Coupled in front of the locomotive, this type of wedge-shaped plow simply pushed snow to the side. Because of their reliance on a locomotive's momentum, plows were often operated at high speeds - a practice fraught with danger. Nonetheless, snow removal was slow work; plows often retreated to sidings to allow passenger and freight trains to pass. The Boston & Maine Railroad shops built Snow Plow #60 before 1910.
In a snowstorm, "the engineers and the firemen, the conductors and the brakemen, the operators, train dispatchers, foremen and superintendents all have multiplied toil and exposure. The warfare between these men and the elements is worthy of being understood. It is warfare wherein brain and muscle are arrayed against cold, darkness and avalanches, against death in a thousand forms."
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