Freight cars for fruit and vegetables

[Willow and Laurel RR]

Hi all:

What cars are used to transport fruit and vegetables. Is it reefers or plug door boxcars or both.

 

Thanks

Superintendant, Willow and Laurel RR

 

 

[BRAKIE]

Both Reefers and RBL boxcars are used for hauling produce.

[GP025]

In my experience hauling produce in a reefer trailer, it all depends upon the fruit/veggie and the distance to be traveled.

 Potatoes, some onions, and water melons are hardy and don't need to be cooled. Vidalia sweet onions are cooled and sometimes vented at the same time due to their sugar content.

All leafy greens, apples, berries, carrots, some onions  (depends on the customer), anything processed is cooled (pre made salad kits, etc).

For modern day, I would load all fruit/veggie in a reefer, for earlier than that I will defer to Brakie and his experience. 

Kev

[doctorwayne]

Here in the Niagara Peninsula, and especially below the Niagara Escarpment, there were fruit farms from Niagara Falls almost to Toronto (the latter, known to folks around here as Trawna), and much of that fruit travelled in fruit baggage cars to markets near and far.

I've read that early morning trains would travel travel down to the Falls, dropping off empty cars at the many packing houses along the line, then later in the day, return, picking up the now-loaded cars, and speeding them to market.

Here's a photo of one of the early fruit baggage cars, with screened and louvred openings along the upper sides of the car, to aid in removing "field heat" from the produce....

There were several versions of these cars, with different louvre arrangements, multiple roof ventilators, and even interior ductwork supplying forced air. 
I plan to build models of a few of them, using modified Rivarossi passenger cars.

While the photo probably dates from the '20s or early '30s, this method of moving produce lasted at least well into the '50s.

Much of that fertile farmland, with an ideal growing climate, is now covered with houses, stores, and pavement.

Wayne

[BRAKIE]

GP025

For modern day, I would load all fruit/veggie in a reefer

Kev, Produce is still being moved by rail in RBLs and in 64' Trinity reefers. 

[wjstix]

In the days of iced (rather than mechanical) refrigerator cars, produce sometimes was carried in reefers but without ice in the bunkers, and with the roof hatches open to allow air to blow through as the car rolled along. With some fruits or vegetables, that air blowing through was enough to keep them fresh.

In the same era, there were some boxcars that had one door opening on each side, but two doors - one normal door, and one slatted door (like a stockcar door). The car was set up so either door could be in place. Like in the reefer example, having the slatted doors in place allowed air to blow through and keep the produce from overheating in a sealed car. These were often called "watermelon cars".

http://www.richyodermodels.com/acl_history.htm

 

[Overmod]

The 'fresh moving air' is not just to keep produce cool.  Many fruits ripen by producing ethylene gas and can suffer runaway ripening in an enclosed space.  Actively venting this even with warmer air will be a benefit in preventing excessive ripening/softening in transit.

[doctorwayne]

wjstix

...These were often called "watermelon cars".

Yeah, here's one from Wright Trak, with lettering from Speedwitch Media...

Wayne

[BRAKIE]

Wayne, When I first looked at that photo I thought I was looking at a period photo.

Our models are becoming so realistic its getting hard to tell a model photo from a prototype photo under the right conditions.

[doctorwayne]

Thanks, Larry!

It's pretty easy to change a digital photo from colour, to black & white, then tint it a little to give it some "age".

Wayne

[GP025]

Thanks Larry, I wasn't sure about the RBL's, but know of the Trinitie's (when I said reefers I was meaning rail as well). Railex in Burbank, WA has a huge transload facility from road to rail. Seems like they always have 30- 40 cars staged for loading, hauled in there many times. 

The mentioning of venting in regards to ripening is spot on. I have ripened many a load of tomatoes between cali and fla, and back, enroute in a reefer. Start out with green color @ 55°, get a little pinkish and down to 50, no more green but not yet rosy red and down to 45. By the time they come off the truck they are beautiful red "vine ripened" tommy toes. 

 Kev 

[ericsp]

I know when they shipped potatoes and watermelons out of CA they used mechanical reefers As far as know they did not use RBLs. What produce is shipped in RBLs?

By the way RBLs are becoming increasingly rare. They were once common out here, espicially during tomato season (carrying canned tomato products). Almost all of that product is shipped in uninsulated boxcars now.