I was once told that a significant traffic category for meat packers was lard, and that might move in regular reefers (serving as insulated box cars).

In the photo notice S.P. Boxcar 61290 is to the left and appears to have an end door.

PFE 9092 is one of 3,021 Class R-30-5 produce reefers built 1909-1911 by Pullman. Seen in the photo are the "Bohn Standard Ventilator" hatch covers.

There is good coverage with photos of this and related cars in the PFE book.

From a modeling standpoint, notice the boot scuff marks along the ladder rungs.

I attribute the lack of visible lettering to the choice of film used for this photo. Perhaps someone can shed more light on this.

The fact that this produce car is at a meat packer's branch house probably is just a coincidence, although meat packers were known to use PFE cars when there was a shortage of their own cars.. Cudahy had its own reefers and generally produce reefers were not compatible with meat service. 

Bob Chaparro

Hemet, CA

Hi Bruce,

Please educate me because I don't see the uproar. Yes, the crossmember should all face one end on one side and the other end on the other side, but the guts are there - two crossbearers and five sets of crossties. One nit (that I noticed beforehand, thankfully) is that the train pipe should pass through the crossties.

Cheers,
Ted Culotta

The two Sunshine kits covering these cars are being re-issued by Westerfield Date TBD.

Bill Welch

Mel,

The original mill at Toledo--at least that which survives--was built by the US Army Spruce Division during WWI.  After the war, those assets were sold off.  In the case of the Toledo mill, it was sold to C.D. Johnson.  C.D. Johnson sold the mill to Georgia-Pacific in the early 1950s.  This was a dynamic time in the forest products industry as the Kraft pulp process was applied to wood chips for paper pulp.  Several large pulp and paper mills were built throughout the Pacific Northwest with many coming on-line toward the end of RR steam operations in the mid 1950s.  

G-P had another mill--not certain where--that they shipped wood chips to in the mid 1950s, per my earlier note concerning an SP GS gondola with chip rack (G-50-20-A) carrying the first such load out in 1957.  In 1958, G-P added a pulp and paper mill at Toledo.  Apparently, wood chips might have gone both ways for a brief time, but by the end of this list's time-frame, its of wood chips began flowing from other sawmill operations out to Toledo.  Yet today, G-P has both a saw mill and a pulp and paper mill at Toledo.  

Co-located saw and pulp mills are a common occurrence for large operations here in Oregon and Washington.  Weyerhaeuser in Springfield, Oregon, is another such mill with a full range of forest products and a co-located pulp mill.  Of course, these were and are rail-served, although (future date for this list) rail transport of wood chips has fallen by the wayside, notwithstanding earnest efforts on the part of the current shoreline operator.  Wood chips often were a loss-leader for the railroads--moved at a loss in the expectation that the finished product would go by rail--hopefully on a long haul.  

Bill Decker
McMinnville, Oregon--home of the Spruce Goose, stuffed and mounted in the Evergreen Air and Space Museum

I used pre-made 6” air conditioning duct parts. 

On June 3, 2020 at 3:53 PM Bruce Smith <smithbf@...> wrote:

SPARKLESS....effing autocorrect!

 

Hi: many years ago NCE made a very nice large paint booth to be vented outside. Maybe you could find a used one. They also made a sand blaster booth, but I missed that. Marty Cooper 

---

From: Bruce F. Smith <smithbf@...>
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 2:52 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Paint Booth

 

We've been over this before, but "sparkles" fans are NOT needed for a paint booth. The concentration of flammable agent is never high enough. Just get the highest capacity bathroom or kitchen vent fans you can find.

Regards,

Bruce Smith

Auburn, AL

 

---

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> on behalf of Todd Sullivan via groups.io <sullivant41@...>
Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 2:27 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io>
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Paint Booth

 

I built my own probably 30 years ago using 1/8" hardboard for the bottom, sides and back, with triangular cross section molding where the panels joined.  I added a vertical slot at the back for a standard size furnace filter, and made the top from Lexan clear sheet to allow light in.  The inside is painted white, which I protect with clear food wrap.  I used two surplus computer cooling fans with inductive motors (no sparking) at the back to pull the air out and through the filter.  Probably a squirrel cage fan would be more effective.  The waste air was ducted out a window using dryer vent components.  The face opening is probably 28"w by 16" high.

Todd Sullivan

Bruce  -  Got it!

I did not know that about the fans, and that will simplify my search for a replacement.  Thanks!

Todd Sullivan

Most rail of that era would have been 33' long, with an occational 36'.  With the car showing in OER as 37'6" IL that looks about right for a 33'er.

Still a good workout!

My brother owns a sheet metal fabrication company. I gave him the plans that ran in Model Railroader, and he welded one up for me. 

I built my own probably 30 years ago using 1/8" hardboard for the bottom, sides and back, with triangular cross section molding where the panels joined.  I added a vertical slot at the back for a standard size furnace filter, and made the top from Lexan clear sheet to allow light in.  The inside is painted white, which I protect with clear food wrap.  I used two surplus computer cooling fans with inductive motors (no sparking) at the back to pull the air out and through the filter.  Probably a squirrel cage fan would be more effective.  The waste air was ducted out a window using dryer vent components.  The face opening is probably 28"w by 16" high.

Todd Sullivan