Train From Hell

[Loco Bill]

Yes,  Several Roads did use the B (or other) units as power for the Rotary, so it may well have been one of those.  Too bad we didn't get to see the loco's.

I do have pictures of the oil powered UP rotary plow in use.  They were using four units for power,  had two tank cars in the consist, along with what looked like some bunk cars. 

[Cody J]

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=308859

This photo clearly shows the B unit.

[Guilford Guy]

And the video footage showed a slug...

[Cody J]

That is CLEARLY not a slug. Definately a B unit of some sort.

[BestSnowman]

Its actually a snail made from a B unit. A slug is a locomotive with no prime mover but traction motors (and as such must be connected to another locomotive to power its own traction motors). A snail is the opposite, it has a prime mover but no traction motors.

[Guilford Guy]

Here's my argument... I'm not saying BNSF doesn't use B units as power for the Rotaries, I'm just saying in this case it is likely not. BestSnowman, you're correct, it is not a slug, but a powersource for the plow.

1. Low Roofline. You can clearly see the snow blanket atop the rotary. What's behind it seems to have sky right above it, and is not the correct height of a B unit.
2. Side Handrails? B units don't have those.
3. Porches? B units don't have those either...

[BestSnowman]

Yep, BN uses old GPs too. I found a picture of one in green (http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=270073&nseq=16) that uses a GP. The picture trainsrock linked to is the same color but after looking at it again is much shorter than the image Guilford Guy posted. One thing that sure is interesting is that BNSF likely doesn't have too many rotary snow plows but we have three distinctly different units (aside from color differences)

[Guilford Guy]

BNSF does have slug units which retained the cab and shorthood, but had the long hood chopped. Of course, the logistics of one of these being behind the plow is very unlikely. It's possible the snow settling is playing tricks on me, but I'm pretty sure I can make out side handrails and an end porch.

[Santa Fe buff]

Looks like a modified B-unit. You can see that the snow is high on the rotary, and it's the same on the B-unit.

Cheers,
Joshua

[Cody J]

Just to clear something up:
I re-watched the video and saw the number on the rotary (72559) and saw this picture on www.railpictures.net with the same number on the rotary number:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=310774

As one can see, it's a B unit of some sort.

[jbsmith]

Just to clear something up:
I re-watched the video and saw the number on the rotary (72559) and saw this picture on www.railpictures.net with the same number on the rotary number:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=310774

As one can see, it's a B unit of some sort.

Those units sure do look like scale models next to those big ol' silos.