Erie Lackawanna
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From: "Ronald" rdukarm AT roadrunner DOT com
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:05:42 -0500
Subject: The rapid decline of the EL 40' boxcar
"Flour_Loading_on_Erie_c1937.jpg" - image/jpeg, 1000x1389 (24bit)

List,

Several questions came up on shipping flour.

>Not my impression. I thought they were for bulk loading of flour with
>"grain doors" inside the sliding doors. I certainly have seen enough photos
>of these cars with white powder all over the outside to make bagged flour
>unlikely, at least in those cars.

Flour was shipped in sacks or bags. Bulk flour was not shipped as it would become contaminated in the leaky boxcars. Unloading would also be a problem. The sacks or bags would ofter break due to loading shifting and protruding nails or ragged wood lining. That is what was seen at the doors. Attached is an article from a late 1930's Erie Magazine on proper flour loading. You can also go the the Lackawanna magazine of February 1956 for boxcar preparations for flour. Also attached is a drawing of proper stacking of sacks in a boxcar.

The grain doors were for shipping animal feed from the mills. They were also used for shipping grain to Buffalo.

>Were the EL boxcars stenciled for "special weevil control" like the
>Buffalo Creek cars? Does that mean they were sealed and lined with
>some coating? Anybody on the list have first-hand knowledge of how
>flour was shipped in these cars?

As most of you know, the Erie and LV each owned half the Buffalo Creek RR. They alternated the presidency of the road each year, it was a joint operation. In early 1951 the BCK decided to buy boxcars. Weevil infestation was a major problem. So the Erie and the LV each experimented with a car lined with special insulation which repelled weevils. The tests ran between Buffalo and NJ for several months and were considered successful. All the BCK cars were ordered with the insulation.

In 1950, the Buffalo mills were shipping 90 cars a day of finished product. The BCK couldn't get enough clean cars from the Central and PRR. Flour orders were going to other cities. That's why the BCK decided to buy 2000 cars.

Ron Dukarm




Flour_Loading_on_Erie_c1937.jpg

Image EXIF Data:
Image Creation Date   2011:01:13 17:59:48
Software Version   Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0
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Y Resolution   300 Pixels/Inch
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Exif Image Height   2913 pixels
ColorSpace   Uncalibrated


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