Rail News Home MOW May 2017 Rail News: MOW Knox Kershaw Inc.’s KSF 940 Snow Fighter features specially designed wings to move heavy snow in harsh environments.Photo – Knox Kershaw Inc. It happens every spring: North American freight railroads and passenger-rail agencies begin to prepare for the upcoming winter. They review snow removal, switch heater and energy management options, and start to determine what they need to do to ensure they’re prepared, whatever the weather. Witness the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and its commuter-rail operator
Keolis Commuter Services.Early this year, MBTA unveiled a series of investments (and a few operational changes) to demonstrate the passenger-rail system was prepared for severe winter weather. The agency purchased 52 new pieces of snow removal equipment, including 10 snow fighters. MBTA also outfitted its locomotives with new traction motors designed to withstand the coldest of cold weather. Crews also installed heaters on critical switches.Freight railroads and transit agencies aren't the only ones planning ahead in a weather context. Suppliers, too, prepare to serve railroads that operate in the continent's harshest climates.This month, a sampling of rail industry suppliers share information on products and equipment designed to help railroads contend with the challenges of operating in winter.Solutions range from snow fighters and snow plows to switch heaters and idle-reduction systems.Knox Kershaw Inc.: The KSF 940 Snow FighterDesigned to combat heavy snow and to operate in freezing temperatures,
Knox Kershaw Inc.'s KSF 940 Snow Fighter has a 50,000-pound working weight and offers a pressurized cab featuring a second operator’s seat and joystick controls. It also includes specially designed wings, a plow and a broom built for moving heavy snow in the harshest environments.The cab has "unique window placement for unsurpassed operator visibility," the company says. The tilt-cab feature provides access to major components, and the side-mounted heater and A/C offer a clean roof line with no maintenance components on the roof.The four-season plow includes a heavy structural frame that can be used for snow or ballast. The bolt-on curl kits allow for plowing through deep of snow — high capacity, 36-inch snow wings clear snow 16 feet from the track center. The broom and auger motor are series driven with individual drives, allowing the snow switch cleaner to blow snow over 20 feet to either side.The power unit comes equipped with a 260-horsepower Cummins engine, Espar diesel-fired engine block heater and Arctic Fox hydraulic tank heater. Dual 8-D batteries offer "plenty of cranking power" for cold weather starts, the company says. The KSF 940 also can be converted into a ballast regulator and a brush cutter for year-round use.Railway Equipment Co.: Magnum product line
Railway Equipment Co.'s Magnum™ track switch heater product line includes gas hot air blowers, electric hot air blowers, electric rail heaters, fiberglass switch covers and snow detection systems. "Our most recent product advancement to The Magnum product line includes the utilization of an AC drive to reduce power demand during start-up," the company says. "We are also developing a new control module for the track switch heaters that will be backward compatible with current units."Railway Equipment Co.'s MagnumTM track switch heater line includes gas hot air blowers, electric hot air blowers, electric rail heaters, fiberglass switch covers and snow detection systems.Railway Equipment Co.
Designed to handle the harsh railroad environment, the new control module will feature better resistance to lightning strikes and more robust push-button controls, the company says.
Railway Equipment Co. also offers remote monitoring on The Magnum product line. The Sno-NET® remote monitoring system allows users access to switch heater controls via a web browser, enabling personnel to make real-time, proactive decisions. The Sno-NET system communicates via a cellular modem to a railroad-specific server accessible by railroad personnel. Custom notifications are sent to the appropriate people when an intervention is needed to ensure switch reliability.