Gallery: This Huge Train Plow Is Called Darth Vader. It Murders Snow

  • Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Tractor Bulldozer and Snowplow
    Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
    01

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-13

    The 53-foot-long, 15-foot-tall, 160,000-pound Spreader Ditcher is on hand to keep NY railways clear.
  • Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Train Locomotive Train Track Rail and Railway
    Harsco Corporation
    02

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-2

    You can see why NY's MTA calls it "Darth Vader."
  • Image may contain Transportation Train Track Railway Rail Human Person Vehicle Boat and Train
    Harsco Corporation
    03

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-1

    The machine can clear snow drifts as high as 16 feet.
  • Image may contain Gravel Road Dirt Road Transportation Train Track Rail Railway Vehicle Train Machine and Human
    Harsco Corporation
    04

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-7

    This beast, built by South Carolina’s Harsco Rail, also is handy in warmer months.
  • Image may contain Transportation Train Track Railway Rail Vehicle Train and Locomotive
    Harsco Corporation
    05

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-5

    It's used to spread ballast (the gravel you find between the ties).
  • Image may contain Vehicle Transportation Train Locomotive Train Track Railway and Rail
    Harsco Corporation
    06

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-3

    It can also dig ditches alongside the track (hence the name “spreader-ditcher”).
  • Image may contain Human Person Interior Design and Indoors
    MTA Long Island Rail Road / Bernard Simoes
    07

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-10

    It offers heated windshields to keep the view clear.
  • Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Tractor and Bulldozer
    Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
    08

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-9

    It's pushed along by one or more locomotives at up to 50 mph.
  • Image may contain Nature Transportation Vehicle and Outdoors
    Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
    09

    darth-vader-snowplow-nyc-8

    It doesn't come out in the winter all that often—the snow needs to get pretty deep before it's worth firing up the spreader ditcher.
Read More
Dyson’s Strongest Vacuum Is on Sale for Dyson Week
The powerful Dyson V16 Piston Animal and other Dyson vacuums and tools are discounted until Halloween.
Nena Farrell
The Tesla Roadster 2 Is Here—and It Flies
The automaker unveiled its next luxury sports car at an event in Texas. It has thrusters on it that can send it airborne.
Aarian Marshall
I Enjoyed Driving a Ridiculous-Looking Solar-Powered Scooter, and You Can Too
Otherlab’s Lightfoot looks like a box on wheels, but this head-turning urban scooter is designed to go farther thanks to the power of the sun.
Julian Chokkattu
Here’s Exactly How Tesla Made Its New 230-Mph Car ‘Fly’
It turns out the Roadster 2 both sucks and blows.
Jeremy White
The Best Battery-Powered Leaf Blowers for Taking Back Your Weekend
It’s finally time to ditch the gas canister—I tested these cordless leaf blowers on gravel, wood chips, and even a 5-pound concrete paver.
Sal Vaglica
Our Favorite Dyson Tech Is on Sale for Dyson Week
Dyson’s sale event is happening now, and you can save up to $300 on vacuums, hair tools, and more.
Nena Farrell
A Tesla Flying Car? I Don’t Know, Man
The Federal Aviation Administration will likely have thoughts about the Tesla Roadster 2’s ability to leave the ground.
Aarian Marshall
Tesla’s Roadster 2 Is Late—and Entering a Different EV World
Nine years after its reveal, the overdue Roadster is set to debut on Thursday to an EV market that has grown skeptical of electric hypercars.
Aarian Marshall
These Researchers Made AI Drive a Toyota Corolla to Get In-N-Out
Three engineers put GPT, Claude, and Grok in charge of a real car. Only one of them was successful.
Will Knight
The ‘Exotic Physics’ Behind a Mysterious 1,000-Mile Cloud on Mars
The cloud has baffled astronomers since its discovery in 2018. Now, a new study offers a possible cause for its appearance.
Tereza Ondráčková
The Physics Behind Tesla’s Flying Roadster
To understand how Elon’s new car hops, glides, and sticks upside down, we need to talk about friction and force.
Rhett Allain
Astronomers Discover a Possible New Dwarf Planet in Our Solar System
Lying beyond Pluto, 2026 ED138 could be as large as 1,500 kilometers in diameter. Astronomers are still working to confirm whether it meets the criteria for a dwarf planet.
Jorge Garay