As you will note from other recent Attuvian postings, I'm planning a kitbash of the Walthers rotary snow plow. It will hopefully bear some resemblance to the square-widowed version used on the SP in the 50s, just before they upgraded to the round-windowed versions. The kitbash is in response to a couple of available photos that reveal a longer body than the originals produced by ALCO in the 20s (the best picture of that one being available through the Denver Library collection). SP's mods included moving the rear doors farther aft and seemingly enclosing the area under the trailing roof overhang - with the addition in that space of another window. I have two questions: 1) with that increased length, did SP also move the rear truck farther to the rear and, 2) who has produced the best detailed rotary blade assembly in HO that would be compatible with the Walthers shell? As I plan to add grab irons to the blade cowling and above the front windows, thinner glazing and perhaps some carriage chain work, I'm wondering if there might be something better out there than the Walthers blades, which really aren't TOO bad. As the blades are likely the initial attention-getter for a plow, they ought to be as nice as possible. I'll swap out the accompanying smaller tender with a beautiful Intermountain AC-11/12 tender that has already been acquired to complete the project.
I can take a look later at my Walthers Rotary. I would agree that they are probably a good representation of the scoop wheel assembly.
Here's a cut from a 1921 Alco pamphlet, No. 10015 I have on rotary snow plows showing the scoop wheel:
Here's the first two pages of the "Instruction Manual" just for some interesting fodder...
Good Luck, Ed
Thanks, Ed. This is good stuff. When I got into this MRR stuff I had utterly no notion of the interesting side trails one is lead down while researching issues. Now I've got directions for proper use of a Rotary! Gimme a year or two to finish this project. Working on retirement first.
John
Ed:
Thank you for posting that very interesting instruction manual! I think I'd be scared out of my wits riding in the cab of a rotary snow plow working at full throttle. I doubt that it was a smooth ride!
Regards,
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
If a nicer set of rotary blades is needed, check into the old Durango Press Rio Grande rotary kit. True, these were mostly narrowgauge most of their lives, but some actually came with an extra set of standard gauge trucks and spent time on the SG early in their lives. My guess is it will be wide enough to work, but I don't have an example to evaluate. Maybe someone else does and can measure blade diameter?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Glad you enjoyed it John & Dave. Perhaps I'll post a few more pages out of that great, old Alco booklet, not wanting to hijack the thread, though
hon30critterI think I'd be scared out of my wits riding in the cab of a rotary snow plow working at full throttle.
There was a YouTube video I came across some time ago showing a CN wedge plow flying off a crossing and derailing. IIRC someone requested that it be taken down to respect the wishes of someone related to one of the crew who was injured or killed.
Ed