Did meat wholesalers receive reefers from various packers or simply one? I.e., Swift, Morrel, etc.
John in Carolina
I think that would depend on the location and volume handled by the wholesaler. Some may not have handled a sufficient volume to deal with more than one supplier and others may have needed several sources to meet the demand.
One meat reefer could hold a lot of product.
My first career was in the grocery wholesale business, but meat reefers were still before my time. However, a wholesale grocer would buy product from a variety of sources, so would likely regularly get reefers from different producers.
On the other hand, some of the big meat operators also would have their own distribution centers in large urban areas to directly serve the retail and restaurant trade. These would likely get product mostly from the company they were a part of, with other company’s reefers showing up far less often than at a grocery wholesale distributor.
duplicate posting. WOnder why.
I would imagine they would recieve stuff from various packers in and around their area. If they are a wholesaler of any worth they would. Any wholesale company will take and sell products from various “manufacturers” or “processors”. If they only took from one, if the one had problems, there goes the wholesale business down the drain too.
A wholesaler who only distributed one processor’s products might have been a wholey owned subsidiary of the packers? ANd if Swift is the only processor for 100 miles or so around the wholesaler, they may just deal with one supplier.
OR a wholesaler would deal, say, in beef products only and take from the packers and processors around of beef only. SAme with pork…some wholesalers may specialize in pork products only.
And some would wholesale out all products {beef and pork and chicken, etc.} form all the slaughter houses in, say, Chicago Market to other areas of the country.
I would go with what you want. If you like the billborad refers, then get all the ones you like!
You might also do a google search for “meat processors in the 1950”. Or “railroad meat processors in the 1950s”. I found some interesting reading though the articles were mostly referring to the ways processors have changed since then to now.
It points out that in the 50s most were in larger cities, now have moved to more rural areas to be closer to the “meat”. {lol}
Here is an article showing what teh meat processors were doing {including swift} in the year 2008. They point out WHAT they process {at least now} and most DO process cattle, pork and poultry {at least nowadays} acording to their list:
Try this Yahoo group
Welcome to the Railway Bull Shippers Group, a group for model railroaders, railfans and historians.
This group collects and shares information about railroad livestock and meat transportation and the rolling stock, facilities and operations which supported it. This group covers any railroad in North America, plus the meat packing business.
This group helps members to use this information to model prototype railroad equipment, conduct realistic operations on model railroads and create accurate infrastructure.
I think this is a Yahoo group you have to join to look at posts but there is a lot of good discussion about this subject. Of course if you join you can post questions.
Thanks to all who responded to my question. I have the information I needed. Much appreciated!
John in Carolina
When I was young in Bangor, Maine, there was a meat wholesaler by the MEC tracks near the river. The building had a Swift sign painted on it, and, naturally, Swift reefers made the deliveries. The building is still there, across from the Sea Dog pub.