Re: Snow Plow Plowing

This is the rescue train mentioned above. SVRy Plow #1 is being pushed by SVRy #4, followed be W.H. Eccles Heisler #3, Oregon L.Co. Heisler #104, and Baker White Pine L.Co. Climax #3. This unlikely plow train was quickly made up of all available motive power in or near Austin. The story, as recounted by Mal Ferrell in Rails Sagebrush And Pine, is that the daily passenger train headed by #1 (The other former Tonapah Mogul) had made the trip to Austin and was returning to Baker. In the mean time a freight, headed by Mikado #17, became stuck on the 4% grade between Sumpter and Larch. When train No. 2 arrived at the scene it was unable to back up the grade, and both trains quickly became snowed in. Three days later, after derailments, deep drifts, and frozen switches, the rescuers succeeded in freeing the stuck trains. The location of this photo is not identified but is probibly Whitney.