The first suecessful rotary plow was designed by Canadian Orang Jull. Jull hired the
Leslie Brothers to build the first model with the first tests conducted in the winter of
1883-84. The Leslies soon purchased the manufacturing rights to the plow and went into
business building "Leslie type" rotaries.
Between 1885 and 1903 the Leslies built 64 plows before selling the rights to the
American Locomotive Company (ALCO). From 1905 to 1937 ALCO built 71 more plows.
One of these was the SPMW 7221, built at the ALCO Cooke Locomotive works in
Schenectady, New York in 1917 and delivered later that year to Southern Pacific
Railroad in Sacramento.
In order to clear the rail of snow, a rotary plow had to be lowered off its wheel assemblies,
known as the trucks. During snow plowing operations, the bottom of the plow rides 3 inches
off of the top of rail.
Rotaries were originally powered by a steam locomotive engine driving a ring and pinion
system. The SPMW 7221 was converted to electric power to turn the blade in 1966 and
was renumbered the SPMW 221, as was the practice with all of the rotaries after they
were "electrified.
The SPMW 221 was stored in Roseville for many years, where it was maintained to
battle heavy winter storms over Donner Summit, a key east-west corridor for moving
both freight and passengers.
This SPMW 221 was last operated by Unfon Pacific in the 1980's. It was donated to the
City of Roseville by Union Pacific and placed in this location in 2014.
The City of Roseville would like to thank Union Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific Roseville
Locomotive Facility, Union Pacific
Foundation, the Roseville Community Development
Corporation, Jim Dobbas, Inc., WestCon General Contractors and Livingston Concrete for
their work and donations to make this display possible.
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