02-10-2010, 01:08 AM
As a former employee of the Frankfort and Cincinnati and L&N Railroads, I spent a lot of time switching cars at some of the distilleries in the Frankfort, Kentucky area. They varied in size from the single spur 21 Brands Distillery on the L&N to the massive Schenley (Ancient Age) distillery on the F&C. Most of these operations would make a layout in themselves and the traffic variety is great too.
I've attached a schematic diagram of one of the smaller distilleries that was located along the F&C Railroad - Buffalo Springs at Stamping Ground, KY. This one is what I'd call model railroad size, but would include all of the "typical" traffic that existed at all of them.
In the late 1960's and through the 1980's here is the type of traffic you'd have at the distilleries:
Inbound:
1- Coal in twin or triple hoppers for the power plant
2- Grain in covered hoppers (and every now and then in 40 foot box cars)- 80-85% corn / 10-15% rye / 5% malt - depending on the formula each company used
3- Empty box cars and/or covered hopers for loading with spent dried mash (feed). Bagged in box cars, bulk in covered hoppers. Sometimes, the covered hoppers that delivered the grain were re-used to load the dried mash, but not often.
4- New Oak barrels in 50 foot box cars
5- Empty 50 foot XL box cars for loading the finished product in cases.
Outbound:
1- Box cars or covered hoppers loaded with the spent grain mash (feed)
2- Box cars loaded with empty used barrels. Bourbon whiskey barrels can only be used once so these were shipped out to Canada or Puerto Rico where they could be reused. Some even were shipped to people who cut them up for use as furniture!
3- Sometimes you'd have box cars loaded with the bourbon in barrels for shipment to other distilleries owned by the parent company
4- Box cars loaded with cased bourbon whiskey
5- Empty coal and grain hoppers
On the attached diagram - this would be a typical days traffic in and out of this small distillery:
1 car of coal - 1 car of grain - 1 or 2 cars for loading cased bourbon - 1 car of new barrels which could be reloaded with used barrels and finally 1 car for loading the dried mash.
Hope this inspires someone to model a distillery. If you need more information - just let me know.
Ed
I've attached a schematic diagram of one of the smaller distilleries that was located along the F&C Railroad - Buffalo Springs at Stamping Ground, KY. This one is what I'd call model railroad size, but would include all of the "typical" traffic that existed at all of them.
In the late 1960's and through the 1980's here is the type of traffic you'd have at the distilleries:
Inbound:
1- Coal in twin or triple hoppers for the power plant
2- Grain in covered hoppers (and every now and then in 40 foot box cars)- 80-85% corn / 10-15% rye / 5% malt - depending on the formula each company used
3- Empty box cars and/or covered hopers for loading with spent dried mash (feed). Bagged in box cars, bulk in covered hoppers. Sometimes, the covered hoppers that delivered the grain were re-used to load the dried mash, but not often.
4- New Oak barrels in 50 foot box cars
5- Empty 50 foot XL box cars for loading the finished product in cases.
Outbound:
1- Box cars or covered hoppers loaded with the spent grain mash (feed)
2- Box cars loaded with empty used barrels. Bourbon whiskey barrels can only be used once so these were shipped out to Canada or Puerto Rico where they could be reused. Some even were shipped to people who cut them up for use as furniture!
3- Sometimes you'd have box cars loaded with the bourbon in barrels for shipment to other distilleries owned by the parent company
4- Box cars loaded with cased bourbon whiskey
5- Empty coal and grain hoppers
On the attached diagram - this would be a typical days traffic in and out of this small distillery:
1 car of coal - 1 car of grain - 1 or 2 cars for loading cased bourbon - 1 car of new barrels which could be reloaded with used barrels and finally 1 car for loading the dried mash.
Hope this inspires someone to model a distillery. If you need more information - just let me know.
Ed
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"