Rotaries and Flangers on Donner Pass! 

It's amazing how quickly the snowdozer population bounces back each winter. Nature is truly a wonder to behold.

I find it hilarious that the RU-vid algorithm decided to suggest this video. I watch a lot of guitar gear demos (guitars, effect pedals, etc) and Donner is a brand of guitar. Rotary and Flanger are two types of guitar effects. So I guess this seemed like the perfect video for YT to recommend. 😂 And now I've learned about two types of train. Too cool.

So cute the one snow dozer turns around and tries to outrun the plow. lol

#193 Thank you for a fine video! I am 73. Fifty years ago I helmed some of the Railroad Car Ferrys on Lake Michigan during the Winter months. These vessels were coal fired, steam powered with Skinner Uniflow Engines. They all were Ice Breakers and could punch through "The Wind Rolls". Winter seas were cold and rough! However, Food in the Galley was the best served!!

Excellent video! The rotary plow alongside the "herd of snowdozers" makes for quite the sight!

I'm a machine operator for a living(any and all heavy equipment) and to hear "a herd of bulldozers" just tickled me to death lol

Its wonderful to see a family of dozers in the wild making their way to lower ground, a rare find indeed. We don't have them in Australia, except in zoo's sadly.

Love the sound of those 567s getting after it!

The clean edge left by this machine once it's done it's work, pleases me.

I'm very impressed. 2 inches of snow here in the UK & the Country comes to a stand still !!!👍

In 20 plus years as a CTC Operator in East St Louis, only two times did we have a significant snow fall to bring out the snow blower car with the jet engine. Our Maintainer loved the call at 2am in single digit temperatures to refill switch pots and frozen points.

This is just spectacular !!!!! I live in Australia snd we never see anything like this …..

Awesome. When I-80 is closed both directions, I should be thinking of the thousands of people stuck in traffic, unable to reach loved ones, but my initial reaction is pretty much: "I wonder if they're powering up the Rotaries at Roseville!?!" Kinda pathetic but that's what a love of trains will do to you...

I'm 73 years old and I never seen one of these machines in action before, and I found them to be absolutely amazing, and even awesome.

That’s gotta be an eerie feeling to not be able to see where you’re going. At least at night the locomotive lights up the tracks. What an amazing video. Thank you for sharing.

Just so glad to see snow again in Northern California Love this !

I wonder what my grandfather would think about winter work on the rails. He was an engineer on Australian steam and electrics during WW2 and till his retirement. Its amazing as I have his lisences all printed on rice paper!!

I love going up to the tracks in and around Truckee. It's a great way to spend the day.

That whistle!!!!! Incredible footage, thank you for sharing it.

I received this DVD for Christmas a few years back. I liked seeing the rotaries, and it's amazing that they're still in use even today.

Amazing to watch! And to think, people would traverse that pass long before any rail was laid in search of a better life in Cali

This is strangely satisfying to watch.

Ein Meister Werk an der Kamera ☃️☃️📽📽📽📽📽greetings from Germany Rhein side Düsseldorf

Wow, Spectacular video of this operation.

Love to hear those 567’s powering the plows.

always good to see The Roteries in action. If you have 16 feet of snow on Donner Pass this is who you call they will make sure The Transcontinental Railroad stays clear and the trains keep moving.

It’s basically a train-sized snowblower. Cool! 👍🏻

They had one of these rigs at steamtown in Scranton PA, standing in front of that massive turbine gave one pause.

Man versus nature. Seriously impressive!

America needs more trains.

Train 🚂 and the snow ⛄️! Beautiful 😍

Spectacular to say the least. I would love to be there for real. Very nice video.

I’ve heard that being a fireman has the highest job satisfaction, but I bet driving that train throwing snow is a close second.

😘 Love to see this amazing sight!! Mother Nature came through again for the great opportunity bestowed the crew!!!Thank you 😊 Sincerely yours, a greatfull railroad family from Roseville CA 🤗

thank you so much to the people who took this video and stills, amazing ! Love the wintery train scene so awesome !

What a great video!!! Great vantage points and beautiful definition!!

Love this!!

It's nice to see the rotary working fast and efficiently. =) This is more like how they looked here.

Outstanding footage 👍

Very cool. Downtown truckee has an old retired one on display!

Great footage!

Very impressive. Thank you.

That is so cool to watch

To have narration added is well received - Thank you.

Awesome great footage

12:26 - That idle-to-work gurgle of old 567 series is biblical. Like the Ford FE-block trucks of an era, torque orchestra, at the lowest end possible. Also, i enjoyed the wildlife commentary alot :D

Two SD70ACe's that is one mighty snowblower consist! And the way the bulldozers scattered at the first sight of the snowblower, was so funny!

I remember that big storm, I had to dig my car out of a huge mound of snow

Nice work!

I could watch this allday

No kidding about the herd of snowdozers!

Amazing videos. God bless you, protect you, and keep you safe. Thank you for your great job.

What a great video. Thank you.

Not that long ago they were still using the Southern Pacific steam powered rotaries out of Roseville. The diesels may be more efficient, but the steam machines were much more appealing.

Great video will watch again

Impressive!

Some serious action!

Great production verry atmospheric

Amazing video! Great winter capture! Good work! Mega Thumbs Up ☃️🚂🚂🚂☃️❄😎👍👍👍 Greetungs from Romania Andrew

I genuinely had to laugh at the "herd of snow dozers" passing

Great video!

ANYONE FOR A SNOWCONE..... YOU JUST HAVE TO ADD YOUR OWN FLAVOR...... It's mesmerizing we dont get snow like that in our Country.... It's Awesome to watch... thank you for sharing 🌟❤☃️🌟❤☃️🌟❤☃️

admiration for the people, the ingeneers, and their strenght

So cool! I just saw one pass by us in Auburn a while back. Definitely heading for the pass we’ve gotten a lot of snow lately.

We are "Original Transcon RR" fans, so hit Bloomer Cut, etc., this past Oct. Then Tunnel 6, Summit Tunnel, is pretty awesome to walk thru and consider how it was built. Thanks, and the "Wedding of the Rails" will be this May 10, at Promontory Summit...subscribed.

Now that's a long preview though. ^^

AWESOME!

That train is moving an incredible amount of heavy snow.Very i.pressive

Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of these snow plows! No “girly man” plows around on that pass. Any plow that can chew through 5-6 deep wet snow is a manly plow!

whoa. impressive.

My dad worked for the C&O/B&O for 35 years. He was on the Track Maintance crew, he ran the Ballast Regulator. Any and all information on what my Dad's job involved is just interesting to me. Dad passed 3 years ago. Simply , thanks for the info.

AMAZING‼

Wow making the diesel or diesels in that engine work, that's amazing.

Big cat engine sounds good pulling the snow blower

2:25 A majestic herd of snow dozers.

Very cool!

This was so Cool to watch..

Interesting that the Rotary Plows are using the same spinning-disc window-clearance technique as larger CNC equipment. :-)

Love this

Ol Man Winter. . LOVE YOU.

Those snow dozers are so stinking cute! 😂😂

This Winter ought to really keep you busy ...

VERY KOOL TO WATCH THANK U

Excellent

i love this

As many time I was on Donner, I had no idea this really happened.

So Wicked, I live in Illinois just went this last weekend on the holiday train at Illinois railway museum so Kool... They had One of the Snow blower train's there, standing in front of this beast is crazy.........

Freaking awesome!

Hilarious “herd of snow dozers” I guess it’s cheaper than snow cats ?!?

It is very interesting to me that the rotaries have yet to be converted from steam power. Not that I'm complaining, that whistle is glorious

Greatest video EVERRRRR

You don’t see those dozer herds much. The snow must have drove them down from the hills.

This is so relaxing to watch. This and rat shooting.

Near the west end of Truckee Is the Donner Monument. The base of thr Monument is 22 feet high to commemorate the 22 feet of snow that fell and trapped the Donner party that fateful winter. The western side of the Sierra mountains get so much snow because the clouds get stuck in the west side and dump snow all over before moving east over the tops of the Sierra. The snow has so much water content that the snow on the roads freeze and refreeze overnight into solid slabs of ice. We called that Sierra Cement. Driving up and down I-80 sometimes feels like driving in a slot canyon as the snow is more than half way up to the overhead light poles. Lived in the foothills close to I-80 for 20 years.

Black looks amazing when it’s not covered in salt!

Can't imagine being in the "Donner party" that got trapped in these harsh conditions back in 1846!

That would be a fun job.

Stopped because dozer window glass ain’t cheap :o) Where I worked the rail hedge cutter put a bit of wood through a guys bathroom window.

When UP took over the SP they retired all this snow equipment, they brought it back PDQ come winter. it IS essential equipment to keep this line open.

Why did I watch this? No idea. But do I impractically want one for my driveway now? Absolutely.