Snow on the North York Moors

As might be expected, the NYMR has been badly affected (again!) by the recent early winter weather. Grosmont Santa Specials could not run on Saturday, 4th December, services were limited the previous weekend (not a Santa weekend on the NYMR) and the Pullman Sunday Lunch train has been diverted to run off Pickering for the last two weekends.

Attached are some pictures from John Bruce, the Goathland Station Master, of trains operating through Goathland in very deep snow last weekend, and a first for the NYMR today when Nemesis Rail's Class 31, currently based on the line, was used for the first snow ploughing duties since BR days on the line. Have any other Standard Gauge heritage lines ever used snow ploughs in anger? NYMR Director Charlie Wood was driving the first plough across the Moors for over 45 years.

It isn't the first time an NYMR loco has run with snow ploughs - a set was borrowed and fitted to a Class 25 for filiming the "snow train crash" in Heartbeat many years ago, but the "snow" was foam, not the real thing (whcih would have been the last thing the producers wanted while filming!)

Steven

 

Does this example count? The Strathspey using a steam loco to push a Shark - ingenious!

Chris

 

Strathspey was the one I immediately thought off - and it probably does - as you say, ingenious - the NYMR has a Shark, don't know why we didn't think of it!

First use of purpose built snow ploughs then!

Steven

 

I'd have thought the use of a ballast plough was a bit risky if, as I understand it, the edges of the ploughs are below rail level when down and if you keep them high, they aren't really clearing the rails. All right as long as there aren't any crossings or other things to pick up.

 

OK, they're not standard gauge, but I posted links to a couple of vids I found on Youtube in the thread about the dodgy weather in the southeast:
http://railways.national-preservati...ld-you-sort-out-Se-travel?p=382945#post382945

Richard

 

True, but if it shifts the snow from the rest of the track surely the wheels of the Shark should cope ok with whats left on the railhead where the plough has to be raised. If we get more snowfall across the rest of the country then perhaps more lines should try this, after all Sharks are pretty common on heritage lines these days.

Chris

 

Ploughman will be the expert on this, but I think that the "ship's wheel" control for the ploughs on a Shark means that they can be set at any level in the overall range. Different depths of ballast and different circumstances (i.e. whether due to be tamped or not) would surely need ploughs to have more than "Up" or "Down" settings? As I say, I am not sure though!

Steven

 

The ships wheel simply lowers or raises the plough. The height setting of the plough in relation to the rail head is governed by two devices, which can be 'locked' in position, one at either side, to prevent any 'adjustment' under pressure from the ballast being ploughed.

 

I suppose it depends on the depth of the snow. If you had at least a foot above rail height, I could see how a shark could be useful. Set the plough so that the lowest part of it was just above rail height, then the plough could scoop off the top leaving four or 6 inches(?) for the wheels etc to cut through.

I know I wouldn't fancy charging along with the plough below rail height, the snow could be hiding all sorts of nasties!

 

That's precisely what I was thinking! The vid of the Strathspey showed the train moving at a reasonable speed, which I wouldn't fancy doing! And if the outsides of the plough are above rail height, there's a fair bit of snow over the rail. Although the general rule is anything up to 8" above rail level is OK, Shark's aren't that heavy and propelling them wouldn't be my favourite job....

 

Sharks are designed for ploughing ballast, so the blade is shaped to fit closely over the rail in a bit of a U shape.
If the blade was down to the sleeper top then the rail would be cleared but at the risk of removing all crossings or ballasted footpaths as well as any S+T equipment. Not forgetting that Sharks cannot work on check rail either.
If the blade is set for level with rail top then that would leave about 150mm of snow on the rail.

On the NYMR there is another device available for snow clearance, other than my NER Snowplough.
The PW have the Ballast regulator that again will plough anything out of the 4ft just like a shark.
Take a look at the link and scroll down the page to the regulator.
http://www.yorkareagroup.co.uk/index.php?p=1_6_Plant

 

Isn't there also a buffer beam mounted plough for the Q6 on display at the shed?

 

Good to see 31128 back with it ploughs, looked superb earlier in the year at the Nene Valley.

Can they stay on?

 

There are also 2 buffer beam ploughs alongside the turntable at Pickering. I think 1 is ex LNWR unsure of the other.

Are there any more of these buffer beam ploughs around the country?