UP 900000 Rotary Snow Plows

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This page was last updated on January 6, 2021.

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Overview

During the years 1887 to 1922 the Union Pacific and connecting lines that later became part of the Union Pacific system, acquired a total of 17 rotary plows.

Of the first five rotaries built in 1887 and 1888 for the Union Pacific or its later acquired connecting lines, none were officially retired until 1958. In that year two were retired and two were stored unassigned. As of 1966, one was stationed at Rawlins. It was the first rotary constructed at the Cooke Works. It was seldom used because rotaries built at a much later date were stationed at Green River and Cheyenne and were used in preference. But it still served as standby protection -- just in case it is needed -- 80 years after it was constructed.

OSL Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow

1959
Number		 As-Built
Number		 1949
Number		 Builder Date
Built		 Builder
Number		 Date
Retired		 Notes
OSL 900050 OSL 02010 OSL 050 Cooke Jul 1896 Leslie 50 Jun 1968 1
OSL 900051 OSL 02011 OSL 051 Rogers Jan 1913 51166 Jun 1972 2
OSL 900052 OSL 02012 OSL 052 Cooke Oct 1914 54248 Oct 1969 3
OSL 900053 OSL 02013 OSL 053 Cooke Feb 1916 55488 Oct 1973 4

General Notes:

  1. OSL 900050 and 900051 had wooden construction and steel underframes
  2. OSL 900052 and 900053 had all-steel construction
  3. Source: Builder information compiled by Robert Lehmuth.

Notes:

  1. OSL 900050 was ordered in December 1895; delivered as OSL 02010; renumbered to OSL 050 in October 1949; renumbered to OSL 900050 in September 1959; retired in June 1968
  2. OSL 900051 was ordered in November 1912; built as OSL 762 in January 1913, renumbered upon delivery to OSL 02011; renumbered to OSL 051 in September 1949; renumbered to OSL 900051 in January 1959; sold to private individual, Blackfoot, Idaho, in June 1972 for use as part of a restaurant; donated in 1979 to Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, Wisconsin; moved in 1980; original cylindrical tender replaced by a non-UP rectangular tender.
  3. OSL 900052 was built in 1914 as OSL 02012; renumbered to OSL 052 in September 1949; converted from coal fuel to oil fuel in September 1950; renumbered to OSL 900052 in September 1959; retired in October 1969
  4. OSL 900053 was built in 1916 as OSL 02013; renumbered to OSL 053 in September 1949; converted from coal fuel to oil fuel in September 1950; renumbered to OSL 900053 in January 1959; retired in October 1973; located at Pocatello at time of retirement, per mailgram dated October 26, 1973; still at Pocatello (with tender 907962) as of October 17, 1974.

 

OWRR&N Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow

1959
Number		 Previous
Number		 Date To
900000 Series		 Builder Date
Built		 Builder
Number		 Date
Retired		 Notes
OWRR&N 900059 ORy&N 059 Jul 1959 Cooke Nov 1887 Leslie 4 Jun 1968 1
OWRR&N 900060 ORy&N 060 Mar 1959 Cooke Nov 1888 Leslie 18 Aug 1968 2
OWRR&N 900061 OWRR&N 061 Oct 1959 Rogers Jan 1913 51167 Sep 1978 3
OWRR&N 900062 OWRR&N 062 Mar 1959 Rogers Jul 1917 55508 Oct 1969 4

General Notes:

  1. OWRR&N 900059-900062 all had wooden construction, steel underframe;
  2. UP Equipment Record: r3-0034 (OWRR&N 059-090); r3-0633 (UP 9000050-9000099)

Notes:

  1. OWRR&N 900059 was built in 1887 as ORy&N 059; renumbered to OWRR&N 059 in 1910; renumbered to OWRR&N 900059 in July 1959; retired in June 1968
  2. OWRR&N 900060 was built in 1888 as ORy&N 060 (ordered in November 1887); renumbered to OWRR&N 060 in 1910; renumbered to OWRR&N 900060 in March 1959; retired in August 1968
  3. OWRR&N 900061 was built in 1913 as OWRR&N 061 (ordered in November 1912) renumbered to OWRR&N 900061 in October 1959; retired in August 1968; donated to City of Ogden, Utah, (with tender 907827) in September 1978; displayed at Utah State Railroad Museum, Ogden, Utah.
  4. OWRR&N 900062 was built in 1917 as OWRR&N 062; renumbered to OWRR&N 900062 in March 1959; retired in October 1969

 

UP Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow

1959
Number		 As-Built
Number		 1918
Number		 1949
Number		 Builder Date
Built		 Builder
Number		 Date
Retired		 Notes
(UP 900070) UP 061 UP 03000 UP 070 Cooke Jan 1887 Leslie 1 Nov 1958  
(UP 900071) UP 062 UP 03001 UP 071 Cooke Nov 1887 Leslie 2 Nov 1958  
UP 900072 UP 063 UP 03002 UP 072 Cooke Dec 1887 Leslie 3 Oct 1959  
UP 900073 UP 064 UP 03003 UP 073 Rogers Jan 1913 52449 Oct 1969  

General Notes:

  1. UP 061 and 062 had wooden construction and steel underframes
  2. UP 900072 and 900073 (ex UP 063 and 064) had wooden construction, steel underframes

 

UP Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow

In November of 1922, Union Pacific placed an order with American Locomotive Company for a steam-powered rotary snowplow. The new unit arrived in December and was assigned road number 03005. It weighed 203,000 pounds, and was 80 feet, 8-1/2 inches long over the tender. After the experiences in the Blizzard of '49, the plow was upgraded. The cab received centralized controls and improved visibility, and the mechanism received power reverse gear, and larger air pumps. Force feed lubrication was provided for both engine and shafts. Later in its career, the plow was renumbered to 074. In 1959, when numbers were revised to be compatible with computers, the plow became UP 900074.

1959
Number		 As-Built
Number		 1949
Number		 Builder Date
Built		 Builder
Number		 Date
Retired
UP 900074 UP 03005 UP 074 Cooke Dec 1922 58636 Oct 1969

General Notes:

  1. UP 900074 was built in 1922 as UP 03005; renumbered to UP 074 in August 1949; converted to oil fuel in August 1951; renumbered to UP 900074 in 1959
  2. UP 900074 had wooden construction, steel underframe
  3. See also: photos in The Streamliner, Volume 14, Number 2, Spring 2000; page 37 (review of newly released Walthers HO scale model)
  4. UP 900074 was retired in October 1969.

 

UP Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow (2 plows)

Research suggests that following the harsh winters of 1948-1949, Union Pacific approached the locomotive builders to design and purchase a modern rotary snow plow. (Alco had built the last domestic rotary snowplow in 1937.) Apparently, only Lima-Hamilton Corp. responded with a proposal. During the design process, Lima saw a potential market for a new design rotary snow plow, and an all-new design was announced to the industry on December 19, 1949, although two had already been sold to Union Pacific. Formal construction began in late spring 1949, working with Union Pacific on the design, and the first plow for Union Pacific was completed on December 30, 1949. A total of four plows were built: one for Rock Island, one for Soo Line, and two for Union Pacific, numbered as UP 075 and 076. All four plows were completed in the late December 1949 to February 1950 time period.

The design was unique and modern in every way, using designs and processes that were as up-to-date as possible. For easier maintenance, the design used a boiler that was mounted with its smokebox toward the rear of the plow. The boiler burned fuel oil, as well as other types, including diesel fuel due to its increasing availability and use on the railroads. The plows were equipped with six 13x15 vertical cylinders, identical to those used on Lima's Pacific Coast Shay. The engines were located, three on each side, in front of the boiler to allow better access for maintenance and better connection to the rotary wheel itself. This design allowed the combination of a horizontal drive shaft and spur gears to drive the wheel. The plows had a total of 1,500 horsepower each, fifty percent more powerful than previous rotary snow plow designs.

Photos and narrative are in "Lima: The History" by Eric Hirsimaki (Hundman Publishing, 1986; second edition, 2004), pages 278-280.

A message on the UP Modelers Yahoo discussion group mentions that because the last Pacific Coast Shay had been built in 1938, Lima had to call in some retired employees to help set up the boilers, cylinders and gearing prior to delivery.

(Photo of the interior of one of these snow plows during construction; showing the arrangement of the boiler and Shay engines)

UP 900076 was the last steam-powered rotary snow plow used on a Class One railroad in the U. S. In March 1977, Rock Island borrowed UP 900076 and used the plow in Colorado and Kansas. UP 900076 was the last steam-powered rotary snow plow retired in the U. S., in June 1985.

1959
Number		 Previous
Number		 Builder Date
Built		 Builder
Number		 Assigned
Tender		 Date
Retired		 Notes
UP 900075 UP 075 Lima-Hamilton Jan 1950 9387 25-RC-1594 Apr 1977 1
UP 900076 UP 076 Lima-Hamilton Jan 1950 9388 25-RC-1572 Jun 1985 2

General Notes:

  1. UP 900075 and 900076 had all-steel construction
  2. UP 900075 and 900076 were ordered in December 1949; delivered in January 1950.
  3. The tenders assigned to these two plow came from ex C&O 2-8-8-2s, UP 3572 and 3592, respectively. (View the roster listing for UP 3570-3588)
  4. These two snow plows are very similar to the HO scale model offered by Athearn; the major difference being that the UP plows had much larger tenders.

Notes:

  1. UP 900075 was built in 1949 as UP 075, delivered in January 1950; renumbered to UP 900075 in 1959; assigned at Cheyenne by September 1973; assigned to Green River to protect the South Pass Branch, serving the connection with the USS Atlantic City iron ore mine, north of Rock Springs; retired in April 1977 due to freeze damage; donated to Kansas City Railroad Museum in 1979; moved to Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois, in 1992.
  2. UP 900076 was built in 1949 as UP 076, delivered in January 1950; renumbered to UP 900076 in 1959; assigned to Hinkle, Oregon, by March 1984; retired in June 1985; donated to City of Hermiston, Oregon, moved to permanent display in August 1986; displayed with UP 900083.
  3. UP 900076 is displayed (with UP 900083) adjacent to Hodge Park, adjacent to UP's Umatilla Branch, near the intersection of 1st Street (Hermiston-Hinkle Road) and Highland Avenue in Hermiston, about 2.8 miles due north of UP's Hinkle Yard.
  4. UP 900076 and 900083 are part of the Maxwell Siding Railroad Museum. Maxwell being the original name of what is now known as Hermiston. It was founded by a local judge and two retired UP employees (John Spinden and Connie Maret).

 

UP Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow

Road
Number		 Previous
Number		 Builder Date
Built		 Date
Retired		 Notes
UP 900080 UP 080 UPRR Dec 1958   1
UP 900081   UPRR Aug 1966 1994 2
UP 900082   UPRR Jun 1971   3

General Notes:

  1. UP 900080 was designed and built in 1958 at the UP Omaha shops, using the frame and rear truck from a retired ex C&O steam tender; numbered as UP 080; renumbered to UP 900080 in 1959; operating weight 347,240 pounds; self-contained, diesel-electric; 50'-9" length; 16'-8" high; rotary plow blades are 12' in diameter. Equipped with an EMD 16-567-C roots-blown diesel engine; 1,750 horsepower. (View the folio diagram sheet for UP 900080)
  2. UP 900081 was designed and built in 1966 at the UP Omaha shops, using the frame and rear truck from a retired ex C&O steam tender; numbered as UP 900081; operating weight 367,400 pounds; self-contained, diesel-electric; 52'-2" length; 17' high; rotary plow blades are 12' in diameter. Equipped with an EMD 16-645-D3A turbocharged diesel engine; 3,000 horsepower. (View the folio diagram sheet for UP 900081)
  3. UP 900082 was designed and built in 1971 at the UP Omaha shops; operating weight 284,500 pounds; self-contained, diesel-electric; 55'-3" length; 17' high; rotary plow blades are 12' in diameter. Equipped with an EMD 12-645-E3 turbocharged diesel engine; 2,500 horsepower. (View the folio diagram sheet for UP 900082)
  4. Bob Kreiger wrote about his experiences when Union Pacific loaned UP 900082 to BNSF in 1997: "We were hired to head north and plow from Forsythe, MT to Aberdeen, SD line across northern South Dakota. This was a former MILW line, now BNSF. They were inundated all over their northern tier. From what we had heard they had a couple of their plows down at the time. Also they brought the old ATSF plow up from Topeka but it ended up with a burned friction journal on it. It was in the Aberdeen roundhouse when we arrived there. I had heard that the power plant outside Aberdeen was very short on coal and we had a couple of trains follow us across the line. When they arrived the BNSF sent us back to Forsythe, spin the equipment and head east to Mandan yard outside Bismarck, ND. After sitting there for two days Steve (Steve Lee, manager) asked the powers to be when we were going to go plow and was told we were there on standby protection. Well, after Steve spoke to them in "railroad" talk indicating we had our own railroad to protect they sent us back west and home to Cheyenne. Steve said they also paid the bill presented to them by the time we had returned. Some of that snow I plowed across South Dakota was up to 15 feet deep." (Bob Kreiger, commenting as part of a discussion on Trainorders.com, February 13, 2019)

Notes:

  1. UP 900080 was assigned to Cheyenne in 1986; moved to Portola, California, during the early 1990s and used to clear the former WP Feather River Canyon and High Line; moved to Roseville after 1997; seen in Roseville, California in March 1999; moved to Portola (date?); moved from Portola, California, to Cheyenne, Wyoming in August 2005; still there in September 2012.
  2. UP 900081 was assigned to Green River from 1980 to 1985 (kept in the Green River roundhouse until it was demolished in 1984); assigned to Rawlins from 1985 to 1990; assigned to LaGrande, Oregon in 1994; retired in 1994 due to freeze damage; donated to Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, Missouri, 1994.
  3. UP 900082 remains in service, stored at Cheyenne along with UP's Heritage Fleet; readied for use every fall and placed on stand-by.

 

UP Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow
Schenectady, 1909 (CMSP&P, 1954)

Road
Number		 Previous
Number		 Builder Date
Built		 Builder
Number		 Date To
UP		 Date
Retired		 Notes
UP 900083 MILW X900212 Schenectady Oct 1909 46712 May 1981 1988 1

General Notes:

  1. UP 900083 was built in 1909 as a steam-powered rotary plow Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound number 15; renumbered to Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific number X900212; converted to electric by Milwaukee Road (CMSP&P) in 1954.
  2. UP 900083 was purchased second-hand on April 3, 1981 from Milwaukee Road, purchase price was $35,000; received by UP at Omaha in May 1981; rebuilt by UP at Omaha, released in late March 1985, sent to Hinkle in mid April 1985 for service in Blue Mountains to replace the steam-powered UP 900076 (the last steam-powered rotary on UP).
  3. The rebuild by UP included new rotary wheel bearings, repairing the rotary wheel, and replacing two traction motors, along with reconditioning the cab, carbody and trucks. (Info magazine, June 1985, page 5)
  4. The above information has been updated to reflect additional research by John Taubeneck, based on orignal Milwaukee Road records. Previous reports published at the time that UP purchased this rotary snowplow (see: Pacific News, Issue 229, August 1981, page 16; Pacific News, June 1985, page 26; Pacific News, August 1985, page 23; The Mixed Train, April 1985, page 10) stated in error that Milw X900212 was built by Cooke in February 1910. (John Taubeneck, email dated December 2, 2017)

Notes:

  1. UP 900083 was retired in 1988; donated to City of Hermiston, Oregon, in December 1989. (CTC Board, March 1990, page 15)
  2. Displayed (with UP 900076) adjacent to Hodge Park, adjacent to UP's Umatilla Branch, near the intersection of 1st Street (Hermiston-Hinkle Road) and Highland Avenue in Hermiston, about 2.8 miles due north of UP's Hinkle Yard.
  3. UP 900076 and 900083 are part of the Maxwell Siding Railroad Museum. Maxwell being the original name of what is now known as Hermiston. It was founded by a local judge and two retired UP employees (John Spinden and Connie Maret).

 

UP Leslie-type Rotary Snow Plow (LNP&W)

1959
Number		 As-Built
Number		 1924
Number		 1951
Number		 Builder Date
Built		 Builder
Number		 Date
Retired		 Notes
  LHP&P 0098 (1st) LNP&W 098   Cooke Sep 1911 49470   1
UP 900098 LHP&P 0098 (2nd) LNP&W 098 UP 098 Cooke Dec 1917 56172 Dec 1980 2
UP 900099 LHP&P 0099 LNP&W 099 UP 099 Cooke Dec 1909 43670 Oct 1969 3

General Notes:

  1. Laramie, North Park & Western Railroad was organized in 1901 as Laramie, Hahn's Peak & Pacific Railway; re-organized in 1914 as Colorado, Wyoming & Eastern Railway; re-organized as Laramie, North Park & Western Railroad in 1924; sold to UP in 1951, operated as Coalmont Branch until 1987
  2. UP 098 and 099 had wooden construction and steel underframes
  3. Source: Builder information compiled by Robert Lehmuth.

Notes:

  1. LHP&P 098 (1st) was built in 1911 as LHP&P 098 (1st); wrecked
  2. UP 900098 was built as stock, held at Cooke until sold to Copper Range Railroad no. 9; sold to LHP&P 098 (2nd), renumbered to LNP&W 098 in 1924; to UP in December 1951, renumbered to UP 098; renumbered to UP 900098 in February 1959; retired by UP in December 1980; displayed at Hanna, Wyoming (date of move not known)
  3. UP 900099 was built in 1909 as stock, held at Cooke until sold to LHP&P 099 in (??, after 1911), renumbered to LNP&W 099; to UP in December 1951, renumbered to UP 099; renumbered to UP 900099 in February 1959; retired by UP in October 1969; donated to Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colorado.

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