Dr Zarkoff Wrote:
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> > No they don't, i.e. have "a cold, drained
> boiler", as the Southern Pacific up-graded all
> their rotary plows to full electric drive, with
> the driving traction motors receiving the electric
> power from the up-graded B Unit, coupled behind
> the plow. That was done many decades ago.
>
> Last I heard about 10 years ago, they kept the
> Vapor-Clarkson water tube boilers to heat the
> blades, although they had almost run out of people
> who knew how the things worked.

Yes, the rotarys still have those "Flash Boilers" in order to supply steam for the blades, as well as for the whistle. Even if "drained for the winter/storage" it only takes about 15 minutes to fill the coils with water and fire them up (that is why they are called 'Flash Boilers').