The Rotary Snow-plows on the White Pass & Yukon Railway have been retired this year, victims of old age and "progress."
Railroad workers in Skagway, members of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, and Br. Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen signed a new contract with the WP&YR this month which completely does away with the Rotary Crew, and has no provisions for operation of this equipment.
None of the men now employed will lose their jobs under this new contract. Three full train crews instead of the previous two will take turns on the through run to Whitehorse, which is scheduled five times weekly in the winter. This will result in less hours per week for each man in winter - - in the summer three crews are always used.
The rotary crew as it was set up throughout the years of White Pass operation consisted of 10 men - three engine crews (6 men), a conductor, two brakemen, and the Rotary Pilot. These men were on call from Nov. 1 to May 1, for yard duty and trips with the Rotary when needed, with a monthly guaranteed minimum salary.
The first move toward eliminating this crew was made by the White Pass which requested that the contract be opened for negotiations in September 1963.
After several months of meetings, this new agreement was peacefully resolved. It gives the men a raise of $1.10 per hundred miles, plus the twenty-five percent Alaska Differential - which comes out to approximately 17 cents per hour actual wages increase. The White Pass will take over all the payments of Blue medical insurance for the men, and various other fringe benefits including sick benefits and overtime pay, have been approved for the trainmen.
Maintenance on the two Rotary engines owned by White Pass has become ever more difficult and costly in recent years. There are the last remaining engines of the original steam equipment built for the White Pass.
Made by the Cooke Locomotive and Machinery works in Patterson, N.J., the first one arrived in November, 1899, and the second one in 1900. They pushed many a ton of snow in their day - - were converted from coal burners to oil in 1951, and completely rebuilt later in the 1950s, including replacing the old wooden housings with steel. Now, however, they are showing their age pretty badly, are dangerously near being completely worn out. Parts and mechanics who are familiar with steam engines are both getting hard to come by.
The White Pass has made extensive inquiries of manufacturers throughout the U.S. and found no company interested in making a new diesel-powered Rotary Snowplow in narrow gauge. The only replies at all indicate that the price for a new one would be completely prohibitive.
In the fall of 1961, with this problem already large on the horizon, the White Pass began clearing snow at the Summit with a D-8 bulldozer, on an experimental basis. The first winter proved satisfactory, and in '62-'63 another "cat" was added. This year a third bulldozer was put on - - there are now a D-6 and D-7 at the summit, and the D-8 is stationed near the tunnel. These machines are operated by Paul Cyr of Skagway, and Mr. Olson of Carcross and Mr. Bromberg of Dawson. The Company is satisfied that the track can be kept clear with these bulldozers.
Diehards have pointed out that we've not had a really bad winter for quite a few years.
When the question "what happens if we get a really heavy snowfall some time?" is asked, it appears that possibly not all of the answers are in yet. White Pass officials are confident that the "cats" will be able to handle any situation, and the trainmen are satisfied that they have gotten the best possible settlement from an inevitable change.
