My winter "beaters" are both 1987 Kuwahara Cascades that have gorgeous quad butted Ishiwata frames with touring geometry... the longer stays in the rear and slack angles makes for a really nice ride.
One has been converted to a fixed gear while the other has been converted to a three speed.
My three speed as a rain bike...
My three speed as a snow bike...
My fixed gear mtb / commuter / utility bike
The three speed is getting the lion's share of the winter riding as it is more "beaterish" than it's sister and I am finding I really like the three speed in the snow, slush and ice even though the fixie also rocks for winter riding.