WHAT IF...?
... the next winter is sure to come!
Since the beginning of the railway era, it has been necessary to clear the tracks in case of snowfall or drifts. The spectrum of railway service vehicles ranges from simple snow ploughs to large snow ploughs and high-performance snow blowers.
From the 1960s onwards, it became necessary for the German Federal Railways to replace the old, still steam-driven snow blowers. Various small railcars with Beilhack diesel snow blowers were tested in the Alps, in the Allgäu region and abroad. One disadvantage of these vehicles was the use of an additional locomotive for the feed.
To make snow clearance even more efficient, a self-propelled high-performance snow blower was developed. With this, snow heights of up to 3 metres could be handled. This would have made it possible to be optimally prepared for any weather capriciousness. After extensive test runs, however, series delivery to the German Federal Railway was delayed until the early 1990s.
