When the first high-altitude railways were built, snow was initially cleared by hand by workmen known as “cantonniers de la voie”. In 1908, snow ploughs began to appear when the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Paris-Orléans placed its first order for one with the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). The rotary rail snow plough displayed at the Cité du Train is equipped with a steam boiler driving a turbine. This snow plough, running on coal and water, was driven by a steam locomotive. Rotary rail snow ploughs were designed to drive snow away to the sides, far enough away to avoid the formation of snow drifts next to the track. (Source: Cité du Train)
