"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Milwaukee Road, X900215, South Tacoma, July 1960. What a better time to post this photograph. Snow has been with us for a week with more coming down this evening!

Snowplow X900215, sporting her gaudy “maintenance of way yellow” was converted from steam to electric drive in 1955. Chief electrical engineer, Laurence Wylie, was the architect for converting from steam to electric drive. Replacing the boiler and drive gear with two GE traction motors, and adding a pantograph to the roof accomplished this.

The plow could run the blade from overhead 3,000-volt wire. However, it proved to be more efficient drawing 600-volt juice from accompanying diesel-electric locomotives, pushing the plow and dragging along a tool car and crew car.

In all, there were four conversions; X900212 and X900214 were assigned to the Rocky Mountain Division on St. Paul Pass between Avery and St. Regis. X900207 and X900215 were assigned to the Cascade Division, operating mainly on Snoqualmie Pass between Cedar Falls and Easton.

All remaining Milwaukee Road steam rotaries were scrapped in the ‘70’s.

Milwaukee often referred to these units as “Slide Rotary’s.” They had fewer but more robust blades for swallowing trees and rocks.

Railroad Stuff: Milwaukee Road X900215, built American Locomotive Company, Cooke Works, August 1906. Converted to electric drive 1955.