STEEL SNOW PLOUGH.

The North-Eastern Railway Company has recently built to the designs of its chief mechanical engineer. Mr. Wilson Worsdell, a snow plough which is somewhat of a departure from ordinary practice, inasmuch as it is constructed almost entirely of steel, only the internal fittings and back part of roof being of wood. The steel outer plates are all ½ in. thick, and are secured to the framework by countersunk rivets so as to present a smooth surface to the snow. The internal framing to which the outer plates are attached consists of the following sections:—

Channel irons, 6in. by 3½ in. by ½ in.:

H irons, 5in. by 4½ in. by ½ in.:

T irons, 4in. by 4in. by ½ in.,
and various sections of angle irons.

The frame plates are 24ft. 2½ in. long, 3ft. 2½ in. deep, and lin. thick.

They are secured to each other by the end buffer beam, a strong supporting cross stay near the front end and two weight boxes between the wheel centres, which carry 7 tons of scrap iron. The wheels are the North-Eastern Railway standard 20 tons wagon wheels with standard tender axles, axle-boxes and springs. The engravings which we are enabled to give herewith by the courtesy of Mr. Worsdell, afford an excellent idea of the general appearance of this new plough. We may add that the weight on the front axle is 7 tons 8 cwt.; on the middle axle, 9 tons 13 cwt. 1 qr.; and on the rear axle, 10 tons, so that the total weight in working order is 27 tons 1 cwt. 1 qr.