Boston Elevated Railway Snowplow #5106 is shown here at Messerve’s Crossing on the STM mainline during a brief snow flurry. The car was taken out to look over the main line in preparation for the upcoming Christmas operations. A snow plow and a snow flurry. What more could you ask for? (Other than the location of the heater switch.)

The gray around the windows is all refurbished wood and metal, as this car is being painted, and minor body work done to keep the elements out of the car. The rest of the car will hopefully get painted this summer (‘07.)

5106 is a Type 3 car from Boston, built in 1908 by the St. Louis Car Company as a passenger car. In 1927, 40 of these passenger cars were converted into snowplows. Unlike many other wedge plows, or snow sweepers, Boston needed a plow that could handle the wet snow/sleet/sludge that formed on the streets. Wedge plows were impractical, and snow sweepers did nothing for the sludge that formed on the streets, and hence the building of these plows. They have 4 50 hp motors under the car, and were built with subway grade resistors, allowing long slow speed operations.

Photographed by Mark Sylvester (StmTrolleyguy), November 26, 2005.
Added to the photo archive by Mark Sylvester, November 29, 2005.
Railroad: Seashore Trolley Museum.

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