In April, the railroad announced that it would be using the OY rotary in late February or early March 2020 to kick off the railroad’s 50th anniversary year. The rotary has not been used since 1997.
C&TS Assistant General Manager Stathi Pappas says the rotary is in “remarkable shape” but that it does need some mechanical and cosmetic work. The railroad will do most of the mechanical work and the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad will spearhead the cosmetic work.
The railroad used former Denver & Rio Grande Western K-27 No. 463 to push the rotary from Chama to Cumbres Pass, where it was turned on the wye and placed at the rear of the train. Bush says the plan to push the plow up Cumbres Pass and pull it downhill from there is both for safety and the unique photo opportunity.
The railroad says dates for the 2020 operations have not been made. The railroad plans to use the rotary over two days to clear as much of the 64-mile railroad as possible. The railroad is offering a limited number of tickets to see the event and those who are interested in attending are encouraged to send an email to rmartinez@cumbrestoltec.com.
My late uncle retired from Pennsylvania Railroad as VP of the Baltimore Road mid last century. I grew up in Harrisburg, PA., when steam engines were giving way to diesels. Marveled at many crossing the Rockville Bridge. Here’s 2 questions .watching the rotary oy snowplow video. Does the snowplow freeze or clog up that it stops frequently? Observed men dumping something from a bag into steam engine on that train. What are they dumping into the steam engine? BTW the whistles were a thrilling reminder of my childhood listening to the train whistles of that era in the Susquehanna Valley. Thanks for the video.
Nope Charles, you are just going to have to change your name. 😉 Nice picture by the way. 🙂
First name of the photographer is misspelled; it should be “Charles.”
They sure could have used it this year. The Cumbres Trestle SNOTEL site just melted out yesterday, the latest date since 1995.Let’s hope there’s the same amount of snow (or more!) next year!
The Bush referred to in the article is John Bush, the President of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.