#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The Nornickel company is introducing a domestic novelty – the unique Uragan (eng.: Hurricane) railway rotary snowplow. The self-propelled vehicle was developed by Russian designers of the Uragan Tihoretsk plant on special order from the Technological Railway Transport Enterprise (TRTE) of the Nornickel Polar Division.
The snowplow uses three Cummins QSK19 diesel engines with a nominal power of 522 kilowatts (700 horsepower) each as power units for the working equipment and chassis power plant.
The Uragan weighing 80 tons can remove up to 25 thousand tons of snow in an hour and throw it up to a distance of 40 meters.
The machine control is automated: thanks to the computer, the snowplow can be given the task of what and when to do.
In addition, it is equipped with the so-called cruise control, the driver controls only the speed and, if necessary, slows down.
The Uragan accelerates during operation up to 50 kilometers per hour and, which is very important, cuts the snow not only in front of it, but also from the side of the road.
One of the main advantages of the machine is that it can turn around its own axis. This makes it possible to work in both directions, which is especially important under the weather conditions of the Far North and the absence of a turning circle on the road.
Self-propelled Uragan is the second in a row in TRTE, but a more advanced model. The first one, non-swivel type, was purchased back in 2018. It has proven itself well in its work, runs around Norilsk, and, if necessary, also around Talnah.
In order to evaluate all the pros and cons of the latest design solution, which no one else in Russia has yet used, the new Uragan is now being tested in the Kayerkan-Dudinka direction.
The length of the tracks that are on the TRTE’s balance sheet is 360 kilometers. The Uragan is not the only equipment that helps railroad workers in the fight against snow. A Belhack also operates in the Norilsk-Talnah direction, and there are three more non-self-propelled snowplows in the park.
In the History Spot section, we told that the term ‘snow fighting’ appeared in Norilsk. You can also get to know how they cope with snow in one of the northernmost airports in the world.
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Text: Ekaterina Maksimova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko and the Nornickel Polar Division press office
