The Russian Railway Museum has acquired a new exhibit—a TsUMZ plow snowplow

A new exhibit has appeared in the Russian Railway Museum’s open-air exhibition: a two-track, non-self-propelled TsUMZ-system plow snowplow.

This type of snowplow was positioned in front of the locomotive. During operation, its blade and wings pushed snow from the tracks to the sides. The key difference between the TsUMZ plow snowplow and earlier non-self-propelled plows of the Björk, Burkovsky, and “Riga” systems is pneumatic control, which makes maintenance easier. TsUMZ-system plow snowplows were built in different versions: for broad and narrow gauges and for single- and double-track sections. The museum’s TsUMZ is a double-track model, meaning it moves snow only to one side—the field side. It could clear snow up to one meter high and up to 5.1 meters wide with its wings extended.

The two-track TsUMZ plow snowplow preserved by the Russian Railway Museum was built at the USSR Ministry of Railways Machine-Building Plant in Tula in 1951.