I have a few questions that I am hoping some of you can answer.
Broadway Limited offers these three steam engines for the Union Pacific. Might you be able to define their possible use on a model train layout.
a) MT-73 4-8-2 b) 2-8-2 heavy Mikado c) 2-8-2 light Mikado
Walthers has a new line of milk cars.
a) Did the UP, the SP, and/or the ATSF had milk trains? b) If so, might you know the engine power that would have been assigned to these specific trains? c) If so, how many cars would the typical milk train have? d) And, would the "named" cars offered by Walthers been nation wide or specific to a region of the country?
a) I couldn't find a reference to UP milk trains, which doesn't mean they didn't exist. The only thing I found on ATSF and milk was a description of milk being delivered in crates from Kansas City to the 'Harvey Houses' along the route. The SP's a whole 'nother story, as they actually had seperate time tables for milk trains. One can be seen about a third of the way down the page at:
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b) Motive power could be almost anything, and would be mostly dependent on what part of the steam era you're modeling
c) As noted below, United Farmers only owned three of these cars (1040 - 1042). For the most part this type of car was mainly used in mixed freights, not 'unit' trains.
d) The cars Walthers is offering are definately regional. In fact they are all associated with dairies in PA, NY, and New England. I seriously doubt you'd find any of them on the west coast. A few tidbits, and pictures, about the dairies and cars can be found at these sites:
Dairyman' League (Bradford County, PA, Tioga County, PA, Chemung County, NY Interesting info, circa 1927 at:
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Sheffield Farms Interesting times in 1939. Scroll down a ways for a milk train picture:
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United Farmers (Full name: United Farmers of New England) According to this, at one point they owned three steel and three wood cars:
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H. P. Hood & Sons Nice picture of a B&C 2-8-0 with a mixed freight, including a Hood milk car right behind the tender in 1947 at:
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White Brothers Dairy An interesting description of milk train service from the dairies in Vermont to the White Brothers plant in North Quincy, MA. It also contains descriptions of the motive power used at different points in the journey:
In regards to the AT&SF not they did not have milk trains as such, or milk reefers.
In the areas where mike was produced and the farmers needed to transport there milk it would be placed in baggage cars at the various local depots.
A great deal of the milk cans were picked up on branchline trains that traveled the country and then transfered to the main line trains if there was not a milk processor near by.
John "Hoot" Gibson snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net McMinnville, Oregon
Matt, you got some good answers about milk cars on UP/SP/ATSF, but no response on the BLI steam locos. Let me attempt a response for you: The BLI light mike in a USRA design, and I think the heavy is too. The UP was not a big user of USRA locomotives - the UP received 10 USRA 0-6-0's and
20 light 2-8-2's, and UP subsidiary Oregon Short Line received an additional
5 0-6-0's and 20 light 2-8-2's from the USRA. Further, unlike many RRs who liked the USRA designs, the UP never ordered any copies of these locos. The UP USRA light mikes were initially used in all types of service, but as newer types became available, they were downgraded to use as helpers, way freights, etc. Most of the USRA mikes (called Macarthur's on the UP during and after WWII) received very large diameter "Sweeney" stacks to improve the draft, and screw up the looks of these locos. The BLI 4-8-2 is a good model of the type used on the UP. These were the primary passenger power in the 1920's and early 30's, but were downgraded to use on secondary passenger trains with the arrival of the 4-8-4's in the late 30's. After WWII, the 4-8-2's were sometimes used in fast freight service on the more level UP divisions. Geezer
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