A question for the fans of the B&O. At a recent swap meet, I noticed some stock (okay, cattle) cars lettered for the B&O. Can anyone tell me if and where these cars may have been used on that line? Thank you.
Old Fat Robert
I've seen pics of a trains entering the Baltimore Esskay meat packing plant. I don't know if they were B&O PRR or Ma & Pa.
If you look at the map of their trackage, there were a lot of big cities that must have had meat packers.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
My 1962 ORER shows several hundred B&O stock cars (which might not be "cattle" cars of course) -- well over 600 -- but unfortunately gives no notes or detail about use. Certainly the B&O served agricultural as well as large urban areas so it is not hard to imagine on-line uses for stock cars in that era.
A discussion on these Forums last year mentioned SK Meatpacking in Hagerstown MD getting hogs via rail from the B&O
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/192528.aspx?sortorder=desc
Dave Nelson
As late as 1966 B&O was hauling its own and and privately owned (lettered for Food Fair - I forget whose reporting marks were on them) stock cars to Philadelphia.
I recall watching freight action on the B&O mainlne in Akron Ohio in the late 1950's with my dad. There was an eastbound movement of livestock every evening. The cars were B&O Mather wooden stock cars of the type produced several years ago by Life Like P2K. At the time, I didn't know the exact origin or destination, but was told the cattle were destined for the Kosher market in the East. Some time around the late 1950's or early 1960's, the Mather cars were replaced by rebuilt steel boxcars with holes cut in the sides, very similar to contemporaneous stock cars conversions on the PRR (offered by Bowser). I'm sure stock cars were being moved on other B&O lines. B&O maintained large livestock handling facilities in Willard, OH, Brunswick, MD, and other locations. ORER's could probably tell you exactly when the wooden Mathers were replaced by the rebuilt steel cars. As far as I know, the steel cars were retired after a relatively short time and the service ended.
Sorry I can't be more precise, but I don't have ORER's for those years and I don't have photos. The B&O Historical Society might be able to help.
Tom
ACYSome time around the late 1950's or early 1960's, the Mather cars were replaced by rebuilt steel boxcars with holes cut in the sides, very similar to contemporaneous stock cars conversions on the PRR (offered by Bowser).
Here's an example of the car Tom is refering to:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chuckzeiler/30958955253/
Ed
Here's a B&O stock car on my layout. Car is by Proto 2000.
This car is a "double decker" with two floors.
The B&O served the Philadelphia stockyards.
A double deck stock car hauled sheep or pigs, but not horses or cattle.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I have to cheerfully admit that the people on this forum are amazing. Even though my original post was ignorantly worded and failed miserably to convey the question that was on my mind at the time, you all contributed wonderful information and not one of you (yet) took me to task for starting a thread without thinking it through. Thanks to all.
I admit that sometimes I get a little off topic with my replies. Once I mastered the art of posting photos to this forum, I just can't resist!
John