Borden's Milk Tanks Discovered in PA!

Rob Davis · **Posted:** Fri Mar 19, 2004 4:38 pm

Hi,

You have to be a memeber of the milk train Yahoo Group to view the link below, but it is worth it. Blake Tatar and several of our dairy nuts were out "railfanning" old PRR branches in PA when they stumbled upon the old creamery at Grover, PA.

Out back are two very intact Borden's milk tanks, the kind that were paired-up on NATX National Leasing flat cars and slid off for local truck delivery.

These are bell-shaped tanks and even show rust patterns from the Borden's lettering.

Now, I am not aware of any National milk flats left in exisitence, but there are plenty of highway trucks these could be mounted on. They sure would look nice at the Naugy... hint, hint...

The significance of this find is huge. Previously, we knew of just one of the tanks in exisitence, and it is very much modified.

If there is a group in the northeast looking to interpret milk trains, these babys are a rare catch!

Rob

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/milktrains/ls
trains@robertjohndavis.com

Dave Crosby · **Posted:** Fri Mar 19, 2004 5:29 pm

Hello Rob

Now thats a Holy Grail of finds isn't it. I'd love to see one of those in Scranton, what lengths were the flats? Could one be easily replicated using a "stock" flat car? Were these the same type I've seen in DL&W photographs?

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

Superheater · **Posted:** Fri Mar 19, 2004 7:13 pm

> Hello Rob

> Now thats a Holy Grail of finds isn't it.
> I'd love to see one of those in Scranton,
>

I'll second that that motion!

superheater@rrmail.com

Joshua K. Blay · **Posted:** Fri Mar 19, 2004 7:38 pm

> I'll second that that motion!

Would sure be nice. STEA does already have an unrestored DL&W milk car in fairly good (butchered albeit) condition.

Hey Dave, if you need a grunt for repatriating the L&NE engine- where do I sign up? Let's get the butterdish car at IRM too. Just kidding of course on both counts. This is the only one left right? How hard would it be to replicate one?

Joshua

Dave O. · **Posted:** Fri Mar 19, 2004 11:55 pm

> Hi,

> You have to be a memeber of the milk train
> Yahoo Group to view the link below, but it
> is worth it. Blake Tatar and several of our
> dairy nuts were out "railfanning"
> old PRR branches in PA when they stumbled
> upon the old creamery at Grover, PA.

> Out back are two very intact Borden's milk
> tanks, the kind that were paired-up on NATX
> National Leasing flat cars and slid off for
> local truck delivery.

> These are bell-shaped tanks and even show
> rust patterns from the Borden's lettering.

> Now, I am not aware of any National milk
> flats left in exisitence, but there are
> plenty of highway trucks these could be
> mounted on. They sure would look nice at the
> Naugy... hint, hint...

> The significance of this find is huge.
> Previously, we knew of just one of the tanks
> in exisitence, and it is very much modified.

> If there is a group in the northeast looking
> to interpret milk trains, these babys are a
> rare catch!

> Rob
Hey Rob if you would like I could check those out for you and actually anyone interested. You just have to tell me one thing where in Pa is Grover let alone on the Pennsy.
Davey O.

memnon11075@earthlink.net

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:30 am

> Hey Rob if you would like I could check
> those out for you and actually anyone
> interested. You just have to tell me one
> thing where in Pa is Grover let alone on the
> Pennsy.

Middle of Nowhere. <:-)

More seriously.......... EXTREME southwest corner of Bradford County, southwest of Canton, on the PRR/Northern Central Elmira Branch, almost exactly midway between Williamsport and Elmira. The creamery is the former Eastern Milk Producers Co-Op; the Borden tanks probably came from the Borden Creamery in Troy, about 15 miles to the north. (Hey--did anyone go looking around Troy while they were at it?)

LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

Dave O. · **Posted:** Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:40 am

> Middle of Nowhere. More seriously.......... EXTREME southwest
> corner of Bradford County, southwest of
> Canton, on the PRR/Northern Central Elmira
> Branch, almost exactly midway between
> Williamsport and Elmira. The creamery is the
> former Eastern Milk Producers Co-Op; the
> Borden tanks probably came from the Borden
> Creamery in Troy, about 15 miles to the
> north. (Hey--did anyone go looking around
> Troy while they were at it?)
O my that is the boonies this might have to wait till vacation at the end of the month. Bradford county don't they make zippos there? Hey I could take a look anyone really interested?

memnon11075@earthlink.net

Dave Crosby · **Posted:** Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:40 am

Hello Joshua

Thats great, I have a fleet of lowboys ready, you cause a distraction.

My shopping list includes the LNE engine and Lackawanna boxcab from IRM (might as well get the Borden's car while we're at it...), the 952 from MOT and the Liberty Liner & Scranton snowsweeper from RTY in Orbisonia. There's a Dickson engine running at Six Flagg's Over Texas and.....

Tongue in cheek of course... Its nice know these pieces are all in good hands.

The IRM car does look fantastic!

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

John Deck · **Posted:** Sat Mar 20, 2004 9:59 am

Could someone post the pics on here I cant seem to be able to join the yahoo group where the pics are at

johndeck@cox.net

John Redden · **Posted:** Sat Mar 20, 2004 10:32 am

> O my that is the boonies this might have to
> wait till vacation at the end of the month.
> Bradford county don't they make zippos
> there? Hey I could take a look anyone really
> interested?

Hey guys, go easy on the "middle of nowhere" / "boonies" talk.

Zippo lighters are made in the town of Bradford, McKean County, 75 miles or so, to the west of Bradford County.

Scott · **Posted:** Tue Mar 23, 2004 2:31 pm

> Could someone post the pics on here I cant
> seem to be able to join the yahoo group
> where the pics are at

Ditto. I cannot join Yahoo either.

Boyd Owens · **Posted:** Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:24 pm

Here's a photo of them for those of you who can't access the photos on Yahoo.

Boyd

bowens@rypn.org

Thomas Cornillie · **Joined:** Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:19 pm **Posts:** 272

I thought about this discovery this morning in thinking about the traffic handled by anthracite railroads before and after WWII.

The photo referenced in the thread seems to be lost. However, here is a page that (I think) has a photo of the type of tank being discussed:

http://users.rcn.com/jimdu4/MilkTrains/National_Car.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20200106172637/http://users.rcn.com/jimdu4/MilkTrains/National_Car.htm

Does anybody know what ultimately became of these tanks?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:43 pm

In other news: Borden just filed for bankruptcy protection:

https://www.inquirer.com/business/borde ... 00106.html

ted66 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 06, 2020 7:55 pm

Folks,

I used to have one of those tank cars as modeled by American Flyer. It was about O-gauge

Some day when I visit the Illinois Railway Museum, and
I am going to, for sure, hunt up that milk car!

According to the old Rail & Wire their car came to them with a damaged coupler. They have riveted the coupler back together and re-painted the car.

Ted Miles, IRM Member for 2020