Snow coach
Encyclopedia
large, multi-passenger snowcat
Snowcat
A snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Snowcats are often referred to as 'trail groomers' because of their use for grooming ski trails or snowmobile trails...
that is equipped with bus style seating. These vehicles may have multiple sets of very large low pressure tires or they may have tracks. A snow coach may seat 10, 20 or more passengers and are often used for sightseeing tours or for over snow transportation.
An early example of a snow coach was the Snow Bus, built by Bombardier
Bombardier Recreational Products
Bombardier Recreational Products or BRP is a Canadian company that traces its roots back to the year 1942 when Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec.In 2003, Bombardier Inc...
Canada. It was equipped with front skis and rear tracks and typically could seat 12 passengers. Alternatively, the front skis could be removed and replaced with front wheels. There are documented uses of the Bombardier Snow Bus being used as a school bus, for mail delivery and as emergency vehicles, but they were also used for tours and transportation in snowbound areas.
In the early 1960s Thiokol
Thiokol
Thiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...
produced the 601 series snowcat
Snowcat
A snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Snowcats are often referred to as 'trail groomers' because of their use for grooming ski trails or snowmobile trails...
s which were often configured to carry 10 passengers. While not a tour bus type snow coach, these found utility with the United States Air Force as well as private industry.
Snowcoaches are a popular mode of transportation for tourists in areas such as Yellowstone Park in the USA and the Columbia Icefield
Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the Canadian Rockies, astride the Continental Divide of North America. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres in depth and...
situated in Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10,878 km² . It is located in the province of Alberta, north of Banff National Park and west of the City of Edmonton. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Snowcoaches can be outfitted with either a rubber track or a ski system (replacing tires). Often called by the brand name, Mattracks, these rubber track systems can travel over thinner snow depths and even bare road patches without tearing up roadways. Metal-based ski systems can cause more damage or get stuck on traveling over snow-less patches. Subsequently certain roads may be restricted to just Mattrack-equipped snowcoaches, based on road conditions.
Modern examples
Terra Bus
The Terra Bus is an all-wheel-drive, three axle, off-road bus which is specially constructed for use in the arctic climate by the Canadian specialty vehicle manufacturer Foremost....
Wheeled Vehicle is one of the few Snow Coach type vehicles produced. Terra Bus is produced by Foremost Industries in Canada, has six over sized low pressure (30 psi) tires and carries up to 56 passengers on and off road for tourist or job site transport in snow or soft ground conditions.
See also
- Antarctic snow cruiserAntarctic snow cruiserThe Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under the direction of Thomas Poulter, intended to facilitate transport in the Antarctic. While having several innovative features, it generally failed to operate as hoped under the difficult conditions, and was eventually...
- Bombardier Inc.
- Bombardier Recreational ProductsBombardier Recreational ProductsBombardier Recreational Products or BRP is a Canadian company that traces its roots back to the year 1942 when Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in Valcourt in the Eastern Townships, Quebec.In 2003, Bombardier Inc...
- Logan Machine CompanyLogan Machine CompanyLMC is both the tradename and an abbreviation for Logan Manufacturing Company - a US manufacturer of snowcats that ceased operation in 2000. LMC was formed in 1978 when John DeLorean purchased the snowcat division from Thiokol...
- Sno-CatSno-CatThe Tucker Sno-Cat is a tracked vehicle or a family of tracked vehicles for snow conditions.Different models have been used for expeditions in the Arctic and the Antarctic during the second half of the 20th century...
- SnowmobileSnowmobileA snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
- Snow TracSnow TracThe Snow Trac is a small personal Snowcat that is roughly the size of a modern compact car.-Origins and description:In 1954, Lars Larsson, the chief design engineer for a Swedish farm equipment company, AB Westeråsmaskiner, decided to develop a tracked vehicle to take him and his brother on fishing...
- ThiokolThiokolThiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...
External links
- Foremost Industries Terra Bus Company Website
- Bombardier Snowmobiles JVBs snowmobiles still in commercial use