thing has good brakes.  If not, the operators will get more frequnet flier miles than I have.  

[chuck]

If you read down far enough in this article, the precursor to the snow melter is discussed after the test run of the "Black Beetle", NYC's rocket powered Bud car that was used to test out the feasability of high speed rail travel in the US (back in 1966). 

http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1999/2/1999_2_63.shtml

[CSXect]

Loks liek something CSX would come up with.   Hope the thing has good brakes.  If not, the operators will get more frequnet flier miles than I have.  

Actualy it looks like Norfolk Southern's mobile still

[underworld]

I think I have to build one of these beasts!!!!!

underworld

[csxt30]

Loks liek something CSX would come up with.   Hope the thing has good brakes.  If not, the operators will get more frequnet flier miles than I have.  

Actualy it looks like Norfolk Southern's mobile still

Good one !!