this nice shot of the GM&O freight house
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Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
Hi List Members,
Consider for a moment this nice shot of the
GM&O freight house surrounded by steam era freight cars...
I have a question about how this all works
regarding delivery of goods to the customer. Freight cars get parked here, they
are unloaded into the freight house by fork lift or hand truck or elbow grease,
right? Then what? How does the customer get their goods? Presumably they show up
wuth their comapny truck (or in earlier days, with their horse-drawn cart). But
I don't see any good street access to the building. Is it on the side of the
building we cannot see? I'm thinking maybe not, since there are probably tracks
there.
This is not the first time I've seen freight houses
with what appears to be inadequate or non-existant street access. How was this
handled? Presumably every inbound carload of items that goes INTO the freight
house has to leave as well, and it's not leaving in a freight car,
right?
Thoughts?
Overall, if you omit the large yard in the
background, and included only the three tracks in the foreground with the
building, a scene like this is very model-genic, and could serve as the focal
point of a very nice switching layout or a fun area of activity within a larger
layout.
Claus Schlund
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Jon Miller <atsfus@...>
On 4/29/2019 4:34 PM, Claus Schlund
\(HGM\) wrote:
Then what? How does the customer get their goods? Presumably they show up wuth their comapny truck (or in earlier days, with their horse-drawn cart) At the left of the warehouse is a road on the
back. You can see a truck there. I believe the curve of the
track there is a allusion you can't see well and the road and
loading area is there. -- Jon Miller For me time stopped in 1941 Digitrax Chief/Zephyr systems, SPROG, JMRI User NMRA Life member #2623 Member SFRH&MS |
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John Barry
Claus,
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Think FedEx's Memphis or UPS's Louisville sorting hubs, neither of which has much in local delivery compared to the overall volume. Kansas City was a major rail hub with significant interchange between RRs. LCL cars from all over the GM&O terminated there an their contents were resorted into interchange cars destined to points on connecting lines. A package from Mobile to Albuquerque would have moved through this house to the Santa Fe house at Argentine before entering the Santa Fe LCL system. Only in a minority of markets was there enough traffic to warrent a through car such as the NY car from San Francisco via the Santa Fe and Erie. Through cars to connecting lines were a bit more common skipping the destination sort on the originating line. But most of the transfer LCL got sorted by the delivery road then again by the receiving road. Think trap cars instead of trucks for the cross town moves. John Barry ATSF North Bay Lines Golden Gates & Fast Freights Lovettsville, VA 707-490-9696 PO Box 44736 Washington, DC 20026-4736 -------------------------------------------- On Mon, 4/29/19, Claus Schlund \(HGM\) <claus@...> wrote:
Subject: [RealSTMFC] this nice shot of the GM&O freight house To: "STMFC" <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> Date: Monday, April 29, 2019, 7:34 PM Hi List Members, Consider for a moment this nice shot of the GM&O freight house surrounded by steam era freight cars... https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:20988173 I have a question about how this all works regarding delivery of goods to the customer. Freight cars get parked here, they are unloaded into the freight house by fork lift or hand truck or elbow grease, right? Then what? How does the customer get their goods? Presumably they show up wuth their comapny truck (or in earlier days, with their horse-drawn cart). But I don't see any good street access to the building. Is it on the side of the building we cannot see? I'm thinking maybe not, since there are probably tracks there. This is not the first time I've seen freight houses with what appears to be inadequate or non-existant street access. How was this handled? Presumably every inbound carload of items that goes INTO the freight house has to leave as well, and it's not leaving in a freight car, right? Thoughts? Overall, if you omit the large yard in the background, and included only the three tracks in the foreground with the building, a scene like this is very model-genic, and could serve as the focal point of a very nice switching layout or a fun area of activity within a larger layout. Claus Schlund |
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Hub, and Spoke. Some freight houses dealt largely with interline sorting, as well as local (more or less random destinations) sorting for further destinations. On 4/29/2019 7:34 PM, Claus Schlund
\(HGM\) wrote:
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Tim O'Connor Sterling, Massachusetts |
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Claus,
Responses from others in the group have accounted for access, but it also might be that this was an LCL transfer facility; goods being moved between rail cars only with no need for access from the street. There was such a place in the small Indiana junction town I model. LCL shipments were moved between cars spotted at a roofed platform, with tracks on both sides. The only access to this place was for pedestrians to enter the office at one end. The attached photo shows the transfer platform on the left, freight house roof over the cars on the right. Packages from mail order retailers like Sears/Roebuck would arrive in rail cars at this location and be distributed to cars for Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Louisville etc. There was also an adjacent freight house that was completely separate for originating and arriving local shipments. Regards, Mike Aufderheide  |
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David Wiggs
One thing I did
notice, is that on the far side of the freight house, the switches have self
guarding frogs; no guard rails on them; at least on those closest to the
station. The one on the near side appears to have them. I've seen
the same thing in photos of the old ACL yard in South Rocky Mount, NC. I
wonder how prevalent this phenomenom is?
Davo in
Orlando |
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They are very common on the prototype, because they're cheaper to build. But they don't work for models unless we model in P:48, or P:87, P: whatever On 4/29/2019 8:46 PM, David Wiggs
wrote:
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Tim O'Connor Sterling, Massachusetts |
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David Soderblom
An interesting detail: the cars are aligned side to side, but spaced apart, requiring each one to be decoupled.
There would have been good access for carts and trucks on the opposite side. It depends: a
transfer house would not have had that because freight was being transferred and forwarded. A
freight house would have a street side for delivery to local customers.
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william darnaby
Interesting shot indeed. In the lower right corner of the photo there is a Monon High Speed Merchandise Service boxcar. I had no idea they got so far off line.
Bill Darnaby
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2019 6:34 PM To: STMFC <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> Subject: [RealSTMFC] this nice shot of the GM&O freight house
Hi List Members,
Consider for a moment this nice shot of the GM&O freight house surrounded by steam era freight cars...
I have a question about how this all works regarding delivery of goods to the customer. Freight cars get parked here, they are unloaded into the freight house by fork lift or hand truck or elbow grease, right? Then what? How does the customer get their goods? Presumably they show up wuth their comapny truck (or in earlier days, with their horse-drawn cart) But I don't see any good street access to the building. Is it on the side of the building we cannot see? I'm thinking maybe not, since there are probably tracks there.
This is not the first time I've seen freight houses with what appears to be inadequate or non-existant street access. How was this handled? Presumably every inbound carload of items that goes INTO the freight house has to leave as well, and it's not leaving in a freight car, right?
Thoughts?
Overall, if you omit the large yard in the background, and included only the three tracks in the foreground with the building, a scene like this is very model-genic, and could serve as the focal point of a very nice switching layout or a fun area of activity within a larger layout.
Claus Schlund
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William Hirt
For those that have been to Kansas City, 12th Street from Downtown into the West Bottoms (where the GM&O freight house was) was and is a double deck viaduct. The photo is looking southwest from the top level of the viaduct. The tracks seen on the southwest side of the freight house did not continue to the west side of the freight house (except for one which was far enough west to allow truck access). Access was from surface level below 12th Street to the west side for trucks etc. The roof seen on the lower left corner of the image is the Frisco freight house. The CB&Q freight house was 3-4 blocks west at 12th and Mulberry Street and the ATSF Freight House at 13th and Hickory Street. The tracks in the background on the west side of the freight
house: GM&O nearest, then SLSF, the KCT, and then the
remaining half the tracks belonging to the CB&Q. Prior to the
CB&Q building Murray Yard in North Kansas City, this was part
of the area of their primary Kansas City yard. I've seen 1948 maps
of the area and it's hard to imagine today how much railroad
activity was going on in such a small area. The 1951 flood in the
West Bottoms changed it all. Bill Hirt
On 4/29/2019 6:34 PM, Claus Schlund
\(HGM\) wrote:
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Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
Hi List members,
Thanks everyone who replied, I think I have a
better understanding now.
I noticed a second example of this at the link
below...
Notice how freight cars have great access to both
sides of the loading platforms, but there is no good way to get a truck in
there.
Claus Schlund
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Benjamin Hom
Claus Schlund wrote: "I noticed a second example of this at the link below...
Notice how freight cars have great access to both sides of the loading platforms, but there is no good way to get a truck in there." That's becuase the frieght house isn't designed for trucks to directly load from individual boxcars. LCL would be unloaded and processed in the freight house, then reconsolidated in other cars for forwarding or loaded onto trucks for local delivery at a dedicated truck platform. Cars on the center track between platforms would be serviced via bridge plates from cars spotted at the platforms on either side. Ben Hom |
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This structure has track on both sides - so I think it is a "transfer house".
The picture was taken in 1960 - thus the doors of the house are further apart to accomodate longer cars (50) combined with shorter ones (40). Most of the freight moving across this house would have been moved using fork lifts (1960). - Jim B. |
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Aley, Jeff A
Attached is a map and an aerial photo. The aerial photo shows the sheer density of steam-era freight cars in this part of Kansas City.
Regards,
-Jeff
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io [mailto:main@RealSTMFC.groups.io]
On Behalf Of Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2019 4:34 PM To: STMFC <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> Subject: [RealSTMFC] this nice shot of the GM&O freight house
Hi List Members,
Consider for a moment this nice shot of the GM&O freight house surrounded by steam era freight cars...
I have a question about how this all works regarding delivery of goods to the customer. Freight cars get parked here, they are unloaded into the freight house by fork lift or hand truck or elbow grease, right? Then what? How does the customer get their goods? Presumably they show up wuth their comapny truck (or in earlier days, with their horse-drawn cart). But I don't see any good street access to the building. Is it on the side of the building we cannot see? I'm thinking maybe not, since there are probably tracks there.
This is not the first time I've seen freight houses with what appears to be inadequate or non-existant street access. How was this handled? Presumably every inbound carload of items that goes INTO the freight house has to leave as well, and it's not leaving in a freight car, right?
Thoughts?
Overall, if you omit the large yard in the background, and included only the three tracks in the foreground with the building, a scene like this is very model-genic, and could serve as the focal point of a very nice switching layout or a fun area of activity within a larger layout.
Claus Schlund
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Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for those images. In the aerial photo, one
can make out what appears to be a few trucks loading on the side of the building
that cannot be seen in the photo.
Claus Schlund
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Jeff
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Great track map - and it shows there was a long open space behind the freight house for truck doors. Tim O' On 4/30/2019 7:43 PM, Aley, Jeff A
wrote:
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Tim O'Connor Sterling, Massachusetts |
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