I am thinkig about adding a Tyson plant to my layout. I will be bringing in the chckens in stock cars. When the railroads ran stock cars, were all of the stock cars o nthe train from one railorad (e.g. Santa Fe) or where they from various railroads?
To my knowledge, chickens were transported by rail from about 1880 to 1960. Today broght in by truck, I use to live not far from a Tyson plant some years ago. I lived on the Delmarva Peninsula where many chicken growers and processing plants exist.
I have a HO scale model of one, 36 ft long. Era about 1900.
One link fromm a Google search for, transporting chickens by rail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_car_(rail)
No idea about different roads but a Google search might help.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
I recall seeing photos of a Poultry Palace car, but it wasn't a conventional stock car, as would be used for hogs or cattle. I don't know if it was a multi-level car or one in which the chickens were in crates, similar to how they're shipped nowadays on trucks. A conventional stock car would not likely be used, as there's only so much floor space available, even in a double-decked car. If there are more chickens than the floor space can accommodate, the ones on the bottom will likely be suffocated. Lots of poultry farms in this area, and I think all of them ship only by truck.
Wayne
Poultry car
http://condrenrails.com/FSVB/Engine-Terminals/Huber-KCS-2.htm
http://www.hoosiervalley.org/photos/historic-railroad-photos/live-poultry-cars/
Interior - note the lights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Better_Farming_Train_Poultry_Car.jpg
Photos of models
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/9977705@N05/sets/72157634343464634/
http://www.nasg.org/SProductGallery/reports/scale/cars/manuf_rr/indexLehigh_Valley_ModelsStock_Carspoultry.php
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
Judging by what appears to be the very small number of poultry cars compared to cattle cars, it appears that poultry was not extensively transported by rail.
Since people clearly have been eating a lot of chicken for a long time, I suspect that almost all poultry for slaughter was gathered from nearby sources-thus not needing rail transport.
Ed
Generally chicken processing plants are know as an abattoir rather than a slaughterhouse. Horribly nasty places in my opinion. I've designed wastewater facilities for both abattoirs and slaughterhouses and there's no comparison.
An interesting note about an abattoir in Raeford, NC back in the late 70s. Since they couldn't accept dead chickens, it was imperative that the birds "lived" until they were ready to "die". The truck receiving area had huge fans to cool the crates of chickens until they could be unloaded to prevent them from dying in the NC summer heat and humidity. I would suspect that an earlier rail unloading area would also have had the huge fans.
Ray
Poultry truck
http://www.laughlinpoultry.com/index.asp
1930's poultry truck
http://www.risserspoultry.com/images/antique_truck.jpg
DSchmittDSchmitt wrote the following post an hour ago: Poultry truck http://www.laughlinpoultry.com/index.asp 1930's poultry truck http://www.risserspoultry.com/images/antique_truck.jpg
Don't follow too closely, especially on a motorcycle!
Sorry,
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
7j43kJudging by what appears to be the very small number of poultry cars compared to cattle cars, it appears that poultry was not extensively transported by rail.
Ed,There's usually a chicken farm near the slaughter house so,the chickens arrives live and well..Some times the meat was shipped to processors in reefers.
Never buy a home within two miles of a chicken farm.Phew!
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
There are a few huge chicken farms around WI., and they are with in an easy truck drive from the plant. Tyson has a plant in Fort Atkinson, WI, with farms near by.
There have been many news stories, with the hidden videos, etc., on how the farms are told to operate, by the food compmany they are working for, but that's nother story.
The 1930's truck that DSchmitt links to, reminds me of the John Anderson song, "Chicken truck".
Mike
My You Tube
I worked at Sharpe Army Depot outside Lathrop, CA. There were chicken farms nearby and in the summer heat, even in the early morning hours, coming to work you coukd not breathe the smell was so bad.
I was told by a CHP officer (no I wasn't pulled over--this time) that the only thing that could legally fall off a truck was feathers and/or water.
DSchmittPoultry car http://condrenrails.com/FSVB/Engine-Terminals/Huber-KCS-2.htm
That's the car of which I was speaking.
While chicken barns are normally pretty stinky, they're at their worst when being cleaned-out after the current batch of chickens have been shipped.However, for the farmers, that's the smell of money.
doctorwayne While chicken barns are normally pretty stinky, they're at their worst when being cleaned-out after the current batch of chickens have been shipped.However, for the farmers, that's the smell of money.
Only thing worse than a chicken coop being cleaned is one that burned down. Little old lady at the head of the street (and upwind) had a 75 ft. one. It caught fire one summer when I was growing up, and OMG! My house was real popular for a couple of days, as we were the only one with air conditioning.