Russell Snow Plow #2
Railroads that operated in northern climates have to operate is some extreme conditions for a good 6 months of the year. This was especially true here in the Keweenaw, where snowfall can easily top 300 inches a year. For a time Copper Country railroads relied on the standard method of attaching plows to the front of steam engines to keep the tracks clear. But the lake effect snowstorms of the area could easily dump a couple feet of snow overnight, an onslaught the trains could not keep up with. Railroads would quickly succumb to the weather and have to shut down. A better solution was needed.
Copper Country railroads begin to adopt dedicated engines and cars that were used only for snow removal. For many lines his meant rotary snow blowers much like the modern Sno-Go used today. Even the local interurban had its own such machine to keep it’s trolley tracks clear. But for C&H and its Calumet & Hecla RR a method with a little more brute force was used. This was the Russell Snow Plow.
The Russell Snow Plow was simply a large plow attached to the front of a rail car. While a rotary blower would lumber along the tracks at a slow and deliberate pace, the Russell would simply be pushed by a separate engine right through the snow throwing it out of the way. The car consisted of three parts; the forward plow, the elevated control booth, and a rear car. Besides the main forward plow, the Russell was also equipped with a pair of wing plows that could be extended out over the sides of the tracks to clear more room along the right of way.
Sitting along the Industrial Core of the Keweenaw Historic Park lies one such plow. This is the second plow C&H had in its inventory and through fate had managed to escape the scrapper’s torch and now sits on an abandoned length of rail behind Coppertown USA. Here is a close up of the forward plow and control booth, where you can see the large wing plow in it’s stowed position.
Here are a few views of the main plow itself. The blade was designed for use at high speed, the snow simply being scooped up by the thin blade running just shy of the rail tops (see bottom photo) and thrown to the left and right by the gentle curve of the upper part of the plow. What I found interesting was the plow itself was made from wood, with only the blade and central ridge strengthened with steel plating.
A single light sits atop the plow to light the way. The control booth sits just behind this light, and allows the operator to see over the top of the plow blade.
The rear compartment of the plow, where I thought a diesel engine was housed. Apparently these plows were pushed by other engines (thanks to Doug for the correction), so what is housed here I don’t know. This door was used by the operators to enter the plow and the ladder was probably used for shoveling off the roof of the car.
I just love this old C&H logo which still is em-blazed on the side of the plow. The epitome of post war industrial optimism summed up in two cursive letters. It also represented the end of an age in the Copper Country.
A parting shot of the plow, as it seems to make its way along C&H’s surface plant. In reality, of course, it stands still and the industrial giant that once surrounded it now only a collection of abandoned buildings. An era frozen in time.
Russell snow plows are not self-propelled. They are pushed from behind by one or more engines (either steam or diesel). The plow operator would communicate with the engineer using bell signals.
Doug | May 30, 2007
I’m not sure about the Russell plows, but the snowblower we saw in Skagway, Alaska had to be pushed by a separate engine.
Jay Balliet | May 30, 2007
Doug - Thanks for the correction. I had made an assumption based on photos I had seen of the plow. These showed the plow and a few ore cars but no separate engine. Pairing with that my knowledge of the HCTC’s rotary plow which was self propelled and the rear “cabin” on the plow which looked like it housed an engine; I came to an erroneous conclusion. I have corrected the post to reflect the new information. Thanks again.
Jay - Before I got the chance to respond to Doug’s comment, your comment popped up as well! I’m glad I have readers which are on the ball (more then it looks like I am this morning) and are around to correct my errors. It really is much appreciated and please keep it up!
explorer | May 30, 2007
Looking back through stuff I didn’t see before, this plow in Calumet was never used when I was growing up, it needs to be pushed fast to throw the snow> C&H didn’t go that fast, the plow at the Houghton County Museum in Lake inden was the one used. My dad used to ride that plow, I can’t remember, but he would leave 4 or 5 in the morning, first thing they would do, is open the railroad up with the plow. All these plows were pushed by a locomotive, non were self powered, even the rotary plow, its boiler supplied steam only to turn the wheel.
Also this Russell plow has what was called a flanger, its right in front of the wheels at the back of the plow, it was raised and lowered, it would dig the snow out between the rails, maybe an inch below the top of the rail. Keeps the air hoses from being knocked apart in the snow. The back portion was somewhere for people to keep warm and out of the weather, nothing more, the control for the flanger blade may have been there, but I think that was up in the control cab.
The plow in Lake Linden was more of the brute force type, it was basically a bulldozer.
Gordy | December 9, 2007
Gordy - once again thanks for the great additional info on this baby. They modern C&H logo on its side would suggest to me that this plow was a late purchase - probably near the end of the mine’s life. Maybe it never got the chance to be used, or was used only on portions of the line where the engines could go faster.
Did you ever get to ride along with your Dad as he plowed the lines? I would imagine it would be a very load and bumpy ride (and exciting for a kid for sure). My son loves trains but never gets to see many in action living here now. He would of loved being around when these trains were running!
explorer | December 9, 2007
Actually I believe this plow was an early purchase, what I have read 1925, but it was built before then. I have some photos of this plow when it didn’t look so nice, the museum did paint this many years ago. I’ll have to find them, this would hae been after C&H shut down, it was parked over behind the machine shop, by the old enginehouse, can’t remember if it had the emblems or not though, the one side had a hole in the side where the wood had rotted away.
Here’s an interesting tidbit I had found on the Internet once http://www.sdrm.org/history/reports/report79/report79pg4.html
Never rode the plow with my dad, I would have been under 10 years old at the time. But I did ride once with one of my brothers from Calumet to Lake Linden, took the loaded rock cars down and brought empties back, bad part was, on the ride back up the hill, we had a main generator fire, had to shut the engine down, had to sit and wait for another locomotive to come from Ahmeek via the Traprock Valley line, needless to say, we got back home really late that night.
My dad was really concerned towards the end, as the air brake pressure was dropping and they worried the train was going to make a fast trip in reverse back down th hill out of control. Had my brother and I get off and pick blueberries for something to eat, plus didn’t have to worry about getting us off if something went wrong.
Can’t be many left that rode the old C&H rails anymore.
Gordy | December 9, 2007