The various ploughs, wings and blades of specific spreaders allow them to remove snow, build banks, clean and dig ditches, evenly distribute gravel, as well as trim embankments of brush along the side of the track.

[1][2][3] Spreaders quickly proved themselves as an extremely economical tool for maintaining trackside drainage ditches and spreading fill dumped beside the track.

Jordan's first patent, filed in 1890 and listing Robert Potts as co-inventor, covered a single-blade mechanism with the blade height adjustable with a hand crank and gearing.

Over the years that followed, the Jordan spreader was developed into a multi-purpose MoW vehicle with adjustable blades and ploughs added to the wings.

[13] In 2001, the Jordan Spreader was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame in the "Local:Technical Innovation" category.