LAL plow?

[railfan87]

Anyone know if the LAL used the plow today?? I saw something that looked like a plow in Genesee Junction today when I crossed over the tracks on Scottsville Road. I could be mistaken.....so I was just wondering if anyone saw anything

[Luther Brefo]

I doubt they used the plow pictured below as the leading truck (plow end) on it has no spring suspension of any kind. It is currently supported by wooden blocks between the bolster span and the truck sideframes. That is unless it has since been fixed and really was used. Did you capture a picture of it?

[railfan87]

no....no pictures of it. Like I said, I quickly saw something down there that could have looked like a plow. Maybe it was a railbox or something that tricked my eye

[BR&P]

The lack of springs on the lead truck is deliberate, to help maintain stability when the force of snow hits the blade. This is speculation, but my guess is MILW experienced a rash of broken springs before making this modification.

[Luther Brefo]

The lack of springs on the lead truck is deliberate, to help maintain stability when the force of snow hits the blade. This is speculation, but my guess is MILW experienced a rash of broken springs before making this modification.

Thank you for that clarification. One can learn something new everyday.

[BR&P]

That plow was one of three purchased for Ontario Lines. All three arrived from MILW with that set-up. ONCT's plow is still in that configuration, and as far as I am aware OMID's is also.

[railwatcher]

Am I to understand this correctly from this post and one previously, that MILW made these plows and that we can consider these of the home made variety? Obviously, they had some very creative folks that were able to turn these units out. That is very impressive. Maybe with some of the big snow coming we will see them in use.

[Otto Vondrak]

Was this one purchased from OMID or ONCT?

What does "MWK" stenciled on the side mean?

-otto-

[nessman]

Am I to understand this correctly from this post and one previously, that MILW made these plows and that we can consider these of the home made variety? Obviously, they had some very creative folks that were able to turn these units out. That is very impressive. Maybe with some of the big snow coming we will see them in use.

Yes - the former MILW plows are former steam engine tenders.

[nydepot]

I've seen MWK on LV MOW equipment before (like sand cars and such). I think it's a reporting class like XM for boxcars.

Charles

[BR&P]

To answer Otto's question, Ontario Lines, through the related company RSA Leasing, acquired 3 wedge plows and one flanger from the MILW. Two plows were assigned to OMID, and one plow and the flanger were sent to Ontario Eastern at Ogdensburg. All 4 pieces of equipment were converted steam loco tenders as noted above.

When ONER shut down, the plow and flanger from there were sent to ONCT. The plow remains there today. After OMID's Jordan Spreader had problems with a flanger blade mounted on the front, the flanger was sent from ONCT to OMID. It underwent a significant overhaul and painting, and the last I knew it was in excellent shape. I operated it on numerous occasions and it performed very well.

At some point about 10 years ago OMID decided it did not need two plows, at the same time LA&L was looking for one. So it was OMID who sold the plow to LA&L.

FWIW, at the time MILW had quite a few pieces of snow fighting equipment for sale. In addition to plows and flangers they also had - if I remember the name right - "cut wideners" which had wings on the side to push snow back in the cuts. Those too were former tenders. None of those was purchased locally.

[Sandy Burton]

So just how much snow is on the ground where the LAL runs? I need to get some Alco snow pictures this year so maybe a trip to Lakeville is in order. Here in western NJ yesterday;s wintery mess left us about 2 inches of white hard pack on the ground and some places the wind blew the ground bare.

Sandy

[scottychaos]

I dont know about the LAL's south end (Lakeville), but up on the Rochester end there is a solid 3 feet on the ground at the moment.

Probably at least a foot in Lakeville..Wednesday's storm dumped a foot or more on almost all of NY state.

Scot

[Sandy Burton]

Thanks, Scott. I guess a road trip is in order soon. But I may have to buy some hip-boots first. I don't ever recall tromping around in that much snow even when I was at Cornell so many years ago.

Sandy

[superdart]

I just got off the phone with my mom. She lives in south Avon, and she has a little over two feet of snow, not counting drifts

I'd be suprised if Lakeville didn't have just as much.