METCA Issues Lionel Scale Milk Reefers in Brookside and Riverside Schemes

Great looking cars Stu, My order is in!

I also ordered the Jersey Central Box Car. I like the Coast Guard stripe.

The graphics on those cars are quite nice, but can I ask a silly question?  I'm imagining with these being METCA offerings there is some connection to something in the general geographical area of METCA, but I didn't come up with a slam dunk conclusive result.

Is the Brookside referring to Brookside Creamery in Vermont?  I was able to find that by searching for Bellows Falls Creamery.

I need more help with the Riverside, I think.  I found Ramapo Valley in Jersey, but nothing right near it called Riverside, I don't think.  I did find a Riverside Creamery in Jervis NY (a bit northwest of Ramapo Valley), but that seems to be a sort of classic lunch counter/soda shop (may or not be related to the car, but seems plausible it could be related).

Thanks!

-Dave

Hi Dave,

In general we usually do like to concentrate on cars that have connection to the geographical area of METCA, and to date we have been able to do just that, however that's not always the case.  These scale milk reefers are one of the exceptions.

The Brookside paint scheme was just to dang nice not to have on a Lionel car.  Since Lionel has reintroduced their scale milk reefer, we saw this as an excellent opportunity to make it happen.  The Riverside car was inspired by an adaptation of the Brookside car which Bachmann has done.

Thanks for your questions and interest.

Stu

Thanks for the response Stu.

I wasn't trying to call it out for not being related to METCA in some way, I was just curious (sorry if it came off with that intent). 

I'm OK with the one being based on the other, I'm not going to get hung up on it, was just a curiosity that made me try to Google it.  (I was going to feel foolish if it was like a Jahn's/ Isaly's / Nathan's, etc. local type of thing based on something for the NY Metro area I was just not aware of)

Whether I was right in my attempts to figure out the origins or not, they do look really sharp! 

I might need a set , I'll make sure to decide in the next couple of days and order via the link on the METCA site.

-Dave

I'm imagining with these being METCA offerings there is some connection to something in the general geographical area of METCA, but I didn't come up with a slam dunk conclusive result.

Well Ramapo  is in the Northwest part of Bergen County, NJ and that is in the vicinity of METCA. The car colors are the Vermont Creamery.  I believe Atlas O did this car as a special run of Norms O scale- #6739 for 3 rail.

This is a similar car offered by Weaver many moons ago.  A second run was planned but production ceased before it happened.         John in Lansing, ILL

I am pretty sure that I have this car made by Atlas about 10 years ago (Brookside)

Norm

I'm still wondering, just where / was the Ramapo Creamery and the connection with Riverside Milk and Best Grocery Stores ?

Did the Ramapo Creamery actually have cars painted like this.

Considering purchasing but looking for some background.

Thank you.

Arthur posted:

I'm still wondering, just where / was the Ramapo Creamery and the connection with Riverside Milk and Best Grocery Stores ?

Did the Ramapo Creamery actually have cars painted like this.

Considering purchasing but looking for some background.

Thank you.

Arthur,

Our research has turned up  anecdotal or fictional  information. Thanks for asking and considering the purchase of these finely crafted and great looking cars that bring us back to another time.

The early Brookside was, IMHO, one of the greatest "billboard" milk cars.  I have one of the Weavers, for which I installed different trucks and covered over the roof hatches. This Lionel looks to be a much more prototypical rendition.  Purists may want to rip out the tanks, as these cars were for top-iced bottled milk in wooden cases.

I've been waiting two years for some of the Milk cars I got on preorder.   I hope you don't have long of a wait.

latest word that I have on when to expect them is mid to late First Qtr.

Norm posted:

I am pretty sure that I have this car made by Atlas about 10 years ago (Brookside)

Norm

Yes, Atlas O made it - I have one, too. I think it was a special run for Norm's O Scale. The lighting is lousy on these pictures, but it's a beautiful car. I'm sure the Lionel version will be, too. (I just noticed that the Atlas and Lionel versions both have the same 4 digit car number! That's curious. The Weaver version has a completely different 5 digit number.)

I cannot wait to get mine from METCA soooooon.  Please, can't wait to added them to my milk car collection.

Are we close yet?

The Brookside and Riverside; like all of Lionel's cataloged milk cars are still in production. The latest ballpark is mid to late summer. Thanks for your patience.

Were these milk cars canceled ?

@Arthur posted:

Were these milk cars canceled ?

Recent shipping schedule on Lionel's site claims November 2020 for the regular catalog  issue ones.  Hopefully these METCA ones would also end up in that batch.  Hopefully Stu or Bob will confirm.

-Dave

You nailed it Dave!

The Riverside and Brookside cars are in production and scheduled to appear at the same time as the long awaited catalog issues. 

Note, that as a way of saying thanks for hanging in there; Lionel is producing two other milk reefers as a METCA exclusive. Take a look at the website for the LIRR and PRR reefers. 

Been many delays.  I know Dave Olson was working hard on the new tooling last year.  I really hope we can put the milk car fiasco behind us with deliveries before Christmas.  Would be nice.

Bingo!  Cars NOT cancelled.  They're in the same production run as Lionel's regularily cataloged versions.

As Bob mentioned, we decided to throw a couple more road names in there at the last minute.

Stu

I just ordered the PRR version, never knew about it until I saw this thread..Thank You!!!