Re: Milk Traffic; was: (erielack) More EL in Massachusetts!

["Bradley Butcher" <llyengalyn_@_hotmail.com>]

Ah, so the milk was not refridgerated so it could be hauled long distances then.


  Brad, there were several reasons for the demise of RR milk traffic. It was 
  perishable, labor-intensive, short-haul and uni-directional. In the 1960's, 
  RR's were emphasizing high-volume, bulk commodity long-haul traffic that 
  required minimal labor. Proliferation of good highways allowed trucks to 
  largely take over the under-500 mile market for high-rated commodities. 
  Plus, the secondary passenger and M&E trains that handled this traffic (the 
  proverbial "milk run") disappeared.

  Fresh milk traffic lasted on the EL until around 1966, the final shipper 
  being the Queensboro Dairy in Steamburg, NY. It probably survived that long 
  because at approx 400 miles, it was unusually long-haul for milk. There was 
  another move out of western upstate NY that has been discussed here: canned 
  evaporated milk from the Carnation plant at Dayton moved as COFC to Port 
  Seatrain in Weehawken enroute to Puerto Rico in 1973-74. I believe this was 
  a special situation because the containers exceeded highway weight limits.

  Paul B


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