Loading Chili – Austin, Texas (1948)


Bob Chaparro
 

Loading Chili – Austin, Texas (1948)

Photo from the Portal To Texas History Website.

Description:

Photograph of two men loading boxes on to rail cars at Walker's Austex Chili located at 500-502 West 3rd.

Bob Chaparro

Hemet, CA


Dennis Storzek
 

Note the worker nearest the camera seems to be fitting old cardboard boxes folded flat as dunnage in the door opening to keep the product cases from jiggling into the door opening and getting scuffed or torn, which is the reason that RBLs later built for this service had plug doors.

Dennis Storzek


Guy Wilber
 

Dennis Storzek wrote:

“Note the worker nearest the camera seems to be fitting old cardboard boxes folded flat as dunnage in the door opening to keep the product cases from jiggling into the door opening and getting scuffed or torn, which is the reason that RBLs later built for this service had plug doors.”

The folded boxes are already in place. The worker is tensioning the lowest strand of steel strapping encircling the boxes with a tensioning ratchet. You can see the loose ends of other strapping which were likely stapled to the car sides and ends to hold them in place prior to the loading process.

Regards,

Guy Wilber
Reno, Nevada