The younger engineer on that run followed up with a Q&A more recently.
Apparently there *were* a lot of trees down in central BC after the first big snow that year. This video is an empty grain car train that was sent through to clear the track for others. It just had the regular *cow catcher* on the front, not even the plow.
The Q&A video with the younger driver who was on the track-clearing run says it all.
It’s Canada, they can’t wait for perfection so they just sent an empty train on a bright clear day to clear it. They let the cow catcher force the trunks down under the wheels of the train. Only branches less than 10 cm could get through and the windshield wipers kept the view clear.
The image of a locomotive pushing forward through the snow is classic, one that stays with you having seen it since childhood.
@AlsoPaisleyCat @Susan60 @collectifission
Tree on tracks and snow aren't inherently related, a tree can be there for any reason. Snow load is one reason, btw.
I guess it wouldn't matter in this situation, the train is going pretty fast, so I bet it would hit the tree even if it was seen well in advance.
I'm sure a good sized tree strike would go unnoticed while plowing the snow like this. A follow-up question would be; when is a tree too big for a locomotive?
@Jourei
In the second video, where the train is clearing trees with just a cow catcher on the front of the locomotive, not even a snowplough, they go rightfully through some very large trunks. The locomotive is very heavy, it would take a large rockfall or damage to the tracks to derail it.
@collectifission and that's not even a special plow. But, it's all what you're used to and set up for.
@collectifission @epicdemiologist Canadian af, the moose.
Meanwhile, German railways Deutsche Bahn:
@collectifission brutal!
@collectifission hell yeah. Now if only via operated on time...
@javensbukan @controlc @collectifission My father was a ferry Captain for most of my life. There's a huge need for ship engineers as well right now since so few people are interested in taking the job, let alone getting the education for it.
@collectifission Swiss Railway Company of the flat lands (SBB) "We're gonna be delayed" vs. the mountain railway company (RhB) "OK, we'll wait for you" #RhB #SBB #Schnee #snow #ZugBubble #switzerland
@collectifission@greennuclear.online You made this cute!
@collectifission I'd love to see a modern Canadian remix (with extra drama) of this old gem:
@collectifission that is fokken awesome, ey!
@collectifission same here in germany... Deutsche Bahn could get inspired by them 
@collectifission that is even more impressive than in Switzerland! https://chaos.social/@daniel_bohrer/115872643197035403
Each day German rail carries about the same number of passengers Canadian rail does in a year though 
And with a better punctuality.
@Pepijn "And with a better punctuality. "
Knowing the sad state of the German train system and their many delays, that feels harsh.
It's underfunded and should improve. And people love to shit at it. But just like the Dutch system it's still a functional (there's almost always a quick next train if you miss a connection) and extremely dense* system if you just want to use it.
*going to the size of towns that in countries like France, Denmark and Italy one would have to take a bus or rental car to.
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