Awesome capture, Tom! Both Conrail and D&H had jet-powered snowblowers, where the exhaust from a turbine was directed onto the tracks to melt snow. I experienced one of Conrail's machines in action at Voorheesville when I was a kid and it was LOUD.
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The advent of concrete ties would solve the burning tie & creosote problem, but today's fuel
costs would likely preclude getting much use out of one these days....
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Boy that looks fun! I also heard of GG1s being cut in half and using thier redirected hot air vents to heat switches, albiet not being quite as exiting as this.
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New Haven Railroad used their weed burner for snow melting. Caused a stir one Sunday night when everybody was calling the Valley Falls Fire Department reporting the yard was on fire.
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If this is a turbine powered snow blower/switch defroster, yes other railroads use them. But for that to be physically shooting out that much of a flame, I think something must be drastically wrong with the turbine. You would only get flames if you were dumping out unburned fuel. I am wondering whether this piece of equipment is actually turbine powered or if Conrail was just using a home-made flame thrower here though.
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Homemade flamethrower is what this looks like. There doesn't appear to be more to it than a control cab (?), fuel tank and plumbing, with nothing turbine-looking at all. That would also explain the smell of fuel, since a flamethrower doesn't burn its fuel as thoroughly as a turbine.
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Hot dogs and marshmallows anyone?
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Thats a neat find.
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