Pickles?

Looks neat, the flat car base looks fine to me (not knowing any better except for what you told us).  Do you know how hard it is not to say anything about what a pickle you got us in... 
Charles

That's a wonderful model! I personally don't care if it never actually existed just like that. The more I read, the more I find that the most unlikely things are actually likely. :)

-mike 

They did make pickle cars like that but that was around the turn of the 20th Century. I've seen photos.

But all this talk of pickles makes me huungry for a nice big lower East Side sour pickle. And on of the benefits of having once lived on the Lower East Side of NYC, I know exctly what those pickles do taste like.

Irv

As  an interested observer of all things railway, and believing that our esteemed member absnut is not 'having me on' and that such vehicles actually DID exist, can one of our membership please explain exactly WHY it was necessay for the full-sized railways to even create such an unusual vehicle (I assume that there was more than one)..

When did they operate, why did they operate, which 'road ran tm, and why such an unusual commodity?

Thanks  

(A somewhat bemused)

Komata

"TVR - serving the  Northern Taranaki . . . "

Would I put you on about such a serious topic???   Pickle cars did, indeed, exist in the "good ole days".  Probably none were owned by the railroads (I would welcome correction on this assumption) but, rather, by private companies such as Heinz.  I know of no such models available in N scale (although my memory says a vinegar tank is / was available at one time) but, there are a few available in HO, Athearn and Westerfield to name a couple.  I've heard it said that this was a rather important industry at one time requiring these purpose built cars.

Pickles still get carried by the railway, in plastic tanks in gondolas.  There used to be a pickle plant in La Junta Colorado that shipped that way up until just a few years ago....   I think those were probably interplant shipments, not to retail of course.

One of those things I didn't ever think to take a picture of until after it was gone.

There are also plans for a Pickle car (and a picture I think) in the very old Klambach book "Dollar Freight Car Projects" There were two cars, one with tubs the height of those on your car and one with shorter tubs.

Christopher 

 

Thank you  gentlemen for the clarification.

This sort of cargo would seem to be US-specific, and to those of us from 'off-shore', used as we are to 'conventional' loads (livestock, Butter, Meat, Coal etc)somewhat unusual.

 The things we learn - much appreciated.

 Komata

"TVR - serving the Northern Taranaki . . . "

Your comment made me re-examine the title of the book I used for planning.  It's a Kalmbach book, "Easy to Build Model Railroad Freight Cars", not one by Carstens (as I thought without looking).  It's possibly the same article  as the one you mentioned.  My tubs are just slightly larger than the small ones shown.

I don't know, but shipping pickles around in the 1800's by rail does not seem that different from shipping strawberries by plane today.  Seems like the ideal way to get products available in one part of the country moved to another part where they are not available.  There is a big difference in growing seasons across the US.  But then, maybe New York has always had a big demand for pickles...
Charles

I don't know about that. Vlasic (not anything like the real stuff) seems to be sold nation wide. Of course those things are made with vinegar and I can't believe that anyone who knows what real sour pickles are supposed to taste like would buy it. But then I don't see whay people buy Hondas when Chevys are just as good if not better.

Irv

  

Sounds like the same book,  from back in the day when modlers built almost everything. I have build several of the cars in the book, includeing the water car (in HO).

 I Never Met A Train I Did Not Like

Christopher, I remember those "dollar projects" articles very well.  I used to look forward to them (of course a dollar meant a lot more back then) and remember trying a few of them, in HO at the time.  I particularly liked the construction articles that appeared every month in Railroad Model Craftsman.  I think the reason I like scratch-building and bashing so much now is because of those articles and being introduced to the art by a master modeler, way back when.  I think there was a lot more "do-it-yourelf" modeling back then, too.

Back in the day (Before my time) if you wanted it you had to build it.... I am NOT complaining I like being able to buy a plastic shell locomotive for 80$ that looks as good as a lot of the brass did back then... but I am still like to build stuff....

BTW the pickle can looked great.