Winery questions

[jecorbett]

I am planning to add a branchline to my layout and one of the industries that it is going to serve is a large winery. I know very little about the wine making business so I need a few questions answered. The wineries I am familar with grow their grapes on site so there would be no need to ship those in. Are there other materials used in wine making that would likely be received via rail. The only materials I can think of would be glass bottles and cardboard shipping cartons. Anything else? If so, what type of cars would they be shipped in. Also, would the finished product be shipped in refrigerated cars. My layout is set in summer.

[Anonymous]

Wine can be shipped out in standard boxcars, if it's bottled and boxed.

[ndbprr]

There was one (at least) special tank car with six domes and six compartments for bulk shipping of wine to a bottler in Philadelphia for private label wine. Any tank used would most deifnitely be a dedicated service car probably privately owned but is certainly plausible. Since you are planning the source on your branch you could send it just abouy anywhere ihn North America

[West Coast S]

I have four of them to model!! Here's where my research led me: All wineries regardless of source for raw product, included settling tanks. When the grapes were crushed the grape residue would be pumped into vats set into the ground, a controlled amount of purified water and yeast was added on a scheduled basis and for a determined period of time. My research indicates that my prototypes used cement construction for these vats as early as 1926, these vats were open on the top with access walkways, in foul weather, temporary storm planking was installed to avoid contamination. After the impurities had settled on the bottom, the mash would be pumped out, filtered and processed into the finished product before being forwared to the aging sheds, the waste product from these tanks was recycled for use in animanl feed, ocasssionly, these aging sheds or even caves were at remote sites with the proper climate and humidity requiring rail transfer from the winnery.

The number of tanks and volume in gallons would depend on overall production capability of the plant.

Loads in would be cane sugar and yeast by the ton, hardwoods such as Oak, walnut used in vat construction, strap iron and fastners, matter of fact, a wood storage, drying shed, planning/stave mill, blacksmith and cooperage shop building was used to support the end product. Security and fire protection was paramount with these expensive woods and stone/brick construction was often chosen.

Copper tubing and pipe fittings were used and due to the corossive nature of wine making required frequent replacement. Depending on the wine, as in one of my prototypes that recieved walnuts and rasins by rail that were incorporated into a certain blend..Some were large enough to justify power houses, oil or coal fired that required rail service.

Due to the cargo, wine tankers were Porcelin lined, special handing instructions were required and they were not to contaimanted with foreign loads under any circumstances, thus their restricted use rating. Rubber bladders were perfected after the war that did not interact with the wine and the use of Porcelin was gradually phased out. Wine tank cars could be two,three, four or six dommed from 29 to 40 feet in length, by several builders, with the six dome, 35 foot version being the most commom here in the west...

Lastly, don't forget to include ample, secure space to store freshly produced barrels awaiting filling, often they were left exposed to the weather to help age them along...

Best of luck

Dave

[markpierce]

Larger wineries "imported" a lot of grapes or their juice from other vineyards. Not sure how much this was done by rail.

[ericsp]

What is your era?

All of the wineries around here that still ship via rail ship exclusively in RBLs (insulated boxcars), usually 60' interior length, sometimes 50', to the best of my knowledge. There was a winery that used to ship via via tankcar up until a few years ago.. There are also a couple of wineries out here that have bottle making plants on site, so they receive raw materieals and glass cullet by rail. Also, some wineries ship grape juice concentrate by rail. The one that I have seen uses tankcars leased by Welch Foods.

You might want to have a look at http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=69280.

[ericboone]

I believe the West Michigan Railroad is a railroad much like what you are talking about. It's terminous is the town of Paw Paw, known for its winery. I am not certain if the winery still is served by rail or not, but it is near the end of trackage.
http://www.pioneer-railcorp.com/Subsidiaries/WMI/wmi.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paw_Paw,_Michigan
http://www.stjulian.com/HTML/main.php

[markpierce]

Gee, I've never heard of a Michigan winery. I guess that is one blessing of the global warming people have experienced over the last 10,000 years (400 generations, and not counting the mini-ice ages as in the late 18th century.) I wonder if they grow their own grapes or import them. Maybe England will once be a producer or wines. Maybe Greenland will be hospitable for Europeans again (since a thousand years ago.) Perhaps Mr. Gore will figure it out. (NOT!)

[ericboone]

QUOTE: Originally posted by markpierce

Gee, I've never heard of a Michigan winery.

There are lots of wineries in Michigan with the bulk being near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The western side of lower Michigan grows a lot of fruit; grapes, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, apples, etc... (No oranges though.) I believe that Michigan is second only to California in the variety of produce grown in the state.

http://www.michiganwines.com/Wineries/wineries.html

[ndbprr]

Western Michigan probably produces more fruit than most other regions of the country. Lake Michigan tempers the winters with lots of moisture (snow) while keeping temps in the high 20's for the most part. Traverse City is the cherry capital of the world. As you come down the coast you get into huge apple, pear, peach and grape areas. Michigan wines are excellent and there are probably twenty wineries that have showrooms along I-94 from the Indiana line to Kalamazoo. By the way Vineland New Jersey in the middle of the pine barrens got its name from the many vineyards in that area and in the 1800's was the champagne capital of the US before a blight wiped them out. As a kid going to the shore from Philly you knew you were getting closer when you passed the big concrete champagne bottles where the bottlers used to be. So when California falls into the ocean there are areas that can supply adult beverages to the rest of us.

[markpierce]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

Western Michigan probably produces more fruit than most other regions of the country. Lake Michigan tempers the winters with lots of moisture (snow) while keeping temps in the high 20's for the most part. Traverse City is the cherry capital of the world. As you come down the coast you get into huge apple, pear, peach and grape areas. Michigan wines are excellent and there are probably twenty wineries that have showrooms along I-94 from the Indiana line to Kalamazoo. By the way Vineland New Jersey in the middle of the pine barrens got its name from the many vineyards in that area and in the 1800's was the champagne capital of the US before a blight wiped them out. As a kid going to the shore from Philly you knew you were getting closer when you passed the big concrete champagne bottles where the bottlers used to be. So when California falls into the ocean there are areas that can supply adult beverages to the rest of us.

That's comforting to know.