Photo: Pig Car (Circa 1917)
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I know what the caption says, but I would say the car was used to promote pig farming and how to do it better. The banners read “Soo Line Hog Special” and “Pigs and Prosperity”. The baggage car probably contained displays and was used as a class room to teach farmers about hog health, feed, care, etc. enabling them to raise more and larger pigs, which meant more loads of pigs for the railroad to haul. Many railroads west of the Mississippi ran similar ag education trains in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Baggage cars were never used for transportation of hogs.
Doug Harding https://www.facebook.com/douglas.harding.3156/ Youtube: Douglas Harding Iowa Central Railroad |
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Steven D Johnson
Wouldn’t that be the “Sooey Line”…?
Sorry, couldn’t resist…
Steve Johnson
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io [mailto:main@RealSTMFC.groups.io] On Behalf Of Bob Chaparro via groups.io
Photo: Pig Car (Circa 1917) A photo from the Wisconsin Historical Society: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM24722 Description: “Group of people standing in front of a Soo Line freight car that was used by the railroad to promote hog transportation. This photograph was donated to the Historical Society by James Lyndon, a former public relations official with the Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie Railway, who has identified the man on the far left as village president G.T. Vorland, a man interested in improving farming methods. Fourth from the left is E.C. Frost, a district official of the Soo Line, and sixth from the right is local farmer John Gunderson.” Taken at Colfax, Wisconsin. Bob Chaparro Moderator Railway Bull Shippers Group https://groups.io/g/RailwayBullShippersGroup |
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Philip Dove
Would the complete train include a dining and sleeping facilities for the Pigs? |
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Photo: Pig Car (Circa 1917) A photo from the Wisconsin Historical Society: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM24722 Description: “Group of people standing in front of a Soo Line freight car that was used by the railroad to promote hog transportation. This photograph was donated to the Historical Society by James Lyndon, a former public relations official with the Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie Railway, who has identified the man on the far left as village president G.T. Vorland, a man interested in improving farming methods. Fourth from the left is E.C. Frost, a district official of the Soo Line, and sixth from the right is local farmer John Gunderson.” Taken at Colfax, Wisconsin. Bob Chaparro Moderator Railway Bull Shippers Group |
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