Question for the group... I'm not sure how many creameries still haul bulk milk by rail anymore, but I'm currious to know what type of cars they use these days. The creameries here in SE MN mainly use trucks to haul milk: trucks go out to the farms and bring the milk to the creamery and semi tractor-trailers haul it out. The trucks that run to the farms and back are basically a Peterbilt with a stretched frame and a big, stainless-steel tank behind the cab and the semi-trucks that haul the processed milk out more or less look like oil tankers. So, am I safe in assuming that the modern method of hauling milk would be in insulated tank cars? Or, do they mostly ship milk by truck, and use refers to haul milk by-products (such as butter, cheese, etc.)? Just wondering.
I do not think very much product is shipped by rail. The ice cream plant her in Rochester used to ship ice cream out in this 'solid cold' freight cars until about 10 years ago. There is some kind of dairy plant in Watertown, WI that has covered hoppers on the spur(dry powdered milk?). Like you mentioned, everything is shipped by truck. Milk is a 'local' product, and would be distributed in a local/regional area. Also, government milk price support is greater the further you are from Eau Claire, WI. That is why you may see all of those California milk commercials on TV! When you are only about 100 miles from Eau Claire, you don't receive as much federal money. Jim
The methods used over here nowadays are virtually the same as Komachi describes, allowing for our smaller vehicles! Certainly, milk by train seems to have died out several years ago. Regards, Pete Davies
