Date
1 - 12 of 12
Photo: ACL Ventilated Boxcar 37853 With Live Bees Load (Undated)
Benjamin Hom
Bob Chaparro asked:
"This is a new one on me. Bees?"
Why not? We keep forgetting that the railroads were often the only decent means to ship any cargo over mid-to-long distances, whether via carload, less-than-carload, or Railway Express. A ventilated boxcar would be a appropriate means to ship multiple colonies of bees.
Even today, small packages of bees can be mailed via USPS Ground, and queens and attendants can be shipped by air.
Ben Hom
The car has interesting roof fasteners. The ends look familiar, but the number per “panel” surprises me.
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Rob
On Aug 18, 2022, at 10:14 AM, Benjamin Hom <b.hom@...> wrote:
Bob Chaparro asked:
"This is a new one on me. Bees?"
Why not? We keep forgetting that the railroads were often the only decent means to ship any cargo over mid-to-long distances, whether via carload, less-than-carload, or Railway Express. A ventilated boxcar would be a appropriate means to ship multiple colonies of bees.
Even today, small packages of bees can be mailed via USPS Ground, and queens and attendants can be shipped by air.
Ben Hom
<ACL_37853_Live_Bees_.jpg>
Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
Hi Bob, Ben, and List Members,
When I was in mainland China in 1989 in my rail travels I saw at
least two separate examples of beehives mounted on railroad flat
cars. I assume the flat cars together with the hives were moved
for one area to another to follow the blooming plant life. So why
not have the same concept here in the USA?
Claus Schlund
On 18-Aug-22 13:14, Benjamin Hom wrote:
Bob Chaparro asked:"This is a new one on me. Bees?"
Why not? We keep forgetting that the railroads were often the only decent means to ship any cargo over mid-to-long distances, whether via carload, less-than-carload, or Railway Express. A ventilated boxcar would be a appropriate means to ship multiple colonies of bees.
Even today, small packages of bees can be mailed via USPS Ground, and queens and attendants can be shipped by air.
Ben Hom
Dennis Storzek
On Thu, Aug 18, 2022 at 01:18 PM, Robert kirkham wrote:
Dennis Storzek
The car has interesting roof fasteners. The ends look familiar, but the number per “panel” surprises me.This is an example of a NONflexible metal roof, an early form of outside metal roof. Originally the folded edge of the roof panels was just nailed to the fascia, but 'weaving' of the carbody tore them loose. This was the next step in the evolution, many angle clips screwed to the fascia. That kept the panels tight to the fascia, but they tore at the seams. The ultimate solution was to introduce a slip joint at the fascia and enable the panels to slide a bit under the seam caps; the flexible roof that all three major roof manufacturers were offering by the twenties.
Dennis Storzek
radiodial868
(I also posted this over on the Railway Bull Shippers Group)
Way back when, the practice used to be that bee colonies were established (starting with the queen) in the South where it was warm in the Spring, and then sent up to Canada so that when things warmed up and the clover season started up there, they could hit the ground running (buzzing?). At the end of the season the beekeepers became beekillers and snuffed the full hive off and took the remaining honey as it was too much trouble to keep them alive in the cold north winters.
The bees being transported are in what are called Nucs (nucleus), just a queen and a big slug of worker bees and a feeder of sugar water (usually canning syrup). They are basically screened boxes that have to be stacked in the car in specified configuration to allow ventilation (think of big squares that are open in the middle too). Trucks took over the job as soon as the north-south highways were improved.
--
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RJ Dial (also a Beekeeper)
Mendocino, CA
Way back when, the practice used to be that bee colonies were established (starting with the queen) in the South where it was warm in the Spring, and then sent up to Canada so that when things warmed up and the clover season started up there, they could hit the ground running (buzzing?). At the end of the season the beekeepers became beekillers and snuffed the full hive off and took the remaining honey as it was too much trouble to keep them alive in the cold north winters.
The bees being transported are in what are called Nucs (nucleus), just a queen and a big slug of worker bees and a feeder of sugar water (usually canning syrup). They are basically screened boxes that have to be stacked in the car in specified configuration to allow ventilation (think of big squares that are open in the middle too). Trucks took over the job as soon as the north-south highways were improved.
--
-------------------
RJ Dial (also a Beekeeper)
Mendocino, CA
Andy Carlson
Marketing to appeal to the less knowing.....
Peanut butter being labeled "No Cholesterol", Oatmeal being labeled "Gluten Free". Gluten is a protein found only in wheat and cholesterol is an animal fatty acid, not found in plants. Some of the best recognized honey is from foraged alfalfa fields but the honey produced from these fields is labeled "Clover'. Since alfalfa is in the Legume family (which includes clover) there is some leniency to this claim! I will be shortly marketing a new bottled water with claims of "Non GMO".
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CA
Way back when, the practice used to be that bee colonies were established (starting with the queen) in the South where it was warm in the Spring, and then sent up to Canada so that when things warmed up and the *******clover *********season started up there, they could hit the ground running (buzzing?). At the end of the season the beekeepers became beekillers and snuffed the full hive off and took the remaining honey as it was too much trouble to keep them alive in the cold north winters.
RJ Dial (also a Beekeeper)
Mendocino, CA
_._,_._,_
When I was a 4 year old child in Colton, California there was a huge clover field behind us (I can
still see it in my mind) and a giant grapefruit orchard across the street. There were bees everywhere. :-)
On 8/19/2022 11:52 AM, Andy Carlson wrote:
Marketing to appeal to the less knowing.....
Peanut butter being labeled "No Cholesterol", Oatmeal being labeled "Gluten Free". Gluten is a protein found only in wheat and cholesterol is an animal fatty acid, not found in plants. Some of the best recognized honey is from foraged alfalfa fields but the honey produced from these fields is labeled "Clover'. Since alfalfa is in the Legume family (which includes clover) there is some leniency to this claim! I will be shortly marketing a new bottled water with claims of "Non GMO".
-Andy CarlsonOjai CA
--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
Larry Goolsby
Excellent photo of an ACL "Atlantic Coast Despatch" ventilated boxcar - we're always looking for more of these. Definitely a "first" for the bees lading.
Also still trying to pin down these cars' exact colors - supposed to be an "ochre" body shade (dull yellowish), maroon for the herald background, black lettering.
Larry Goolsby
ACL & SAL HS
Also still trying to pin down these cars' exact colors - supposed to be an "ochre" body shade (dull yellowish), maroon for the herald background, black lettering.
Larry Goolsby
ACL & SAL HS
Robert G P
Very cool indeed. To be honest I had first read the heading as "live BeeTS" - thought what in the world?
-Bob GP
On Sat, Aug 20, 2022 at 10:11 AM Larry Goolsby <goolsbycl@...> wrote:
Excellent photo of an ACL "Atlantic Coast Despatch" ventilated boxcar - we're always looking for more of these. Definitely a "first" for the bees lading.
Also still trying to pin down these cars' exact colors - supposed to be an "ochre" body shade (dull yellowish), maroon for the herald background, black lettering.
Larry Goolsby
ACL & SAL HS
Bill Parks
On Fri, Aug 19, 2022 at 11:12 AM, radiodial868 wrote:
--
Bill Parks
Cumming, GA
Modelling the Seaboard Airline in Central Florida
Trucks took over the job as soon as the north-south highways were improved.I have read that, prior to trucks, most bees were shipped via REA as it was quicker that LCL (which most shipments were).
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Bill Parks
Cumming, GA
Modelling the Seaboard Airline in Central Florida