PRODUCT REVIEW: 1:22.5 SCALE ROTARY SNOWPLOW
Manufacturer: USA Trains, P.O. Box 100, Malden, MA 02148. Price: R-2101 ready-to-run Colorado & Southern Rotary snowplow with sound $335.00 suggested list.
WINTERS ARE SEVERE high in the Rockies and the snowdrifts often were more than locomotives with a simple sheet metal plow could handle. Rotary snowplows faced the tough jobs. Their rotating blades cut through the drifts and sent snow arcing to the side of the tracks. Many railroads had such machines and among the more famous were those of the Colorado narrow gauge lines. USA Trains offers 1:22.5 scale freelance rotary plows in either Denver & Rio Grande Western or, in the case of our sample, Colorado & Southern livery, with and without sound. Ours has the sound system. It is the first mass produced large scale model of a rotary plow.
Our model began as a maintenance of way car. USA Trains followed the actual railroad practice of adding the rotating blades and housing to one end. Besides sound, the model has metal wheels, an operating smoke stack, constant voltage lighting, interior lights, and two sets of pickups to avoid interruption of the current when the unit passes over plastic turnout frogs.
As you would expect from USA Trains, the paint and graphics of our sample are flawless. The C&S version is boxcar red with white lettering and the black and white "target" herald. The graphics vary somewhat from our photos of the real number 99200 and actually look more interesting. Since the model is freelance, we find that completely acceptable. Besides, the alphabet style is very close and the model really does resemble the C&S rotary in several ways so, either way, it has plenty of appeal.
The plow comes with clear, well illustrated instructions. We listed the rotary as "ready-to-run" because you can set it on the tracks, turn on the power, and it operates. In reality, you must add steps and grab irons to complete the model. That takes about ten minutes. Each part fit perfectly and glue was unnecessary.
When you apply power to the tracks, the headlight illuminates, the blades begin to turn, smoke flows from the stack, and the sound system activates. You might expect to hear a chuff but, as USA Trains points out, real rotaries simply released steam; they made no piston noises. So the model creates a hiss through a speaker on its floor. A toggle switch on the underside of the model allows you to turn off the sound. A second toggle under the model allows the blades to rotate in either direction or to remain inoperative. You may flip the chute at the top of the blades to either side depending on where you want to dump snow and you may flip the rotary blades to either side as well, depending on what direction they turn. When you use the toggle switch to reverse the direction of the rotary, the blades and chute automatically change direction, too.
We were unable to test the model's ability to plow snow because (1.) our offices are in Southern California and (2.) it was the middle of August.
The C&S rotary snowplow enhances USA Trains' reputation for top quality rolling stock with superior decoration. Snow or no snow, it is a very attractive and excellent product.-RR
