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Internal communications have never been the railroad industry's forte', but once in every blue moon something comes along that is an absolute masterpiece of written illumination, such as the SP Roseville Division Special Notice re Snow Service distributed by Superintendent D.J. Seil in the winter of 1994. We say "distributed" because Wx4's chief cook and bottle washer, E.O., hired out as a switchman with Don, and we originally thought that, well, Don couldn't have authored such a useful piece.

As it turned out, we were right (
Superintendent's Special Notice #4, November 29, 1994
Subject: Snow Service - Roseville Division
[Sierra Nevada, Black Butte & Cascade Districts]

I say "distributed", because I hired-out as a switchman with Don, and, well, this doesn't impress me as a product of his hand.

Speaking of distribution, I found my copy on top a pile of nearly 50 sitting on the counter in the Caltrain San Jose Crew Register Room. Now, let me tell you uninitiated folks about San Jose, California: we have a two inch snow shower here once every fifteen years (as usual, I have a picture somewhere...). So, let's just say that it's been awhile since SP called out the Jordan Spreader to battle a snow blockade on the hill over to Gilroy.

Special Notice #4 itself is a gold mine of roster and general snow fighting info:

  • "When called for snow service, you may be gone for a week or more, depending upon the storm."
  • "GP 38 locomotives listed here are set up to be equipped with ice breakers...One unit so equipped must be lead unit."
  • "Should a [flanger] blade be broken or lost, locate and recover the blade if possible."
  • "Cooperation from the Overland Director and Power Coordinator is necessary to see that trains are powered to no more than 1,000 tons per unit during snow storms..."

About the only thing that the notice leaves out is "In the snow, engineers must not forget to run light engines with six pounds of jamb, if they have any interest in ever stopping again."
Special Notice #4

(right) Prepared for anything: Jordan Spreader #MW 4040 sits in the San Jose Car Shops in December, 1966, awaiting the call to clear the snows over the pass to Gilroy. As far as Wx4 staff knows, the call never came.

 id57

id153
 SPMW 208 takes a rest at Sparks during the summer of 1965. She was still there in 1994, according to Special Notice #4, although by then she was electric-powered courtesy of juice from an F-7B. On March 2, 1969, she was the last SP rotary to operate under steam, when she cleared the McCloud River Railroad's line along the flanks of Mt. Shasta.