The Rotary Plow
The Rotary Plow...
© US Public Domain, photographer unknown. University of Washington archives.
On a crisp autumn morning in 1885, in a narrow mountain pass in British Columbia, a small crowd gathered around a single iron rail. After four grueling years of blasting through granite, bridging raging rivers, and laying track across endless prairie, the Canadian Pacific Railway—the great iron ribbon that would bind a young nation—was finally complete.
It was November 7, 1885, at a place called Craigellachie, deep in the Monashee Mountains. There, Donald Smith, a director of the railway company and one of the few men wealthy enough to fund such a dream, stepped forward. In his hand was a simple steel spike. With a few steady blows of a hammer, he drove it into the last tie, linking the final rail.
East met West.
The Last Spike had been driven.
What began in 1881 as a bold promise—to connect British Columbia to the rest of Canada within ten years—had been fulfilled in just four. From the bustling ports of Montreal to the misty shores of the Pacific near Port Moody (later extended to Vancouver), the railway now stretched more than 3,000 miles across forests, mountains, and plains.
The journey had not been easy.
In the Rocky Mountains, workers carved the treacherous Kicking Horse Pass, where trains would later scream down grades so steep that spiral tunnels had to be built inside the mountains themselves. In the Selkirks, they tunneled through Rogers Pass, battling avalanches and bitter cold. Thousands of men—laid the rails by hand. Hundreds never returned home.
But on that November day, none of that mattered. The whistle of the first through train would soon echo from coast to coast. Settlers, goods, and ideas could now flow freely. Towns would spring up along the line. Wheat from the prairies would feed cities in the east. And Canada, only 18 years old as a nation, had grown up in a single, unbroken line of steel.
The Canadian Pacific Railway was more than a transportation route. It was a promise kept—a nation stitched together, one spike at a time.
The Rotary Plow...
© US Public Domain, photographer unknown. University of Washington archives.
Steam locomotives dominated railroad operations in 1910, as diesel and electric alternatives were still decades away. The CPR relied on robust steam engines designed for heavy freight, passenger service, and specialized tasks like snow clearing in mountainous regions.
- Common Types: The 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" (D10 class) was a workhorse for the CPR, with 502 units built between 1905 and 1913. Around 92 of these (numbered 870–961) were produced in 1910–1911 by the CPR's Angus Shops, the Canadian Locomotive Company, and Montreal Locomotive Works. These locomotives featured larger cylinders for improved power and were used for mixed freight and passenger duties.[1] The 4-6-2 "Pacific" type, introduced in 1905, provided faster service on passenger trains with enhanced speed and efficiency.[2]
- In Rogers Pass: Steep grades (up to 4.5%) required powerful engines, often with helper or pusher locomotives for added traction. During the avalanche, a 91-ton steam locomotive was used to propel a rotary snow plow while clearing tracks. These engines burned coal or wood, producing smoke that complicated operations in enclosed areas like snow sheds.
- Technological Features: Locomotives included basic superheating for efficiency, air brakes (Westinghouse system standard by then), and manual controls. Signaling was rudimentary, relying on semaphore arms, lanterns, and telegraph orders for dispatching in remote areas like Rogers Pass.
These locomotives were reliable for the era but ill-equipped for rapid response to natural disasters, as seen when the avalanche hurled the plow-pushing engine 15 meters, landing it upside down and burying it under 10 meters of snow.
The CPR's infrastructure in Rogers Pass emphasized durability against harsh winters but was still limited by the technology of the time.
- Track Design: The line was a single-track standard gauge (4 ft 8.5 in) railway with steel rails on wooden ties, typical for North American railroads by 1910. Tracks were ballasted for stability, but in mountainous passes, they were prone to washouts, rockfalls, and snow burial.[3]
- Avalanche Mitigation: To protect vulnerable sections, the CPR built 31 wooden snow sheds covering about 6.5 km of track. These tunnel-like structures deflected avalanches over the line. In some areas, separate "winter tracks" ran inside sheds to avoid coal smoke buildup, while "summer tracks" were used outside during milder months.[4] However, much of the route remained exposed, and there were no advanced forecasting tools or reinforced barriers—decisions relied on experience and visual assessments.
- Limitations Exposed: The avalanche struck just south of Snow Shed 17, in an unprotected section where tracks had been relocated to an open alignment after years without major slides. This buried 400 meters of track, demonstrating how incomplete coverage left the infrastructure vulnerable.
Winter operations in Rogers Pass depended heavily on manual labor combined with mechanical aids, as automated systems didn't exist yet.
The primary tool was the non-self-propelled rotary snow plow, manufactured by companies like the Montreal Locomotive Works or American Locomotive Company (Alco). It featured a large scoop wheel (up to 10–12 feet in diameter) with ice cutters and flangers, powered by an onboard steam engine with a variable throttle to match snow density. A standard locomotive pushed it from behind, controlled by signals from a foreman in the plow's cab.[4][5] The plow could handle a maximum 10-foot vertical snow face, throwing debris clear of the tracks at high speed.
- Manual Support: For deeper snow (like the 50-foot depths in avalanches), crews first shoveled in organized tiers or relays to reduce it to manageable levels, creating trenches for the plow. Debris like timber, rocks, or ice required hand removal to avoid damaging the wheel.[5] Operations often ran 24–36 hours straight, limited later by labor laws.
- In the Avalanche: On the day of the disaster, a crew of 63 used a rotary plow to clear an earlier slide from Cheops Mountain. As they neared completion around midnight, a second avalanche from Avalanche Mountain hit unexpectedly, burying the plow, locomotive, and workers. The noise of the plow's operation likely masked warning signs, and night work in storms was common despite risks.[4] Recovery involved 200 more workers and additional plows to excavate the site.
The technology of 1910—while innovative for its time, with steam power and basic protective structures—proved inadequate against Rogers Pass's extreme conditions. The avalanche highlighted reliance on human labor and reactive measures, leading to a coroner's recommendation against nighttime clearing in storms.[4] In response, the CPR began constructing the 8-km Connaught Tunnel in 1913, opening in 1916 to bypass the pass entirely and reduce avalanche risks. This shift marked a move toward more permanent engineering solutions, paving the way for modern avalanche control like explosives and remote sensing in the region today.
[1] Canadian Pacific Railway Historical Association, Locomotive Roster Data, 1905–1913.
[2] Railway Age Gazette, Vol. 38, 1905, "New Pacific Type Locomotives for Canadian Pacific."
[3] American Railway Engineering Association, Proceedings, 1910, Track Standards in Mountainous Terrain.
[4] Parks Canada, Rogers Pass National Historic Site, Interpretive Guide and Technical Reports.
[5] Montreal Locomotive Works, Technical Specifications for Rotary Snow Plows, 1900–1915.
The following is a list of railroad enthusiast groups:
Canadian Railroad Historical Association (CRHA): Canada's oldest railway enthusiast organization, dedicated to preserving and interpreting national railway heritage; operates Exporail museum. Website: https://exporail.org/en/the-association/crha/.
Canadian Pacific Historical Association (CPHA): Focuses on the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway, publishing CP Tracks magazine on operations and artifacts. Website: https://www.cptracks.ca/.
Canadian National Railways Historical Association (CNRHA): Researches and documents Canadian National Railways history, with a Facebook group for sharing insights. Website: https://cnrha.ca/.
Toronto Railway Historical Association (TRHA): Preserves Toronto's railway heritage and operates a museum at John Street Roundhouse; hosts events. Website: https://www.trha.ca/trha/.
VIA Historical Association: Preserves VIA Rail Canada's history and offers heritage train experiences. Website: https://viahistory.ca/home/.
Bytown Railway Society: Collects and disseminates information on Canadian railways, publishing Branchline magazine. Website: https://www.bytownrailwaysociety.ca/.
Model Railroad Club of Toronto: O-scale club modeling historical Canadian prototypes; welcomes visitors. Website: http://www.modelrailroadclub.com/.
Edmonton Model Railroad Association: HO-scale club building detailed layouts from Canadian rail history; participates in shows. Contact via CAORM or KraftTrains.
Greater Vancouver Garden Railway Club: G-scale outdoor club with live steam models in British Columbia. Check CAORM for contacts.
Waterloo Region Model Railway Club: HO-scale club recreating CPR lines with interest in Canadian history. Available via CAORM.
Canadian Passenger Train Enthusiasts Facebook group: Community for fans of Canadian passenger trains, including historical ones.
Rail Fans Canada: Group exploring Canadian rail transit history.
International Railroad and Model Train Enthusiast Groups
International Railway History Association (IRHA): Unites global historians to research and preserve railway history across 18 countries. Website: https://aihc-irha-aihf.com/.
Railway & Locomotive Historical Society (R&LHS): Promotes research and preservation of railway documentation; publishes Railroad History. Website: https://rlhs.org/.
National Railway Historical Society (NRHS): Preserves rail heritage with international chapters and archives. Website: https://nrhs.com/.
National Model Railroad Association (NMRA): International organization with groups for modelers, historians, and collectors. Website: https://www.nmra.org/.
Rail Enthusiasts Society: Global Facebook community sharing railway knowledge from around the world. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/railenthusiastssociety/.
The Railway Enthusiasts' Society (New Zealand): Focuses on New Zealand rail with international interests. Website: https://www.gvr.org.nz/about-us/res.
Amherst Railway Society: U.S. community expanding rail knowledge through events and global history discussions. Website: https://amherstrail.org/.
Passenger Train Modeling Group on Facebook: Community for modelers of all scales and eras.
Directories from KraftTrains.com and TrainShows.net: List clubs worldwide for historical modeling.