Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Running Stock Train On Modern RR

7969 views
43 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 7:09 AM

cx500
Stock cars would get unloaded as soon as possible on arrival at destination. That is why they would often be handled on the head end of a train; the yard engine would be standing by, ready to spot them for unloading as soon as the road power cut off.

If the packing plant is close to the yard and if it isn't and the urban local is gone then what?

Railroads got out of that business for a reason.

Truckers don't want it but,they're stuck with that business.

There's Government regulations that's needs to be followed and of course there's PETA.

 

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 2,505 posts
Posted by caldreamer on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 8:26 AM

I guess that if the local is out somewhere , the yard engine would have to move the stock cars to the packing plant.  You DO NOT want to have to pay for dead animals.  You DO want to get the m to the   packing plant s soon as possible.

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 8:42 AM

caldreamer

I guess that if the local is out somewhere , the yard engine would have to move the stock cars to the packing plant.  You DO NOT want to have to pay for dead animals.  You DO want to get the m to the   packing plant s soon as possible.

 

Nope it doesn't work like that..There are company and union job classifications and work agreements that must be followed by both parties.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 9:27 AM

It doesn't look like it is, Joe.

https://www.perduefarms.com/

31149 Old Ocean City Rd., Salisbury.

Scroll just a little North, and see the huge Perdue Agribusiness, which is rail served, but deals in grain.  It's all the same company.

Mike.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Omaha, NE
  • 10,621 posts
Posted by dehusman on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 11:58 AM

Americold Logistics in Fremont, NE is a rail served chicken processing plant that ships frozen chickens outbound.

They also have a facility in Russelville, AR for frozen chicken (Tyson foods plant to the east).

 

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

  • Member since
    February 2015
  • 869 posts
Posted by NHTX on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 6:14 PM

    Could the answers to some of your questions be found in Kalmbach's book that covers the livestock and meat packing industry?

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 2,505 posts
Posted by caldreamer on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 8:39 PM

Good possible resource.  Unforunatly no one made a poultry car in N scale.  I do not know  of one in HO either.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 8:52 PM

caldreamer

Good possible resource.  Unforunatly no one made a poultry car in N scale.  I do not know  of one in HO either.

 

Westerfield models makes some double deck cars, dont know what service.

 NVM, you said you were in N scale..

  • Member since
    October 2008
  • From: Calgary
  • 2,047 posts
Posted by cx500 on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 11:25 PM

BRAKIE
If the packing plant is close to the yard and if it isn't and the urban local is gone then what? Railroads got out of that business for a reason.

Very often the packing plant and the terminating yard were close, since both were in the industrial part of a city.  If they were separated, the through train might set the cars off directly to the slaughter house, or at a satellite yard that had a yard engine that would do the necessary final spot.  Most major cities had multiple local yards at strategic locations, complete with yardmasters and local based industrial assignments.  Mostly gone now, just as the livestock business has vanished.

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 4:37 AM

cx500
 
BRAKIE
If the packing plant is close to the yard and if it isn't and the urban local is gone then what? Railroads got out of that business for a reason.

 

Very often the packing plant and the terminating yard were close, since both were in the industrial part of a city.  If they were separated, the through train might set the cars off directly to the slaughter house, or at a satellite yard that had a yard engine that would do the necessary final spot.  Most major cities had multiple local yards at strategic locations, complete with yardmasters and local based industrial assignments.  Mostly gone now, just as the livestock business has vanished.

 

If the work rules and job classification allowed a yard crew to do another man's job which they would not. A yard man's job was not to deliver cars but,to make up trains..Even a major terminal would have a  five or four man crew (depending on era) that added and removed cabooses from trains plus switch the caboose service track.

However,some roads used a traveling switch engine to cover a ice house track and a slaughterhouse stock pens and switch out reefers. This is all that crew did. A five man crew  made one trip a day to do around 4-5 hours of work.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 2,505 posts
Posted by caldreamer on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 7:59 AM

A 4 or 5 man crew, BOY was that featherbedding.  But that was the rules back then.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Omaha, NE
  • 10,621 posts
Posted by dehusman on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 8:10 AM

caldreamer

A 4 or 5 man crew, BOY was that featherbedding.  But that was the rules back then. 

Really.

Lets see you switch a 30 car cut without RCL and without radios around a curve where the engineer is on the off side.

 

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 10:49 AM

caldreamer

A 4 or 5 man crew, BOY was that featherbedding.  But that was the rules back then.

 

Really? There was no featherbedding to it.

Every man had a job to do even if that meant he had to ride the roof of boxcars in order to relay hand  signals to the engineer. The conductor's main job to supervise and ensure work and safety rules was followed.

The engineer ran the engine while the fireman tended his firing duties.

Two brakemen did the actual switching.Recall one might be riding the top of boxcars to relay hand signals and that left one man on the ground to do the work.

Same for the diesel era and some railroads had firemen into the 70s and he still had a job to do..

Where's the featherbedding?

That man with that RCL can not do the amount of work we did.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: California - moved to North Carolina 2018
  • 4,422 posts
Posted by DSchmitt on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 12:54 PM

joe323

I have been trying to get the address of the Perdue chicken plant in Salisbury MD with no luck I want to Google Earth it to see if it is rail served.

 

Perdue Inc

Farm · 521 Wailes St
Open until 10:30 PM
 
 

Perdue Agribusiness Inc

Storage Facility · 6906 Zion Church Rd
Open until 3:00 PM
 
 

Perdue Farms

Food Processing Company · 521 Willow St
 
 

Perdue Farms

Association or Organization · 31149 Old Ocean City Rd
Open until 5:00 PM
 
 

Perdue School of Business

Business School · 1101 Camden Ave
 
 

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.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!