Railroad Work Equipment

Lima 1949 Union Pacific 900075
Lima 1949
Union Pacific 900075
Description:Steam Rotary Snow Plow

Equipment Information

UP 900075 is a steam-powered rotary snow plow. It is effectively a giant snow blower, with its steam engine – housed entirely within the streamlined car body for easier maintenance in winter conditions – powering a large blade at the front that throws snow to the side of the tracks. It is not self-propelled and was designed to be pushed by a locomotive. Diesel-powered rotary snow plows are still employed by railroads but the last steam-powered rotary plow was retired in the 1970s.

FUN FACT: By the time UP 900075 was built, diesel locomotives had largely supplanted steam engines. The Shay-type steam engines that power 900075 were so obsolete that Lima, the plow’s builder, had to bring elderly men out of retirement to complete the intricate task of assembling and adjusting the mechanism because none of their active workers at the time were familiar with the design.

Builder: Lima
Year Built: 1949
Length: 56ft 10in
Width: 12ft 1in
Height: 16ft 5in
Weight: 303000 lbs
Brakes: 6ET
Trucks: General Steel Casting
Description: Rotary Snow Plow
Arrived: 1993
Condition: Complete / restored / not operational

Read more about the history of this piece of equipment in Rail & Wire #259

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