What is this ?!?!?

[W2SJW]

Hello fellow railfans!

I'm trying to identify this little monster for a close friend. Would this thing happen to be a track de-icing unit?

 

[tbrady]

Jet Truck

This truck looks to be modified with an ex military, or surplus jet engine probably thaw frozen track switches, sure would be cool to see in action.Tony.

 

[MacombMonitor]

I want one! Should be effective on tailgaters! :twisted:

 

[Josh]

They call that a snow-jet.

Its purpose is to BLOW snow and ice out of switchpoints with its jet engine, rather than melt it (which would refreeze and thus cause problems again).

This one is clearly mounted on a hi-rail truck, but they can be found as stand-alone rail-only vehicles. The New York Central Railroad pioneered the concept back in either the 50's or 60's, apparently it works pretty well to have withstood the test of time.

-Josh

 

[HarleyDave]

These things have a habit of frying electric switches on contact too.

 

[N4UYV_Al]

With the purchase of a 'special' ticket, you could ride from Chicago to Boston in 30 minutes or less....lol.

 

[DPD1]

I think they mainly use them in yards now days... More and more mainline switches have been getting the heat blowers permanently installed on major plants. They can be activated by the DS or in manual from the field.

Dave
http://www.dpdproductions.com
- Featuring the TrainTenna RR Scanner Antennas -

 

[BigC801]

There is one sitting in the rip yard in kansas city kansas, any more there used during heavy snow falls to clear the heavy snow from the track, A foot or two of snow can stop a train some times it just becomes to heavy to push out of the way. It realy sucks when we get stuck out there lol.

 

[Thunderbolt]

I want one! Should be effective on tailgaters! :twisted:

I love how your mind things, as I was thinking the same thing when I first saw this photo! LOL!

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Scott and all,

I could have sworn I sent you that picture, I have several variations. That's a Pratt and Whitney JT-15 used as a snow blower and is operated at or near idle. At full throttle it would propel that truck at breakneck speed considering it's one third of a Boeing 727. Now if I only had a picture of the infamous CNJ weed burner that periodically set Roselle Park on fire.

Hey, I'm going to send you some photos of a few bits of MoW and other rail oddities sooner or later, some will crack you up.

Speaking of anti-tailgating devices the daddy of them all is an integral part of the WA1HLR Cadaverlac (a hearse) AKA "the piss weak mobile". In the '70s GM used a compressor to inject air into the exhaust manifold as sort of an afterburner. "Timtron" added a tank and modified the system to inject urine, you can just imagine. To borrow a bit of dialog from the movie Rodan, "...and the smell was most disgusting."

 

[W2SJW]

Warren,

Nah, it wasn't you. Rich, KC2LAE in So. Plainfield took that shot there in town. He sent it to me that afternoon, and then I promptly put it up here looking for help about what it was...

 

[KC8JPZ]

Ive seen those myself. I play with home brew turbo jets and this guys website would most likely make him the king of DIY jets.. http://www.gas-turbines.com/

73
KC8JPZ
JiM