When winter delivers its absolute worst, railroads fight back
with rotary snowplows. Introduced in the late 1880s, rotaries
use a large, spinning wheel to cut snowdrifts down to size,
forcing the loose snow into scoops, then hurling it away from
the tracks. Only the cutting wheel was powered; an engine was
required to move them. This HO model is based on prototypes
built by Alco under the Leslie patents between 1900 and 1940,
which were delivered to roads large and small. Many served for
decades, and some were later rebuilt for use with diesel power.
Fully assembled and ready for duty, the model includes a drive
motor to spin the wheel - simply move your power pack throttle
and the wheel spins faster or slower. Other authentic details
include the scoop mechanism with positionable discharge chute,
covered headlight (as the lens could easily be broken by flying
ice and snow, headlights were usually covered in daylight
hours), and a USRA 8,000-gallon tender with bunker cover, which
kept the coal load dry to prev