Snow Plows on Locomotives

[SD45Jim]

Why do some locomotives have snow plows and some do not? What do the snow plows do that the regular front of locomotives do not do?

Thanks!

Jim Sherwin

[RK]

Hi there,

The Alaska Railroad built custom plows for their locos. They shaped them to really throw some snow. I don't know why they didn't custom make the plows for the new MACs. They just have regular small plows from EMD.

[Phil Hom]

Installing and removing these heavy plow cost time, money and labor. Just leave them on all the time is the best way to reduce these three factors.

Plows tend to move aside objects that can damage traction motors and fuel tanks. In Europe, some operations have a verticle bar that is closer to the railhead that will push aside rocks and other hard objects.

[CSX Conductor]

You may also notice toward the bottom of some plows the corners are curved or look like they were cut off......this is for loco's that work in third-rail territory

[fglk]

I think it depends on the locomotive and whos buying it and where it is going that makes the diffrence in weather a snow plow is rilly needed or not. I could be wrong thow. Most Southern Railroads did not have snow plows where as northern and western ones did. After ahile it mostlikley became standered on all locomotives just like wide cabs.