1909 Rotary Snow Plow
edited by David Barth, 12 December 2009.
Courtesy The Forney Museum of Transportation at 4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver,
Colorado 80216. Photos were taken in 2001, during the move.
This rotary snow plow was built by American Locomotive Company in 1909 for The Laramie Hahns Peak & Pacific
Railroad (LHP&P) with the number 099.
In 1887 the Laramie North Park & Pacific (LNP&P) railroad was incorporated and 13 miles of track were laid.
In 1901 the LHP&P was incorporated and at that time, it took over LNP&P. In 1912 it went into receivership. In 1914
the Colorado, Wyoming & Eastern (CW&E) railroad was incorporated to take over the property of the LHP&P. In 1924 the
CW&E was sold at foreclosure and became the Laramie, North Park, & Western (LNP&W). On December 1, 1951, the LNP&W
became the Coalmont Branch of the Union Pacific, and this snow plow’s number was changed from 099 to 900099.
The plow was stationed in the Denver, Colorado rail yard until retired in October 1969 and moved to the Forney
Transportation Museum.
The plow is standard gauge (4 feet, 8 1/2 inches between rails) with a wheel diameter of 9 feet, 10 inches. The rotor
is steam powered, but the plow is not self-propelled. Two or three separate engines are required to push it through
snow.
Information courtesy of Al Frank, long-time Forney Museum volunteer and consultant for volunteer
projects.
