N scale and milk cars

[CVSNE]

That's the same car that's sold under the Roundhouse label in HO I really wish Athearn would quick doing the fancy collector schemes that appeared on these cars when built and do a release in plain Jane green with gold lettering that would be a better fit for the 1930s-50s.

By the way, the only milkcars in HO I know about (other than brass) are:

1. The Roundhouse 40-foot arched roof (same as the N scale car)
2. Walthers Wood Express reefer (no ice hatches and you're about 75% of the way to a 53-foot double-sheathed milkcar
3. Intermountain's steel 42-foot car

To get this back to N Scale, I've modified a Fine-N-Scale resin REA express reefer years ago -- had picked up a couple of Roundhouse plastic versions of the same car with the intent of removing 10-feet to make a 40-foot milkcar (even sold the idea as an article to Reddie) but never finished -- the 40-foot car from Athearn made that a moot point.

The 40-foot reefers (both N and HO) make great stand-ins for railroad can cars -- I've been using them for Central Vermont cars. I suspect the toolmaker based these cars on drawings that appeared in the NYO&W milk train book -- the plans in the book were almost identical to CV's 41-6"-foot cars.

And, to be really technical there is no such thing as a "Pfaudler" car -- Pfaudler made the tanks that went inside the cars -- most milkcars were built by General-American (later the General American - Pfaudler Corporation) and were leased to private owners (hence the "GPEX" reporting marks). The leasees could, and did, change from year to year -- John Nehrich at RPI has rounded up a lot of that information, and it's included in the private owner milkcar book published by Bob's Photos. That's the reason you will see the Intermountain cars with a certain car number (582, for instance) lettered for Hoods, Whiting, and Hegemann.

Marty

[keystonecrossings]

Marty:

Do you know of a way (web site, etc.) that allows for easy conversion of milk car road numbers to who was leasing them at the time?

Here's the deal... I just got hold of over 250 PRR CT220's... these are passenger car consist reports. They list each specific car on a specific train on a specific day.

As an example, on March 10, 1954 on train #68, the Red Arrow from Detroit to New York City, carried two milk cars at the head end. They were travelling from Salamanca to SS Yard (wherever that is!). Their road numbers were 2971 and 2832.

Any way to easily figure out who was leasing these cars at the time?

The ORER's provide listings based on owner, but I imagine it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack to use the ORER for an inverse search!

[keystonecrossings]

New theory... just did a lookup and both of those road numbers happen to match PRR R50b express reefers. So they could have been PRR cars carrying milk in drums/cannisters/etc. I know that was done.

I just assumed that with the conductor writing "milk car" on the CT220 that it actual was a "milk car". Usually they note "R50" when it is a company reefer.

[lv4142003]

Lads, there is Milktrain Yahoo Group site. They are pretty good with information on cars and schedules and such. Go over and join 'em, they're a pretty good bunch of guys (and girls too I guess) lv4142003

[CVSNE]

Jerry,

I suspect those were probably the PRR headend cars carrying canned milk -- the numbers don't mesh with any milk car number series I know of.

A list of leasees year by year (with car numbers) is included in the Milkcars book by Bob's Photos -- I believe John Nehrich includes most of that information on the RPI web site -- that's the best on line source of know of for that detail. The Yahoo  milk car list is pretty good also.

Marty

[Chris333]

Would be nice to see those flat cars with the milk containers/trailers.

That's old school TOFC  ;D

[160pennsy]

Would be nice to see those flat cars with the milk containers/trailers.

That's old school TOFC  ;D

Chris...working on trying to kitbash one of these using drawings & photos from Robert Mohowski's book - Milk Cans, Mixed Trains, and Motor Cars (chapter 5). I have 2 styles of containers, trucks & 53' Athearn metal flat, but could use some of your etched metal design wizardry to complete the numerous side & end details...Are you game?

[Mark5]

Can anyone point me to any info online about milk car usage?

[TrainCat2]

By the way, the only milkcars in HO I know about (other than brass) are:

1. The Roundhouse 40-foot arched roof (same as the N scale car)
2. Walthers Wood Express reefer (no ice hatches and you're about 75% of the way to a 53-foot double-sheathed milkcar
3. Intermountain's steel 42-foot car

Funaro and Camerlengo's HO Kits
# Kit 1010 - Borden's Milk Tank Car With White Decals and Cast Trucks
# Kit 1011 - Borden's Milk Tank Car With Yellow Decals and Cast Trucks
# Kit 1012 - Borden's Milk Tank Car With Black Decals and Cast Trucks
# Kit 1013 - Borden's Milk Tank Car With Black Chemical Division Decals and Cast Trucks
# Kit 1014 - Borden's Milk Tank Car With White Borden's Chemical Decals and Cast Trucks
# Kit 1043 - 40' Wood Milk Car with New Haven Dairy Decals
# Kit 1049 - 40' Wood Milk Car with Dairymen's League Decals
# Kit 5020 - ERIE/B&M 40' Steel Milk Car With Viking Roof & B&M Decals
# Kit 5021 - ERIE/B&M 40' Steel Milk Car With Viking Roof & Erie Decals (Shown)
# Kit 6730 - Central Vermont 40' Wood Milk Car with Green Mountain Decals
# Kit 6731 - Central Vermont 40' Wood Milk Car With Tilted Herald Decals
# Kit 6910 - Twin Tank Milk Car 52' Flatcar Series 1459-1469 Less Poling Pockets with Bell Tanks & Decals
# Kit 6911 - Twin Tank Milk Car 52' Flatcar Series 1459-1469 Less Poling Pockets with Borden's Tanks & Decals
# Kit 6912 - Twin Tank Milk Car 52' Flatcar Series 1361-1399 With Poling Pockets with Bell Tanks & Decals
# Kit 6913 - Twin Tank Milk Car 52' Flatcar Series 1361-1399 With Poling Pockets with Borden's Tanks & Decals
# Kit 6914 - Twin Tank Milk Car 52' Flatcar Series 1459-1469 Less Poling Pockets with Extended Bell Tanks & Decals
# Kit 6915 - Twin Tank Milk Car 52' Flatcar Series 1361-1399 With Poling Pockets with Extended Bell Tanks & Decals
# Kit 6916 - National Car C. 52' Flatcar Series 1459-1469 Less Poling Pockets with Freight Containers & Decals
# Kit 6917 - National Car Co. 52' Flatcar Series 1361-1399 With Poling Pockets with Freight Containers & Decals

[Bob Bufkin]

On of the Model RR books on industries has an article on dairies and milk movement. 

Add to your list the Borden's butterdish car.  I picked one up in kit form last year at the Timonium show.  Don't remember who did it (don't have the kit handy) but they also do a completed car if you don't want the kit.

[Chris333]

http://www.kenraymodels.com/pages/pages/rollingstock.shtm

[Mark5]

digging around

http://russnelson.com/RWnO/milk-train.html

http://users.rcn.com/jimdu4/MilkTrains/themilk.htm

http://www.mnjrhs.org/creameries.html

http://www.kinglyheirs.com/NewYorkStateRailroads/MilkTrain1.html

[Iain]

Would be nice to see those flat cars with the milk containers/trailers.

That's old school TOFC  ;D

Like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/N-BRASS-Overland-MDT-Flat-w-Semis-F-P-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ140275248656QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item140275248656

[FrankCampagna]

Funaro and Camerlengo said at one point that they were going to be making the Borden's butter dish car in N. I see nothing on their website. I'm planning on a milk train, as the line I'm modeling had a number of dairies. Notice many of the Intermountain cars sold out almost instantly at BLW. At least the ones I needed. Well, I need the more "modern" scheme, anyway.

Frank