New modern corn syrup tank in HO - Intermountain

[Martyn Read]

Now listed as "upcoming items" at Walthers:

47801 Trinity 19,000 Gallon Tank Car -- Undecorated
47802 Trinity 19,000 Gallon Tank Car -- Minnesota Corn Processor
47803 Trinity 19,000 Gallon Tank Car -- ADM
47804 Trinity 19,000 Gallon Tank Car -- Staley
47805 Trinity 19,000 Gallon Tank Car -- Cargill

Proto shot of the MCP one here:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/85-47802

[watash]

Back in the 1950's when I worked for Waples-Platter (foods), I was sent to a distributor to pick up two barrels of liquid sugar for a candy factory we delivered to.

They had three tank cars on a siding connected to pipes that ran inside the building, where they filled 55 gallon barrels with one of the three kinds of sugar. (It took all day for the barrel to cool enough to handle.)

I found out each barrel weighed 760 pounds!

I weighed 145 at the time, and had to have help to even tip it up on edge so I could "walk" it out the dock into our truck bed!

Their building was about 185 feet long by 45 feet wide. The siding was behind one of the long sides, and the loading dock was along the other side, with room to back semi-trailers in to the dock. Tankers were shifted about every week and a half.

It could make a nice industry for a layout, and wouldn't take up much room, compared to the action it needs.

[Martyn Read]

Interesting stuff smile.gif
So did each tank car at the factory have a different type (grade?) of syrup?

It would make switching interesting if they had to go in a set order, and got used up unevenly, so had to switch ones out and replace the others... smile.gif

[watash]

I am not sure about other companies, but this Distributor had molasses, Karo fine (clear), Karo dark (Pancake), and glucose/ sucrose (something or other). The manifold would allow them to use any car regardless of where it sat within their yard limits. The steam heaters could heat a cold car in about 4 hours enough to start pumping. Dross was sometimes pumped back into a car and sent to a processor of hog feed.

When the bottling line was running, they had long conveyors to bring bottles from a box car to stack by the feeders. Finished product was shipped locally by truck.

Seasonally the Candy Factory made candy canes, ribbon candy, and suckers generally during the year. That is how they used up the leftover "pot-liquor" , mixing it with flavoring and colors. (The two barrels were needed to finish an order out on time, so were special ordered).

[ 07. October 2003, 21:55: Message edited by: watash ]

[Martyn Read]

Thanks, that's useful info. smile.gif graemlins/097.gif

[StickyMonk]

<font color="336633">How modern is this Intermountian car?</font>