SP Snow Flanger

[Bryan Smith]

I making 2 SP Snow flanger cars. Both will be UP color because Union Pacific Railroad own Southern Pacific. that be great go behind the UP turbine and SD45 Rio Grande fighting the snow. There is no drawing plan about The Snow flanger car. I was looking the prototype on SP and UP. it 16 inches long, 3 inches wide and 4-3/4 inches tall.

On the REAL Railroad, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific The Sierra Nevada is hit hard by fierce Winter storms dumping up to 35 feet of snow each Winter season. Dispatched at any time, day or night, Flanger trains are called to duty when storms produce a depth of snow six inches or more above the rail. And Flangers were used for removal of snow and ice from track flange ways moving at relatively high speeds. Flangers have two steel blades that are lowered between the rails. One blade throws snow to one side of the track, while the other blade does just the opposite. The springs have been removed from the trucks to prevent the Flanger from moving up and down while the blades are lowered. If the flanger did have springs, the blades could drop deep enough to damage the track structure or derail the Flanger. Union pacific modified SP Flanger car.

 

I install the Truck on the snow flanger to checking make sure is the right prototype height.

 

I install the plow and testing. Both plows not moving up and down is 1/8" thicker high off the rail. I use a 2" PVC Vacuum tube pipe to make a plow for flanger cars.

 

Roof install

 

Now you can see-through the main flame and truck.

[Bryan Smith]

Almost Done the detail. I need to do the railing and the step. Soon will be ready for paint

Air Tank is from Bachmann "Ten Wheel locomotive" big air tank. I cut the air tank make it small air tank.

 

SP version Wheel Antenna.

 

Railing detail

 

Hand brake detail.

 

Bryan Smith

[g. gage]

Nice work Bryan did you work from plans? A couple of notes on SP snow operations. The first line of defense is the loco pilots and flangers. A typical flanger train (both SP & UP) over Donner is a pair of GP38-2’s pulling a flanger; running about 35 mph. The GP38’s are modified with hoods, matching the roof line over the vents behind the cab. The windshield wipers run through a circle and rotate 360 degrees.

 

The next line of defense is about three mainline locos and a spreader; these can clear two tracks at a time. The last stand is the rotary snowplows, usually a rotary in front and one in back with three or four mainline locos in between; so they won’t get stranded, they hope.

 

Have fun, Rob  

 

[Bryan Smith]

Thank Rob for comment.

Both Snow Flanger Cars is finish the detail. Now one snow flanger car in the paint shop of SPMW 326.

SPMW 326 now have a fresh yellow paint on the body shell and detail.

 

SPMW 326 now have a fresh yellow paint on the body shell and detail. 

 

 SPMW 324 the detail is done. Now is ready for paint.

[Bryan Smith]

The paint is now finish! I remove blue masking tape off the windows for i can put new masking tape cover the window before start the high gross clear coat first.  Then put down a decal.  For right now I waiting for the decal.

Bryan