Extreme interest in Milk Cars?

Often wondered why the interest.

I guess if you like old time 50’s trains, you would want them? Been into trains since the early 60’s, never seen a milk car anywhere in my travels. You won’t find steam on my layout either. I missed out on that prior era. I do enjoy decorating them for others!

Bosco was made on Staten Island. Always wanted to see a real Bosco car photo but I think it was just a marketing gimmick by Lionel.

PRRronph: you are wrong about the Lionel milk cars being too short.  Milk cars commonly were built in both 40' or 50' lengths; the Lionel cars are meant to be 40-footers.  With a body length of 10 1/2" they are pretty much right on.  Before World War II, some railroad-owned milk cars were 36' long, such as the earlier Maine Central Dairy Products cars.

@Bruce Clouette posted:

PRRronph: you are wrong about the Lionel milk cars being too short.  Milk cars commonly were built in both 40' or 50' lengths; the Lionel cars are meant to be 40-footers.  With a body length of 10 1/2" they are pretty much right on.  Before World War II, some railroad-owned milk cars were 36' long, such as the earlier Maine Central Dairy Products cars.

I guess you are saying the the author V.S.Roseman of "RaILWAY EXPRESS" An Overview is WRONG!  On pages 77, 78 and 79 he charts "Condensed Roster of Equipment, Dates As Noted". where 102 cars are 48'-11" and 1 car at 45'-11' the other 4602 cars are all over 50-feet a few into the 80's.  Plus my post was specially related the the ARE and REA cars.

Ron

OK, I didn't realize that your comment only applied to the non-existent ARE and REA milk cars.

@Putnam Division posted:

You can't talk about milk cars and the milk industry without finding the NYO&W mentioned:

On a "railroad always struggling in the red" , ancient cars like these saw service well into the 20th century....Atlas cars are great, but the detail parts as oh so fragile......

Peter

Peter,

Being in the milk and dairy industry, and the NYO&W running adjacent to my late grandparents property in Orson, PA  makes your Atlas NYO&W reefer intriguing.

It doesn't seem to come up in any searches, model number, etc. Was this a production or custom run Atlas item? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Paul

@Paulee posted:

Peter,

Being in the milk and dairy industry, and the NYO&W running adjacent to my late grandparents property in Orson, PA  makes your Atlas NYO&W reefer intriguing.

It doesn't seem to come up in any searches, model number, etc. Was this a production or custom run Atlas item? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Paul

Atlas Special Run, 8039 / 9039, OLD & WEARY CAR SHOP, Tappan, NY.

@Paulee posted:

Peter,

Being in the milk and dairy industry, and the NYO&W running adjacent to my late grandparents property in Orson, PA  makes your Atlas NYO&W reefer intriguing.

It doesn't seem to come up in any searches, model number, etc. Was this a production or custom run Atlas item? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Paul

I am pretty sure this was a special run, maybe for the Old and Weary Car Shop, a model RR store (it was either in southern Rockland Co or North Jersey, I can't remember, it's been so long since I was there) that catered to the NYO&W. It's proprietor, Al Seebach , is unfortunately no longer with us. and the store is closed.

My box number (from my personal Excel file), says 8039-4. I really suspect that it is a special run. Others may know more.....but it's a dead end for me.

Sorry that I can't be more helpful. I would just keep searching ebay for one to come up or try the train store up in the Syracuse area, JR Junction....thet specialize in NO&W stuff.

Peter

Thank you Peter,  @Putnam Division and Arthur @Arthur for your quick and informative replies. I will try JR Junction and save a search on the Bay. Hopefully one will show up someday.

Best regards,

Paul

Count me as a fan of Milk Cars. Especially if they have a little guy tossing cans out of the door.

I, again, am glad to see this posting pop up.  Just dug out and skimmed a book on the "Kite Route", Denver and Interurban, which might have hauled milk into Denver from its route all the way to Estes Park, but find no quick mention.  The D&l regularly demolished new-fangled motor vehicles, including a Kellogg's cereal truck, so milk was used in the area.   (no grade crossing signals, and fast, smokeless interurbans) No freight motors found in skimming, either.  Must be something in print on Colorado dairy transportation?

Thanks Paulee and Peter for mentioning that  milk cars were common on the NY Ontario & Western Railroad.

I will have my MTH PS3 NY Ontario & Western 44 ton center cab diesel haul postwar Lionel operating milk cars, take photos and/or videos, and post them here later on. Arnold

It's also good to know that quite a few railroads ran milk cars, and that sometimes there were mixed consists of milk cars and passenger cars. I will be posting videos later on of such mixed consists.

I'm sure that the popularity of the Postwar Lionel operating milk car has a lot to do with how cute it is. It's a favorite of the young, old and those in between. As I recall, in Lionel's hey day during the Postwar years, the operating milk car was a #1 best seller. Arnold

No doubt Lionel's operating milk car was a best seller post war due to a number of reasons including the ability to remotely operate something with alot of action and even a cuteness that won "mom's approval". But dont forget that moving milk via the railroad was still fresh (no pun intended) on alot of people's mind in the 40s, 50s and as far as the Boston market is concerned into the late 60s.  In the New England states during the postwar period as an example, milk was moved from upstate NY, VT, and Maine creameries to producers/bottlers in CT, MA (Worcester and Boston) and Providence RI as well as NY city such as Bordens, Whiting, Hood and General Ice Cream plants primarily via the Rutland, B&M, MEC, NYNH.  This included milk tank "refrigerators" such as Lionels GPEX cars, can cars similar to Lionel's operating cars, "butter dish" cars and tank-on-flat car types that would have been continually passing thru alot of towns.  Milk from VT to Providence RI for example would have traveled via the Rutland and B&M to Boston, back hauled to Ayer MA on the B&M then to Worcester, MA., then transferred to the New Haven and sent to Providence either on a thru freight or local passenger (per consist and photo documentation) on the Providence and Worcester branch.  Even cream (called "Western Cream" by the railroads) was transported into New England from creameries in WI and MI, most likely for ice cream production. Footnote: Credit for alot of this information goes to an acquaintance of mine, Mr. J. Horvath.

It's nice to see this thread again. A former layout of mine featured local interurban 'milk trains' based on the Elgin and Belvidere RR - part of whose right of way is used by Illinois Railway Museum. It was called 'The Dairy Route'. Here are a couple of photos that show its interesting-to-me infrastructure including a milk platform. http://www.idaillinois.org/dig...n/huntleypl/id/1041/ and http://www.idaillinois.org/dig...n/huntleypl/id/1040/

Interesting thread popping up again from last year. The historical information regarding fresh milk being an important commodity on railroads for many decades is especially interesting.

I have a couple of express reefers that traveled with passenger trains back in the day. Prototypically, these cars were older than the passenger consists they ran with. But MTH made them an attractive addition to Santa Fe and Union Pacific passenger trains.

And, as stated previously, Lionel's operating milk car has been a hit for a long time.

MTH PS3 New York Ontario and Western 44 ton center cab diesel hauling a prototypically accurate mixed consist of milk and passenger cars:

Arnold