It is interesting to contemplate what Lionel could have done. It would not have been that difficult to create an ice car that would have dispensed ice cubes in a way similar to how the milk car worked. Those cubes could have then been carried up the lower ramp by motorized paddles which would then push them onto the upper ramp and prevent them from sliding back again. The upper ramp then could flip up to load the ice house as the current icing station does. It would have been the icing equivalent to the 97 coal loader and it probably would have worked about as well.
I have contemplated cannibalizing parts from a couple of Lionel icing stations to make something which look more realistic. I am not sure it even would need to load ice into the cars. Just having moving figures might be enough.
