# 3000 Hp snowblower



## Drawbar

A railroad I used to work for custom built this 3000 horsepower snowblower specifically for the BNSF Railroad. It worked exceedingly well, and could remove snow 14 feet high, 10 feet wide and blow it 200 feet away...at least the main blower could.

The side blower was only 4 feet high, six feet wide, but was mounted on an arm that could be moved around obsticles like switch stands, signal towers and other obstructions.

Either way I thought some of you would like to see this guy in action in early 2003 in Northern Montana. Here is the link:

Snowblower


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## Live Oak

Interesting pics! It was about 97 degrees today and I sure coulda used some of that snow! :dazed:


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## chrpmaster

Great pics drawbar! :smiles: 

pretty impressice what a machine like that can do. Were there many of these made? seems like it would be kind of a small market for those that would need this. I think its alittle big for my drive! 

Andy


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## Drawbar

When I left the company in 2004, there was only three made. The machine itself was designed as a railroad ditch digger. It would ride along the rails, reach its arm out and dig ditches at a mile an hour, dumping the dug up material out of the conveyors you see in the pictures. 1 mph does not sound fast, but it really is for a ditching operation.

The snowblower was designed to keep this machine working in the winter when the ground froze. The digging wheel would be swapped out for the smaller snowblower head while the big snowblower head was permanately attached.

The problem with the machine as a snowblower, was that it could only blow snow in one direction. Many times they would want to take multiple passes which meant backing up, setting down and going again. This took up valuable track time. On big mainlines...they do not have time to haul all the frieght they have, never mind giving up track time to play in the snow.

In all the concept was sound, but never worked. As is the case with anything weather related, these snowblowers were in Minnesota when a big storm hit in Upper State New York. When they were in New York, they were needed in the Cascade Mountains. You see what I mean. And by the time you tried to move a machine to where the snow was, the snow was moved by other operations. 

Ditch Digger


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## Lamar Holland

still no match for my Kubota L 48 with 7 1/2 plow:furious:


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## HarryG

Awesome machine!


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