Some more icing platforms:
The railroads put the ice into refers.
Photos of roundhouses, coaling towers and water towers are much more common than of icing platforms. This post motivated me to pull together the information I have on icing platforms.
Bob Chaparro posted two photos with the comment:
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| Raymond Storey posted |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Raymond's post Note about half-way down the line of refers is a chute filling one of the ice bunkers. I found Ice Plant Road on a satellite image: https://www.google.com/.../@40.4914789,-78.../data=!3m1!1e3 I assume they originally harvested ice from the part of the Juniata River that was between Cypress Island and their tracks. They could easily build a dam at the upstream side that would cut off the flow of the river and let the water freeze. The two conveyors at the top would be used to load ice blocks into the ice house.Dennis DeBruler The oldest aerial photo I could find was 1962. I wonder if they used to flood the "brown area" with water to make ice. |
Bob Chaparro posted two photos with the comment:
The Railways Ice Company – Waynoka, OK
The Railways Ice Company, which was in operation in the Waynoka rail yards from about 1910 through the 1960s, was reported to be the largest ice plant in America. Santa Fe was an important shipper of produce from Central and Southern California for many years. The reefers typically were iced in California, Belen, New Mexico, and again at Waynoka on their journey to Chicago.
The plant itself was built, owned and operated by Railways Ice Company of Chicago, who had a long-term contract for icing and services with AT&SF Railway at Chicago IL, Kansas City MO, Waynoka, OK, Belen, NM, and Needles, CA.
Bob Chaparro
Moderator
Railroad Citrus Industry Modeling Group
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Two photos from my Swift & Company notes.
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| Carl Venzke posted Reefer Icing Facilities Santa Fe Railroad Refrigerator Car [Update: per a comment by Robert Chaparro, this example is transporting produce instead of meat.] |
Mark Mcgowan posted three photos with the comment:
Prior to diesel powered refrigerated box cars, railroads used insulated cars with spaces at each end that were filled with ice to transport perishable produce that originated mostly in California. These ice facilities were dotted along the systems to ensure cool delivery to the east.The first two photos are of the Santa Fe "Ice Deck" in Bakersfield, Ca. in 1962. The older photo is undated.Ice facilities were gone by the early 70s.
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| Normand Jaquemot posted |
A nice view of the two loading hatches at each end of each car. Also note the walkways and hand brake wheels.
I can't find photos of it, but I remember that C&NW had an icing platform near the southwest corner of their Proviso Yard.
The photos that were here about the IHB icing platform have been moved to some notes about IHB icing.
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| Brian Wunderlick posted |
I can't find photos of it, but I remember that C&NW had an icing platform near the southwest corner of their Proviso Yard.
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| 1939 Aerial Photo from IHLAP |
The photos that were here about the IHB icing platform have been moved to some notes about IHB icing.
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| Bob Chaparro posted Mobile Icing On The Santa Fe Santa Fe Railway photo courtesy of Dave Snell. Notice the car has the 1959 large logo paint scheme and still has the reverse-opening hatch covers. The worker on the roof is holding a bident, a tool used to break-up and position larger ice chunks. Bob Chaparro Moderator Railroad Citrus Industry Modeling Group Van B Campbell: My Dad used to tell me his stories about chucking around 300 lb. hunks of ice while he worked the Santa Fe's Waynoka, OK. Icing Docks! I'd say that those blocks have got to weight at least that! |
Talk about back breaking work.
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| Bob Chaparro posted Icing & Salting An undated photo from the California State Railroad Museum. Several activities taking place. This is a Fruit Growers Express ten-hatch, overhead bunker reefer. The bunkers were overhead rather than at the car ends. Bob Chaparro Moderator Railroad Citrus Industry Modeling Group |
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| Bob Chaparro posted Photo: Workers At PFE Yuma Icing Platform An undated Don Sims photo. The location was identified as Yuma, although the large Yuma icing platform had a roof. Good detail of the platform apron, workers with pickeroons, hatch covers and a skid (AKA bridge) used to move ice to the far side bunker opening. It’s hard to discern but the plug on the underside of the hatch cover may have the car initials and number stenciled on it. The first two reefers have metal running boards and the next two have wood running boards. Also notice the bags of salt in the background. Bob Chaparro Moderator Railroad Citrus Industry Modeling Group |
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| Bob Chaparro posted NP Icing Platform, Dilworth, Minnesota A post by Bill Kuebler on the Facebook Northern Pacific Railway group. Description: Ice house platform at Dilworth, Minnesota, September 1948. The structures, platform, and those tall poles with those ancient light fixtures look exactly the way I remember them that night. The ice reefer and caboose in this photo are off the Casselton Branch local. Salt will be added in a pre-determined proportion to the ice so as to maintain the desired temperature for the car's lading. Ron Fredrickson photo from my collection. Bob Chaparro Moderator Railroad Citrus Industry Modeling Group |
(new window) JohnP provided this link and the following information in a comment:
An interesting 1950's video from the AT&SF about their Refrigerator Cars.
You can skip to 1m:57s if you want to skip the "Happy" part.
• 3:52, inside of refer car.
• 6:50, loading stations.
• 14:00, Bakersfield icing facility.
• 16:58, Needles re-icing.
• 17:30, Selling in-transit.
• 19:10, Argentine KS “Automated Classification” Yard
I've also read that the ice properties had to be customized for what was being shipped in the car. Basically, you could get higher vs lower moisture or temperature by changing the salt level of the ice, and by using varying proportions of blocked vs crushed ice. Each car had "icing instructions" that were part of the train's manifest. This is roughly equivalent to the "moisture control" on the refrigerator at home.
Too bad the railroads lost this traffic. It was quite profitable.
An interesting 1950's video from the AT&SF about their Refrigerator Cars.
You can skip to 1m:57s if you want to skip the "Happy" part.
• 3:52, inside of refer car.
• 6:50, loading stations.
• 14:00, Bakersfield icing facility.
• 16:58, Needles re-icing.
• 17:30, Selling in-transit.
• 19:10, Argentine KS “Automated Classification” Yard
I've also read that the ice properties had to be customized for what was being shipped in the car. Basically, you could get higher vs lower moisture or temperature by changing the salt level of the ice, and by using varying proportions of blocked vs crushed ice. Each car had "icing instructions" that were part of the train's manifest. This is roughly equivalent to the "moisture control" on the refrigerator at home.
Too bad the railroads lost this traffic. It was quite profitable.
Here is a "movie" of the AT&SF refrigerator car operation. It's one of the "Dudley" movies, so the beginning is a corny 50's Leave it to Beaver intro, but the "train stuff" starts after about a minute.
ReplyDelete• 3:52, inside of refer car.
• 6:50, loading stations.
• 14:00, Bakersfield icing facility.
• 16:58, Needles re-icing.
• 17:30, Selling in-transit.
• 19:10, Argentine KS “Automated Classification” Yard
http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2016/06/ihbs-blue-island-yard.html
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I found near the old icing platform at Wayneport NY was large .nozzle devices on both side of a track. It looks like it was meant to spray water on cattle to cool them down.
ReplyDelete