Anticipating problems with winter in the high country, the Central Pacific began building its first snowplow in September 1866, while the line to Cisco was still under construction. A second plow was built in December, and by the winter of 1868-69, six plows were in service. As many as 12 locomotives were hooked together behind one of these plows to push it through the snow. To be effective, the plow had to be driven at a good speed to launch the snow high enough to clear adjacent snow banks, and it took considerable nerve on the part of the engineers to charge full throttle into a hillside of snow.
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