Can someone help answer some questions about rail transport of livestock circa 1950? Questions include:
1) I believe RR's preferred to run solid stock trains when the volume allowed as this would ease the required 28-Hour Law stops and be more efficient for the traveling drovers. Is this correct?2) Where would a stock train rank for priority with respect to fresh produce, refrigerated meat, mixed merchandise, minerals, etc.?
3) Did the train wait while the livestock was unloaded for en-route exercise and watering?4) When there were too few stock cars to merit a dedicated train, where would the cars be placed in a mixed consist - near the caboose with the traveling drovers, or near the loco to facilitate switching?
5) Would a train with a few stock cars mixed with other freight also wait for the 5 hours of exercise and watering IAW the 28-Hour law, or switch out the stock cars to be picked up by a subsequent train?6) I've seen photos of stock trains on the Rio Grande narrow gauge captioned as being part of the annual "fall stock rush" when livestock was moved out of mountain gazing lands before the winter snows. Were there similar peak periods for livestock movements on RRs like the UP and ATSF, or did livestock move to the slaughter houses more uniformly through the year?
Thanks in advance. Geezer