Any info on the Beech Nut complex in Canajoharie, NY

tgrant · August 17, 2007, 8:59am

Hello,

On a trip along the US90 in NY I passed this town and factory complex. Made me chuckle to see a factory complex making baby food. I found some historical society info, but not much about the rail service. Seems like the main NYC tracks west are on the other side of the Mohawk river, and I saw no rail bridges near the factory. Any pointers? I’m still planning my layout looking for some theme to build around.

Thanks

Tom

ndbprr · August 17, 2007, 12:35pm

Any food processing plant gets bulk materials in quantity and often. Campbell Soup in Camden New Jersey got veggies delivered in many forms. The PRR used stock cars to ship tomatos from the Delmarva peninsula when nothing else was available. Today corn syryp comes in tank cars, flour and other bulk materials in covered hoppers (specially marked for food grade materials or dedicated to a company), Tin or plastic for cans, machinery, ink for labeling, boxes, etc. A supermarket distribution center can supply the same varieties. Anything they sell comes through the dist. center and warehouse before going to the stores could come in by rail. In northeast Philadelphia on the PRR Oxford branch Sears had the eastern region distribution center that got 20-30 carloads of appliances alone per day and had at least six tracks for unloading goods. The Oxford branch also served the US Navy Material Supply Depot that got and sent large shipments of everything from uniforms to paperwork except ammunition. Think outside the box because a distribution center can just be a four or five story builiding in relief on the wall whereas modeling a steel mill is impossible to do correctly no matter what you try.

ericsp · August 17, 2007, 9:56pm

You must be refering to the steam era. It is rare that any food processing plant out here gets anything by rail. The only exceptions I can think of are some canneries, and a winery, that get corn syrup by rail, and plants that make chips getting corn, possibly unfried potato chips, and vegetable oil in by rail.

ndbprr · August 19, 2007, 9:02am

It still gets bulk materials in quantity and often. How it gets them was not part of my statement.

ericsp · August 20, 2007, 12:46am

My error, for some reason I thought you were refering to shipments in by rail, sorry.

highiron1 · August 26, 2007, 4:31pm

You didn’t see bridges because the deliveries and pick ups probably came from the West Shore Railroad branch line which ran parallel to the main N Y Central line, but on the south side of the Erie Canal and Mohawk River. The trains probably delivered the cars to either Utica or Selkirk (Albany) yards where they were picked up by mainline freight trains.

The West Shore was owned by the New York Central and ran parallel to it from New Jersey to Buffalo. Today, its most active line is on the west shore of the Hudson River from Selkirk to New Jersey at Weehawken, right across from Manhattan, I think.

BTW, the factory (what’sleft of production) is closing and moving to another community nearby (The name escapes me).

dansapo · August 26, 2007, 5:15pm

Go to this link.

http://www.ginosrailpage.com/westshore/index.html

tgrant · August 28, 2007, 10:09pm

Thanks for the info,

Looks like it was on the West Shore Line, Mohawk Division. By Looking on the map I see my own town was once part of this Division. I’ll look into this a little closer.

Thanks

Tom

mrchairman · July 27, 2011, 9:44am

The rail service (now a bike path) to the Beechnut baby food Plant in Canajoharie, NY was in fact on the south side of the Mohawk River that begins at a river crossing in Rotterdam Junction, NY some 40+ miles east of the village of Canajoharie