Trains and tractors
RACINE HERITAGE MUSEUM: J.I. CASE PHOTO COLLECTION: OCT., 1966
RACINE HERITAGE MUSEUM: J.I. CASE PHOTO COLLECTION
The J.I. Case Company was an early experimenter with loading racks. This 1940 view (above) of a UP 40-foot double door boxcar shows the built-in racks allowing two levels of tractors and power equipment to be shipped to a dealership in Los Angeles. A wood- en ramp at the plant was used to drive tractors up to the second level. C&NW and Case Transportation Department officials in- spect the results of an impact test on a load of Case 1030 Com-
and diagrams show the approved methods for loading various kinds of farm machinery on flatcars.
Tractors were also driven inside dou- ble-door automobile boxcars and secured to the floors. Beginning in 1940, heavy- duty shelving racks inside some boxcars allowed for a second level of tractors, parts and power components to be placed above the tractors inside the car. Groups of loaded cars were pulled from the factory and switched into out- bound blocks at the C&NW’s Racine Junction yard. Cars were loaded for specific destinations. A car might have a mix of both finished tractors and spare parts for a Case dealer or branch house, and some cars could be con- signed to more than one destination. Part of the freight was unloaded at one location, then the car was forwarded to a second nearby station to complete the unloading. This was common on
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RACINE HERITAGE MUSEUM: J.I. CASE PHOTO COLLECTION: NOV., 1966
fort King tractors (top right). New OTTX flat cars were loaded with tractors, then slammed into a cut of standing cars at various speeds to test the effectiveness of the cushion underframe and tie-down chains of the new Trailer Train cars. The conductor and brakeman on the yard job pose with the first regular shipment of tractors to use the new Trailer Train OTTX flats (above right). The Alco S-1 locomotive was the usual power on this job at the time.
branch lines and for dealerships with multiple stores in a region. Outbound loads included foundry castings, en- gines, and tractor and implement parts to be used at other Case assembly plants located around the country. In the mid-1920’s between 50 and 60 tractors were produced and shipped out by rail each day from the Case South Works. Tractors built for the do- mestic market were shipped on flat cars. At first, 36-foot long cars were used. Then cars of 40-, 46-, 50- and 53- foot lengths were used as the longer cars came into existence. For a time during the mid-1960’s the C&NW placed a drawbar between two flatcars to create a single high-capacity flatcar for shipping agricultural equipment. Beginning in the late 1960’s, and con- tinuing through the present day, Case tractors are shipped on 60-foot Trailer Train OTTX flat cars. These cars have
four locking rails built into the deck of the car where re-usable tie-down chains can be secured. The weathered wooden decks and rusty chains of these cars contrast nicely with the gleaming factory fresh tractor loads. The J. I. Case Company placed trac- tors in crates for overseas shipment. Tractors were stripped of equipment and repacked into smaller crates which could fit more compactly into the hold of a ship. These crates were placed in gondo- las or on flat cars for shipment to a port, usually Milwaukee, New York, New Or- leans or San Francisco. Some tractors only had the large back wheels removed and the cabs covered with plywood to protect the glass. Others were disassem- bled right down to the chassis and packed in wooden crates. The name of the company was stenciled in black across the sides of the crates, which were usually made of 1″× 6″ lumber; by the
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