Do you feel it when you crash through a snowbank?

When operating power, and you run through a plowed-up snowbank at a road intersection, how big a snowbank is needed for you to feel it?

RussNelson wrote:When operating power, and you run through a plowed-up snowbank at a road intersection, how big a snowbank is needed for you to feel it?

Depends really on how cold it is vs how much snow their is. If the snow bank is frozen solid, often you feel a slight bump. But if the snow is fresh, i usually don't feel a thing. I SEE the snow go flying and often hear thw impact, but very little feel.

Snow is @ 35 lbs./per cu ft. Diesel-electric can be 1484 lbs./cu ft.

The sound is actually louder than you would imagine, and the loco does get a bit of a "hit', but your usually having too much fun watching the explosion of snow to notice anything other than the show. Sometimes the front of the loco becomes so packed with snow, you can only open the rear door to get out. It's even better to get out there, just as the plows on the roadways begin their work, building up some huge berms of snow.... I've hit snow as high as the front porch, without much of a feel of it, and loss of vision due to windshields become snowed in.

For some reason certain road crossings seem to have better berms than others, whether due to road width, drifting or whatever. You gauge the snowfall by the ones before, and kind of look forward to those good ones. It really bites when the best berm crossing has a 10 MPH slow order on it!

I always thought a bigger concern would be getting derailed. Does the snow and ice ever pack so tight the flanges ride up over the rail?

Actually, feeling your way through a snow bank depends on a train's speed and the length and height of the snowbank. Pushing your way through a four foot high, six foot long snowbank at 10 MPH wouldn't register. Hitting the same snowbank at 50 MPH would result in a minor "thud" and shudder. The snow banks built up at road crossings are generally high but not very long.

The only place ice build up becomes a concern is where the temperature rises and falls resulting in the ice build up over time ... on infrequently used tracks.

Now, snow drifts out in open country are a whole lotta fun! Like the ones 6 hours ago ... 5-6 feet high ... 500 feet long ... 50 MPH. Nothing but white-out, loud rumble, but very little vibration/feeling. More visually spectacular than hitting a plowed up (relatively small) snow bank at a crossing.

Last week I was coming through the Stateline tunnel on the B&A and had a large chunk of ice fell from the ceiling and was laying across the track. It was about 2 feet high. Other then the noise of ice cubes hitting the windshield it wasn't much of a problem. I did tell the Dispatcher that the party ice had been delieved to the tunnel if any one needed it.
Railman

Didn't the NYS&W lose 2 of the C-430's due to ice built up in crossing flangeways flipping the locos on their sides....3002 & 3004 if my memory is correct?

We have a lot of snow out here and I hit some pretty good drifts when it was still snowing a lot. Its like driving through a car wash except instead of water picture snow. Lost a ditch light actually, busted it right out and was packed with snow!

Snow can plug up the air horns on a lead locomotive when drifts are deep enough and they are hit fast enough. Had this happen many times.

Coming home on the Portland Blue one night we it a good drift out by the meat packing plant over by E Moline. There was a lot of ice in that drift and lo and behold it was shift change. A car load of workers pulled right up close to the crossing and we hit doing around 60. When you hear the chunks of ice slamming into a car it is a neat sound

TB Diamond wrote:Snow can plug up the air horns on a lead locomotive when drifts are deep enough and they are hit fast enough. Had this happen many times.

In the Conrail days, they put a cover over the horns to try to prevent
this from taking place. It was at least somewhat successful.
Noel Weaver

Noel Weaver wrote:

TB Diamond wrote:Snow can plug up the air horns on a lead locomotive when drifts are deep enough and they are hit fast enough. Had this happen many times.

In the Conrail days, they put a cover over the horns to try to prevent
this from taking place. It was at least somewhat successful.
Noel Weaver

Those covers seem to be helpful. I know it beats having one without. They sure sound funny with a bunch of snow packed in them!