Livestock on car floats?

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Can anybody tell me, please, if stock cars were ever moved by car float? Maybe too stressful/risky for live loads?

Thanks,

Bob

2

https://www.shorpy.com/node/10695?size=_original#caption

Note they are also moving passenger cars on the same float, must have been a fragarant trip.

3

That’s quite a picture, Dave. Well, at least they were on the head end. [:|]

Traveling with your dinner.

Mike.

4

Thanks Dave. Great pic and useful info. Gives me another operation on my planned layout.

Cheers,

Bob

5

While it obviously happened, it was probably very rare. Stock cars were the rarest of railcars, probably less than 1% of the US fleet, especially in the east coast.

It woud also probably have to be fairly early since livestock moves declined as the years went by (refrigerator cars made stock cars obsolete) and more rivers were spanned with bridges, eliminating car ferries and floats.

6

.

I guess this would be true, and it sounds like I have too many stock cars.

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-Kevin

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7

If you ever saw the Chicago stock yards you would think that it was more than 1%. Train after train of nothing but stock cars. It’s the reason Chicago is 3rd biggest city in the country. Cows, pigs, and chickens from all over the country were sent there to be slaughtered. It’s the reason all railroads lead to Chicago.