Western Railroad Discussion > Union Pacific Farmer John Train

What was the usual number of livestock cars on the Union Pacific Farmer John train? They were usually at the head-end of an intermodal train before they ceased operations.

Thanks

Dale Smith

The CLS probably had as few as 15 and perhaps as many as 30 of the UP cars. After they went to the (HOGX?) cars it ran with fewer cars.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Yep, that was the reporting mark, HOGX. When my wife and I were crossing Nebraska in 1990, we saw some drovers loading the porkers into HOGX cars near Alda, NB. for their one-way trip to Vernon. This was probably within the last year or two of "real pig trains". Just think, some of the "passengers" got to attend LA Dodgers baseball games after they arrived in Southern California!

Back in April 1983 I was lucky enough to be driving home from Utah when I spotted the CLS at Dry Lake, NV. A quick side trip off the I-15 produced this shot, which shows the set-up for watering the poor beasts on their way to Farmer Johns...Steve

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Here's another one of the CLS leaving Salt Lake in 1985...Steve

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Nebraska is NE, not NB.

When I worked at East LA in the 60's, the CLS usually arrived sometime around 10PM. As soon as the road power was removed, a switcher would tie onto the hogs and head to Chauriaty(sp) Packing in Vernon. You could always tell when the CLS arrived-smell and noise.

Mike Root
Madras, OR

shortlineboss Wrote:
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> When I worked at East LA in the 60's, the CLS
> usually arrived sometime around 10PM. As soon as
> the road power was removed, a switcher would tie
> onto the hogs and head to Chauriaty(sp) Packing in
> Vernon. You could always tell when the CLS
> arrived-smell and noise.

It was Clougherty Packing for the two brothers that started the business in 1931.
I was able to hold the night job (41B on duty 2230 hrs.) in the late 70s and early 80s, with not much seniority, due to a lot of crews not liking the smell and mess of dealing with the hogs. The job used to do a little switching around the yard waiting for the hogs to come in as they weren't due on spot at Farmer John until 0600. When I last worked it we would have to spot Time Mirror at 4th street yard before going to lunch and then taking the hogs over or waiting for them to come in if they were late. Here's a couple of pics I took on Christmas eve/day 1983 as we were the only job working that night just to spot the hogs. I've posted these photos here on TO previously.-BMT

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Back in the late '40s, when at San Berdoo photographing, observed
the CLS around 430-500pm.

I've said it before and BMT will appreciate it, the spur
ran right next to the deli and factory store for Vienna
Sausage which also featured outdoor eating tables. All
worked till the day guys spotted the inbounds, slowly
across Downey Road, right past the less than bemused diners.

"Eastern most in quality, Western most in flavor..."

I remember seeing cars for Farmer John's being set out for loading at Kansas City MO, St. Joseph MO, Omaha NE, Schuyler NE, and Greeley, CO. I'm sure there were other loading points as well.

I work in the meat packing equipment industry, and have been at Farmer John's when hogs were being unloaded. it's a loud, smelly experience to say the least! Last time I was there the tracks are still in place, but all of the hogs are trucked in from locations closer to LA. Needless to say, this is one trip that tends to take a lot out of the hogs at the end!

Thanks for the correction on the state abbr. NB might be for New Brunswick in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, eh? When I worked in San Bernardino in 1969-70, the Farmer John cars came through around midnight. I think the idea was to cross the Mojave Desert after sundown to avoid overheating the piggies. Depending on the wind direction, they might be smelled before they were seen. If the "hoghead" let the slack run in and the cars were jolted, one might hear "complaints" from the "passengers". If this discussion continues, I'll add the "how to load hogs into livestock cars" story.

I remember getting called for the CLS in North Platte and at first we took our power down to the lower departure tracks at the old Hump.
Then after they built the new west bound hump we would take our power over the "sheep Jump" to the new departure tracks next to the west hump and tie on to track 1A which was the hog service track where the cars were watered and all. This was to last them to Dry Lake for servicing.
One could always tell where the CLS had been by the remaining odor that abounded around the area. There was even a curve just east of Archer Wyoming where the cars had a tendency to drain a little to the inside and the section crews used to complain about the smell in the summer sun.
The CLS was a good train to run both for power and actual train handling. This was the last of the stock trains on the mainline. When I started in 1976 there were some head end livestock eastbound on a couple of occasions but that was very short lived.
Bob Krieger
UP/CRIP retired
Cheyenne

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

As part of the contractor training involved in the Tyson account I
hold a certificate in live animal handling (which I avoid at all costs).
It's interesting though that the amount of squealing than can be tolerated
is extremely low. If the hogs are in stress the handlers are required to
do whatever is necessary to reduce said stress. I'm not sure it would
even be legal to transport hogs by rail anymore. The cars would have to
be totally redesigned to reduce motion and "downs".

In its final years, it rode the head end of the NPLAZ

ATSF90East Wrote:
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> I remember seeing cars for Farmer John's being set
> out for loading at Kansas City MO, St. Joseph MO,
> Omaha NE, Schuyler NE, and Greeley, CO. I'm sure
> there were other loading points as well.
>

Greeley did not load Clougherty hogs. You probably saw UP stock cars handling inbound cattle.

In addition to the ones you mentioned, Sioux City, IA loaded hogs for Clougherty (brought to Fremont, NE for UP interchange by BN). Also, Marysville, KS was a Clougherty loading station. In earlier years there was one more point on the main line that loaded Clougherty hogs that escapes me now (maybe Clarks? or Cozad?), and I think there was one more point on the St. Joseph line that loaded Clougherty hogs in earlier years (maybe Hiawatha, KS?).

Best regards,

Rob L.

I just checked my photo album from 1990--it was Gibbon, Neb. where I saw the hogs being loaded into an HOGX car. I wanted to get a few more pictures, but to paraphrase a line from C. W. McCall, "them hogs was getting mighty intense" and my wife wanted to be down the road apiece where the fresh country air was still fresh and not funky.

I think that loose pig finally made it's way to Auburn!!

[url=http://cbs13.com/video/?id=66165@kovr.dayport.comhttp://cbs13.com/video/?id=[email]66165@kovr.dayport.com[/email[/url]]

Lodiboi

All of the talk on hogs, smell, live animal handling - it's all very interesting the different perspectives one has depending on where you live. For the most intense of odiferous sensations, you need to live close to a hog operation where they spray the lagoon contents on the corn field with the center pivot. Now THAT makes the hog train smell seem minor.