The first winter after the D&RGW bought the SP, Roseville started assembling the flangers and spreaders. It took about two weeks to work the power back to Roseville, and apparently it takes about 8 hours to get everything hooked up and duck-taped together. When they were done, the power desk in Denver called and wanted the engines put on trains to Fresno, Portland, etc. But this is our snow equipment! We're in charge and you're not. So off went the endingines. Then in came a storm, and ISTR it was the first time the rotaries had been used in decades. The very next winter the question was: Have you got your engines?

When the UP took over, it was a case of summer re-runs. A friend related being on #6 with a brand-new UP RFE who never stopped boasting about how the SP didn't diddly squat about snow fighting and that snow flakes fairly qualed when they saw yellow engines. Then #6 came out of a tunnel in the vicinity of Yuba Pass and ran into an avalanche. All you could see was snow up against all the windows. This UP guy went completely catatonic. For those of you who know the old heads, Sour Mash was on the flanger (or spreader) that got them out.

Amtrak used to plow snow as deep as 2 or 3 feet (with the pilot plows), but after three incidents about 5 or 6 years ago, two UP caused, one Amtrak, if there is any snow on the rail head, Amtrk waits. Kills a lot of time. The recent rear-ender near Emigrant Gap has complicated things too. The UP is contemplating making all restricted proceed indications stop and stay, if only during periods of cold and snow. With this sort of mentality, they should stop running trains altogether.