Winter And Railways: The Snow Plow

A Run On a Plow

This 1925 snow plow was bought by the Ottawa Valley Railway in 1996. The OVR managed the CPR lines between Sudbury and Carlton Place , Ontario.

 Nowadays , that stretch has shrunk to the track from Sudbury to Mattawa to Petawawa. The current involvement of Canada in military action in Afghanistan and abroad has extended life for the railway east of Mattawa to the Armed Forces Base in Petawawa.

 I never thought in my life I would see the track east of Mattawa being torn up because of the lack of traffic. But a car ride up the Trans Canada Highway, #17, shows track beds empty and crossings ripped out . I do hope that a good portion of this old trail can become part of the Trans Canada Trail .Its history preserved in a new form for this new generation of healthy hikers and cyclists.

When I was young , all traffic moved east -west. For central eastern Canada, that traffic moves now north-south.Mostly on highways. Companies , such as the OVR , come in when the downward turn of the railway holds little hope for survival.

There is no doubt that this old plow won't be as busy as it has been in the past. 

When Dad was a section man back in the 40's and 50's , part of his job was to get out on the track and shovel out switches that had be packed in  or covered by the passing snow plow - day or night. Those stormy winter nights made for long work days since he was still required to put in his regular eight daytime hours as well.