I was watching the travel channel a few days ago, and they were at the Hershey theme park in Hershey Pa. They had a comera on one roller coaster there, and on one turn I noticed a double track mian going right by the park. What railroad owns this track, and do they serve the Hershey company at all? If so, how often do the switch the place. It’s kind of interesting really.
Noah
Noah-
The main Hershey plant is served by the Norfolk Southern (former Conrail) and has a switch job assigned to serve that plant. There are huge silos for the cocoa beans on site asnd the beans and I believe also bulk sugar also arrives at the plant in covered hoppers. Last time I was there they were using a couple of ex-CR SW1500s on that job.
LC
I can tell you the line that runs to Hershey runs adjacent to my in-laws house (which I will be buying this fall) and earlier this year a train made it’s way there about once a day with about half a dozen covered hoppers on average. Lately they’ve told me the fequency has increased to about 3 times a day, but the line also serves other business, so I’m not sure which portion of that is Hershey. We’re at the Park several times a year, live only a short distance from it and have season passes [:D], so I’ll try to get pics of the area next time I’m there and post 'em.
They still use 2 SW1500’s on the Hershey job, when I last saw them one was in Cornail paint, one NS, I have any shots of stuff at Hershey but I hope to get soem the next time I’m out there, BTW you can see NS trains from the Hershey Zoo and can here (and sometimes see them) all over Hershey Park.
We went on the Hershey tour in the summer of '02. One of the dioramas shows a boxcar on a siding; probably dates back to before they used covered hoppers. But they do mention trains in the tour!
The ex-Conrail line is really the old Reading. They were the Philadelphia & Reading when Milton Hershey opened his chocolate plant at Londonderry, Pa, which soon was renamed Hershey.
Saw tank cars leased to Hershey on a NS freight in Spencer NC.
For those who haven’t been to Hersey, you can’t get a real tour, they have a ride that gives a description of how they make the candy.
A goofy ride at that.
Adrianspeeder
That must be one sweet switching job. [swg]
LOL!!! [:D]
Go to the Pictures and text tour. They have a picture of some boxcars being unloaded at the plant (presumably).
http://www.hersheys.com/tour/index.shtml
I have also seen boxcars going to Hersheys’s Oakdale, CA. plant.
[8D] ok it is a bit goofy, but you do get a free (small) chocolate bar at the end, and the fact that trains are mentioned at all is rare these days!
MP
Many, many moons ago, when I was a kid, you actually went into the real factory for the tour … got close to the chocolate.
During the little mock tour of today, they have that aroma of chocolate in the ventilation system as you ride …the ride ends and thay give you one Hershey kiss, and then you exit through that gigantic candy store with gigantic prices.
Aaahhhh…capitalism.
Jim
Thanks for the answers guys, it’s pretty interesting. The tour sounds exactly like the one for the Jelly belly plant in SE WI, I forget exactly where, but there you go through the wear house on a “train” and there’s video screens around the walls. It’s okay, but not anything special.
Noah
What’s really sad about this is that NS is not trying to get any of the outbound product business.
Railroads and truckers are always looking for loads out of the Northeast back Chicago way. Hersey produces a lot of such loads. But it seems even with Triple Crown, NS has now interest in hauling chocolate bars.
Try to change it.
http://railretrievers.com/contest/