Re: Rotary question

The wheel was never balanced. That is why they always stopped the wheel when going over bridges and trestles. When the wheel is not buried in snow it was not spun or only spun slowly. When the wheel is cutting snow part of the wheel is loaded and part is empty. Any attempt to balance the wheel is at best of limited value.

As I recall by the way the quarter axle on the OY which broke in 1995 had a 1938 date stamped on its end. Breaking and repairing snow fighting equipment was all part of the game. If you are going to understand old time railroading you have to understand that.

Using rotary plows to clear branches that had been shut all winter was the way it was done. That was not abuse. Running a rotary through an avalanche where there was reason to believe there were rocks or trees without first probing could be abuse. The rotary was commonly used to clear slides that didn't contain rocks and trees.

John Bush