Photo: Watermelons In Livestock Car (Undated)
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Photo: Watermelons In Livestock Car (Undated) A photo from the Gateway To Oklahoma History website. Description: “A photograph showing railroad car filled with watermelons shipped from Cement, Oklahoma” Bob Chaparro Moderator Railway Bull Shippers Group
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Dennis Storzek
On Wed, May 25, 2022 at 02:38 PM, Bob Chaparro wrote:
“A photograph showing railroad car filled with watermelons shipped from Cement, Oklahoma”Question... Do they have to be rested after 28 hours? :-) Dennis Storzek
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Todd Sullivan
Probably not, but they probably need to be sprayed with water (like hogs) every 28 hours. ;-)
Todd Sullivan
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Robert G P
I know this was done as late as the 40s, any insight on how long it lasted and what other produce was shipped this way? Pumpkins I bet. -Bob G.P
On Wed, May 25, 2022 at 6:53 PM Todd Sullivan via groups.io <sullivant41=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote: Probably not, but they probably need to be sprayed with water (like hogs) every 28 hours. ;-)
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Bill Parks
I assume the stock cars got a good cleaning/disinfecting before loading the watermelons
-- Bill Parks Cumming, GA Modelling the Seaboard Airline in Central Florida
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Eric Hansmann
Bill,
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A thorough cleaning and disinfecting is standard procedure after a load of cattle is delivered. Eric Hansmann Murfreesboro, TN
On May 25, 2022, at 7:34 PM, Bill Parks via groups.io <BPARKS_43@...> wrote:
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Tony Thompson
Bill Parks wrote: Yep, after every trip with cattle. Tony Thompson tony@...
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Nelson Moyer
There was probably more manure on the watermelons than in the stock car, so maybe the stock car should have been disinfected after unloading the melons. Back in the 1940s, I watched my grandfather pull a manure spreader across one of his fields. The spreader was loaded with dried cow manure (cow pies), and the spreader had a rotating mechanism that pulled the load toward the end of the spreader where rotating blades chopped it up and distributed pieces on the ground, throwing a goodly part of the manure in the air in the process. Luckily, that was long before E. coli in cattle, so the human infection risk was minimal.
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County fairs in the Midwest still have cow pie throwing contests. Probably more than you wanted to know about cow manure. Nelson Moyer
-----Original Message-----
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Tony Thompson Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 8:49 PM To: main@realstmfc.groups.io Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Photo: Watermelons In Livestock Car (Undated) Bill Parks wrote: Yep, after every trip with cattle. Tony Thompson tony@...
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Doug Polinder
I am always open to more information about cow manure. This type of spreader was still in common use into the 1960s in NW Washington, as my uncles used them on their dairy farms. There was (and is) an intense concentration of dairy farms north of Seattle, and since cows defecate prodigiously you need to do something with it. There is no grain crop in the area because land is limited so it had to be spread on pastures and the cattle rotated to other pastures until the manure worked into the ground.
To tie this BS topic to freight cars, some of those dairy cattle moved into (or out of) the area via the stock pen on the Great Northern in nearby Blaine WA, smack on the Canadian border. The pen is pictured in Schafer's Classic American Railroads, vol. 1, in the GN chapter; the caption says the photo was taken in 1954. I am told this pen was used until the mid 1960s. Doug Polinder native of Whatcom County WA Seguin TX
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David Wiggs
When I was a kid, many years ago, my uncle owned a Massey-Ferguson dealership. Their motto was, "We'll stand behind all of our equipment except the manure spreader."
Davo in Orlando
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Philip Dove
Was the type of disinfectant and disinfection process standardised? were there disinfection depots or was itdone as soon as the cars were unloaded? Most importantly did the manure, cargo, or disinfection affect the appearance of the car and neighbouring track? As an example until the late 1920s British cars were disinfected with lime wash which could also used as, a, white paint disinfected cars could have the lower part of the car all white.
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I think lye (caustic soda) was often used as a disinfectant to clean them which resulted in white stains on the lower parts of some cars. Tim O'Connor
On 5/25/2022 9:48 PM, Tony Thompson wrote:
Bill Parks wrote: I assume the stock cars got a good cleaning/disinfecting before loading the watermelonsYep, after every trip with cattle. Tony Thompson --
Tim O'Connor Sterling, Massachusetts
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Eric Hansmann
Bushel baskets of peaches, apples, and tomatoes are probable candidates. These may have been stacked only two or three baskets high. It also depends upon the weather along the destination route.
When the harvest comes in and there’s a shortage of reefers or ventilated box cars, stock cars would be pressed into service.
Eric Hansmann Murfreesboro, TN
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Robert G P
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 6:50 PM To: main@realstmfc.groups.io Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Photo: Watermelons In Livestock Car (Undated)
I know this was done as late as the 40s, any insight on how long it lasted and what other produce was shipped this way? Pumpkins I bet.
-Bob G.P
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I’ve got a series of photos in the M-I book of tomatoes being loaded in MP stock cars and one ART reefer in southern Illinois. What’s interesting is a portable scale being used to weigh the pickup trucks and wagons loaded and I assume weighed again light to get the net weight.
On Thu, May 26, 2022 at 8:46 AM Eric Hansmann <eric@...> wrote:
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Charlie Duckworth Omaha, Ne.
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Tomatoes were loaded seasonally into PRR stock cars for delivery to Campbell's soup factory in Camden NJ. Not a long distance, but I'm sure the traffic was pretty substantial during the harvest season.
On 5/26/2022 9:57 AM, Charlie Duckworth wrote:
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Tim O'Connor Sterling, Massachusetts
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Steve SANDIFER
Watermelons, potatoes, tomatoes, oranges.
J. Stephen Sandifer
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Charlie Duckworth
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2022 8:57 AM To: main@realstmfc.groups.io Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Photo: Watermelons In Livestock Car (Undated)
I’ve got a series of photos in the M-I book of tomatoes being loaded in MP stock cars and one ART reefer in southern Illinois. What’s interesting is a portable scale being used to weigh the pickup trucks and wagons loaded and I assume weighed again light to get the net weight.
On Thu, May 26, 2022 at 8:46 AM Eric Hansmann <eric@...> wrote:
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Keep in mind during most of the period livestock were transported by rail the delivery points usually were grazing areas and auctions. Most of these facilities had no steam cleaning equipment. To quote Steve Sandifer: “Every Santa Fe employee I interviewed in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma who personally handled livestock shipments said the cars were shoveled and swept and put back into service. None had ever heard of steam cleaning. I read documents and correspondence from San Angelo, Silsbee, Pawhuska, Chanute and Wellington that simply said shoveled and swept. I’m not saying they were never steam cleaned, just that I cannot find anyone among the old heads who had ever heard of it. Never say never in the railroad business. I have viewed reports of clean out and bedding contractors in San Angelo, Lometa, Silsbee and Bellville – shovel and sweep.” The watermelons did not require a squeaky-clean car.
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Steve SANDIFER
I will add, that after the shipment of diseased animals there were specific instructions from the Bureau of Animal Industry concerning disinfecting the cars, pens, and anything they touched. However, that was an exception.
J. Stephen Sandifer
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Bob Chaparro via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2022 12:22 PM To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Photo: Watermelons In Livestock Car (Undated)
Keep in mind during most of the period livestock were transported by rail the delivery points such as grazing areas and auctions. Most of these facilities had no steam cleaning equipment. To quote Steve Sandifer: “Every Santa Fe employee I interviewed in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma who personally handled livestock shipments said the cars were shoveled and swept and put back into service. None had ever heard of steam cleaning. I read documents and correspondence from San Angelo, Silsbee, Pawhuska, Chanute and Wellington that simply said shoveled and swept. I’m not saying they were never steam cleaned, just that I cannot find anyone among the old heads who had ever heard of it. Never say never in the railroad business. I have viewed reports of clean out and bedding contractors in San Angelo, Lometa, Silsbee and Bellville – shovel and sweep.” The watermelons did not require a squeaky-clean car.
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Bill Keene
I have been told that the MKT also shipped cantaloupes north from Texas in stock cars. Unfortunately, I do not have any documentation on this.
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I believe that cantaloupes and watermelons were loaded on a bedding of straw. Cheers, Bill Keene Irvine, CA
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Robert G P
Yes, I shouldve mentioned, anytime produce was shipped in this fashion there was always a bed of straw. Possibly even straw in between layers as well. -Bob GP
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