Hi
This is in all probablity a yes, but I haven’t seen any photos… As fish is perishable, was there ever anywhere ice houses with platforms built directly on a harbor where ice could be loaded into reefers to carry fresh fish? I have this idea for my HO harbor that sounds very plausible. If yes, can you point me to any photos? Thanks.
The same ice house that provides ice for the holds of fishing boats could very well provide ice for the RRs. I went to “Google images” and looked up harbourside ice plants, dockside ice houses and a bunch of other combination of words and got some good hits.
The same kind of ‘ice house’ will work for either a reefer loading dock or a marine dock. The ‘difference’ is that the hight ice dock platforms for loading end bunkers of a reefer will be absent. Also, most marine ice houses are creating crushed ice for loading the wells of fishing vessels(Wicked Tuna for example). If the ice is ‘lake cut’ ice, it usually is delivered by truck, unless there is a long distance from the ice source to the ice house at the harbor. The ice house may be a more modern artifical ice plant as well. Icing reefers, and the high dock may be there is they are shipping fresh fish to market in the big cities(New York or Boston, for example.
Jim
I see no reason why the icehouse couldn’t be on the dock, and used to service both the fishing boats and reefers.
This icehouse is mainly a storage facility which supplies ice, harvested from nearby Lake Erie, to other icehouses on the layout. There is a short platform for icing the occasional reefer, but most of the ice is either shipped out to other towns or sold locally to homeowners and businesses still using ice (I’m modelling the '30s).
Right around the corner (on the layout, although it’s meant to be a couple of miles away) is this fish processing plant:
They receive block ice from the storage plant, delivered by truck or, occasionally, wagon. The plant crushes it as required, and uses it to top-ice crateloads of fresh fish, which are shipped out in express cars designed specifically for this service: they’re insulated, but have no ice bunkers:
Older reefers, with their bunkers removed, are used to move block ice from the storage plant to other ice houses on the layout:
This picture shows the proximity of the icehouse to the fish plant:
Most fresh fish, I think, was shipped as top-iced cargo rather than refrigerated by bunker ice.
CNR and CPR, and perhaps others, did ship frozen fish in ice-cooled reefers, but these cars had overhead bunkers and used an ice/brine mixture to maintain much
Thanks guys
Yes logic says it is right. I need something to make the harbor ‘different’. And Wayne, terrific pictures of excellent modelling. Brent, I’ll scan google!
Thanks again everyone!
The December, 2013 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman has an article (p.42-48) titled “The Canadian Pacific Railway’s Okanagan Landing circa 1914”. The article describes the construction of a historically accurate HO scale diorama for museum display. A complete track plan of the actual town is provided. There were two ice houses: one adjacent the rail yard and a second out on the dock of the lake, that second one also serving rail cars. I venture that in British Columbia, ice is not difficult to find…
Bill
Here is a link, you can even see the little blocks of ice.
http://cprailmmsub.blogspot.ca/2014/01/great-canadian-model-railroad-diorama.html
Ice bunker reefers do not have to be iced “in place.” Depending on the load and the weather, they might be “pre-iced,” before the cargo is added, “post-iced” after the cargo goes in, or “top-iced” directly on top of the cargo. If you put the ice platform some distance from the harbor, this could generate some local switching traffic.
That said, I’d agree that putting the ice house and platform right on the waterfront would be an interesting scene. The Walthers model is a large building, so you might consider Wayne’s tactic of making it a background structure against the wall. A couple of other manufacturers also make these.
Thanks Bill, Brent and MrBeasley… Nice diorama.
I have the Walthers ice house already for my lower level. I made it up today to get a real look at the size. It’s too big for my harbor on the top level as I have already laid track and all is in place. But I may kitbash something. Interestingly, the Walthers ice platform is in two parts so I could use one half on the harbor with a kitbashed ice house… Have to think it over.
Thanks as always guys.
Barry
My thought is that a fishing harbour is usually fairly congested with fish plants and marine facilities for the fleet. Space is at a premium, so the railroad icehouse to pre-ice the cars would more commonly be back at the closest rail yard (where laborers would already be on hand). Once loaded they might pause again at the yard to top off the ice on the way to market.
But never say never, and no doubt there is an example somewhere.
The Okanagan example has nothing to do with fish. The valley is a major fruit growing area, and along the lake’s shores were many loading spots served by rail barge. The cars would be pre-iced before being ferried down. On their return a day or so later no doubt the ice would need replenishing. It was a purely rail facility with no other operation such as fishing competing for space.
John
No, ice is heavy but I am sure one was built nearby on solid or built up land.