I know they show up occassionally in MOW duty, but does any modern day livestock movement still occur? Any in Canada specifically?
Do you have any weblinks that show such a livestock operation, past or present? Thanks!
Sadly, no. Last ones that hauled livestock was in the 70s.
Hauled by truck now.
[%-)]
Short answer: no. Not sure about Canada.
If I remember correctly, the AAR Mechanical Designations no longer make any reference at all to stock cars.
At one time cattle/hogs were shipped long distances to central slaughtering plants(like Chicago) so there was a need for rail transport. Someone got smart and decided to build the plants where the cattle were raised. (Iowa,Nebraska,Kansas,etc.) So now short truck hauling does the job.
Well sorta Ringling Brothers still uses them to haul their animals around in they were just in Chicago a few weeks ago
Wasn’t UP hauling pigs in modern 3 level cars during the 1990s, between California and the Midwest ? Was Peavey the name of the company involved ?
I think you’re thinking of the 50’ tri-level HOGX cars that UP operated between Nebraska-Iowa-Kansas and Vernon, Calif. (Los Angeles) for Clougherty Packing Co. (Farmer John brand), until 1995-96. Perhaps Carl could tell us when the HOGX cars disappeared out of the ORER.
Pictures here: http://www.trainweb.org/nrmrc/taprototype.html
RWM
Yes, those are the ones.
I haven’t seen cattle cars since the late 70’s, early 80’s when they were being hauled out Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
The reporting marks disappeared in April 1997; the cars may have been gone for a while by then.
I’m remembering that there were two or three companies in the late 1960s and early 1970s that operated some steel stock cars that were 85 or so feet long. (Would it be silly to say that I remember green ones and red ones?) I saw them on some of my first trips on my own to Chicago. What I didn’t realize then was that the Union Stock Yards had recently closed.
I believe the last stock shipments on Santa Fe took place in 1971.
If you ever find yourself in Summerland, BC during the May-Oct stretch, you can see a few cattle cars in use behind 3716 (see avatar) on the Kettle Valley Steam Railway. Of course, we load them with people, not cattle.
Cleaning them is easier now.
I’m actually not sure. The snack cart onboard comes fully stocked with fresh cherries, popcorn, popsicles, and lots of other spilling sticky substances for the little darlings to nibble on. There are days when I would rather have the cow dung.
Nope. The bullhaulers have it now. When the buyer in a very distant city decides the livestock is fat enough he picks up the phone and makes it happen. At the meat plant the dead is set aside and the rest sent to the kill floor.
If the railroad weawly wanna run stock again, the rails will have to be laid down to every single town that has at least one head of livestock between the pacific and the Missouri River. Aint happening.
Probably doesn’t count, but the Durango & Silverton hauled horses in stockcars to a ranch only accessible by train and helicopter sometime in the 80s. They may have done this more recently as well.
As another who must clean up after our passengers (bless 'em for riding, but…), I’ll drink to that.
Many of our passengers refer to our baggage car, which we use as our “open air” car, as the cattle car. They have no clue.
As late as ‘93, I can remember those green HOGX cars going by Hobart Tower or Redondo in LA and stinkin’ the place up on their way to Farmer John on 26th Street in Vernon. (as if Vernon and Commerce did not stink bad enough - down 26th Street the other way was Ski Bandini with Gould Battery’s recyling plant on the other side of the fence from us)
UP was right next to us and Farmer John was right down the street. (and there was a brand new McDonalds accross the street from Farmer John…Sausage McMuffins anyone?)
There is a horse hauling industry in the east mainly for horse racing with semi trailers. I dont think trains did too much of that.
Chickens as well. Much clucking and ado about all that feathers. In the steam era attendants rode drover cars or on each car to tend to them, now just truck trailers stacked high with cages.
Cheers! 
This video shows our cattle errr open air cars in use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miv0-ZlNE2M