This Little Lego Snow Plow Train Actually Works
It’s officially winter, and this one YouTuber came up with a mini Lego snow plow train to help clear the snowfall.
A Lego enthusiast has built a little snow plow train that can clear the plastic railways this winter.
Lego train sets aren't super suited to outdoor use, thanks in part to their small size and plastic construction. Regardless, that didn't stop Lego YouTube channel Brickcrafts from building a Lego snow plow, as covered by Motor1. After all, if you do decide to build a Lego train track outside, you're going to have to find some way to clear the snow off in the winter.
As seen on YouTube, the build relies on standard Lego components throughout. The train itself mimics a small diesel locomotive fitted with a plow attachment on the front.
The initial build featured a large cowling around the three-wing plow blade. Early testing was frustrated by an excessive 12 inches of snowfall, far beyond what a humble Lego train could possibly deal with. When facing a lighter coat of just a couple of inches though, manual testing revealed a few problems. Icing on the track made it difficult for the train to make forward progress, and the sticky snow kept building up inside the plow cowling.
A redesign was in order, and improved performance significantly. A bigger plow blade was built and installed as close to the locomotive's front end as possible. The plow's cowling was also removed to negate the issue of buildup. In a later test on a ski mountain at 6,500 feet of altitude, the new design performed well. Ganging up the plow locomotive with another train pushing from behind further improved performance. The redesigned plow train was capable of getting through an inch or two of snow without major issues.
The project was possible because modern Lego trains rely on onboard batteries for power. Earlier models that used metal tracks to deliver electricity to the locomotive would fail in wet, snowy conditions. A more capable plow could easily be built by using more powerful motors. However, Brickcrafts set out to see if it was possible to build a working snow plow using only Lego components. Based on this video, we'd say they achieved that goal admirably.
It's not the first time we've seen toys repurposed to clear snow, either. RC cars can be a fun way to plow your driveway if you don't fancy picking up the shovels this winter.
You can watch Brickcrafts' video below.
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