Im building a layout and when I first started designing the layout I wanted at least 2larger sized industries. I want to get into the auto industry with a GM assembly plant. My family has ties with the cattle and pork industries so I was thinking about putting a packing plant on the line. I know now Adays livestock are not transported along tha rails but what about meat in reefers??? If it is where do they take the meat? I would like to keep it in the south!!!
Not much I can tell you. I’m a truck driver & pull a refridgerated trailer. Generally most of the meat that goes by rail is packaged foods, either canned(what is refered to as dry freight) or refridgerated. Most of this tends to go TOFC or COFC.
Most refridgerated freight (that moves by rail)tends to move from Cold storage warehouse to cold storage warehouse. The exception that I’ve seen is Simplot. Those loads tend to move from Idaho & E Oregon to various cold storage warehouses through out the US. Primarily to Americold, Millard C/S, & US Cold Storage. There are several many cold storage warehouses with rail access.
Also I should mention Kraft they have several facilities with rail sidings. Kraft uses a large amount of rail. Primarily (I think) from the Mid West to the West Coast.
Uncooked meat tends to have a “soft” shelf life & really needs to move after slaughter before being packaged. Unforturnetly railroads are not very good at moving in good time.
I think if a smart operator were to get in the business and were willing to spend a lot of time and effort it might be different.
As to where meat would go after slaughter, two directions.
1st Packaged meat would go to various supermarket distribution centres(think Wal Mart, Kroger, Super Valu, Food Lion etc)(think of what you see in the meat counter in your local market)
2nd Unpacked bulk would go to various processing plants to be cut cooked yada yada yada into such fun things as sandwich meats, frozen patties, think of all the meat foods you consume.
Again almost all of this moves by truck.
Rgds IGN
If you back date it there should be no problem , but as far today goes most gets shipped by truck to a cold storage plant where it could go out by rail as many colod storage plants have rail sidings .
Trains had an article about the UP local that switches the upper San Francisco peninsula a few months ago. The article mentioned two cold storage warehouses that receive meat by rail. I do not know where it generally comes from.
Out here there are several fruit and vegetable packing plants, cheese plants, and creameries that ship by rail. There is little to no rail activity at the cold storage warehouse in this area.
how about in 1994?
There is still some meat that comes out of packing plants that goes by rail. What I am aware of is frozen meat. Fresh meats will go mostly by truck.
Other products that still come out of plants is tallow in tank cars. The Tyson meat plant at Denison, IA (former IBP plant) ships out covered hoppers of dried rendered byproducts.
Jeff