Snow plough for a Caledonian Railway locomotive. A Caledonian Railway official standing next to a locomotive snow plough, about 1890. Snow has always been a particular hazard on railways. It can make locomotive, carriage and wagon wheels loose adhesion and slip, while snowdrifts block cuttings. Snowploughs mounted on locomotives were first used in Scotland in the 1850s in attempts to keep lines open. The Caledonian Railway kept stocks of snowploughs at its engine sheds and depots, ready to cope with the effects of harsh Scottish winters. Photograph and text courtesy of the National Railway Museum. [Click on image to enlarge it.]
[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the © National Railway Museum and SSP and (2) link to its webpage. It would be nice to cite the Victorian Web, too.
Last modified 14 October 2016