If you've ever wondered just how massive amounts of snow get removed, especially from something as tricky and high as the Pikes Peak Cogway, wonder no more.

In regards to high-altitude snow removal, I got a pretty good education thanks to my friends at KDVR. The Cogway up to Pikes Peak carries people up to the top of Pikes Peak from Manitou Springs every year during the season, but...getting to the season is the tricky part. That's where this brand new snowplow comes into play.

The new snow plow of the The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway (MPPR) has made its first pass up the mountain.

Of COURSE they have a name for it, too: Unit 30. Unit 30 is part of the $100-million renovation of the cog railway that travels up and down Pikes Peak.

This ridiculous machine can cut through snow drifts up to 10 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It was produced in Switzerland. The blower's 47.2-inch diameter cutting reels can cut through 4,200 tons of snow per hour and have the ability to blow snow 50 to 100 feet off the line, said MPPR.

The railway was built in 1891 and just happens to be the highest railroad in America (it brings you up to 14,115 feet), the highest cog railway in the world, one of Colorado’s top attractions and one of the nation’s most unique and sought-after experiences.

The new environmentally-friendly Pikes Peak Summit Complex is set to open this summer, too, which looks pretty awesome...

YouTube/ Pikes Peak Visitor's Center
So, if you're heading up, think about just how much snow actually falls on that railway and how it's removed. This should give you a pretty good perspective.


YouTube/ CBS Denver

Here's the plow in action...

YouTube/Trains Magazine

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