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Borden's Milk tank cars were originally pfaudler style cars.They were owned by Borden. In the 1930's, the cars were in need of Body repairs and Borden chose to eliminate  the superstructure and cover the tanks with sheet to create what became known by hobbyists as the Butterdish cars, I believe there were at least three color schemes, red, silver and white over their life in this form. Borden operated these cars on trains handling milk shipments to the New York City area from the Vermont Milkshed via trains on the Rutland,D&H and New york central and from the New York, New Jersey Milkshed via New York Central, Erie and Lackawanna RRs.Some of these may have lasted into the 1960s to the end of Milk delivery on the railroads. Lionel did make a O gauge version of this style of car but it was not scale and undersized.

Originally Posted by colorado hirailer:

So these butterdishes never operated west of the NYC metropolitan area? (nobody with photos of one on the C&NW, etc.?)  I don't remember seeing a Lionel version....but haven't been looking...

But, there is one parked in the heartland at IRM:

IRM Milk 520

Photo: IRM

 

IRM also has a regular Pflauder milk car:

IRM Milk 1021

Photo: IRM

 

GPEX 1021 was normally used as a water car for 1630 and will probably be again now that 1630's passed her FRA inspection..

 

Rusty

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Images (2)
  • IRM Milk 1021
  • IRM Milk 520

To answer some of the questions

 

I thought K-Line built a model of the butterdish.

 

K Line did make a version of a National Tanks on Flat car which were used in Dairy service. Lionel did release a version of this car as aK Line by Lionel . It was letterred for PRR, not an accurate road name but neverthe less the prior K Line car. Here is a photo.

 

 

PRR flat with tanks 6-22558_5718

 

So these butterdishes never operated west of the NYC metropolitan area? (nobody with photos of one on the C&NW, etc.?)  I don't remember seeing a Lionel version....but haven't been looking...

 

Never say never about these things. Rusty Traque showed us a Borden's car at the IRM. Its history might be that it was acquired by the museum after its service as a Milk tanker in the northeast. These cars were also used in later years to carry chemicals and things beside Milk. One would have to research the history of the car at the IRM to get a better idea as to where it last operated. As a Milk Tanker, most likely it was the Northeast.

 

Pfaudler had a similar design of car although there were likely only 4 of those cars. Morning suns Volume 1 on Tank Cars has a photo of this car In the Midwest? perhaps Omaha, taken when the car was in revenue service. When the photo was taken, the car was no longer in Milk Service. 

 

Here are photos of the Bordens car that Lionel Produced. You can see its too short.

 

Bordens Tank

 

Heres one decorated for Hoods. A Borden style car but meant to represent the Pfaudler tank that was leased to Hood.

 

 

Hoods 6-39425_2122

 

American Flyer had n O gauge car in its prewar line. It was lettered Bordens but it was more in the style of the Pfaudler car I think. Heres a photo

 

 

mqOahV3pTGtGDLZszMQrIlA

American Flyer also made a tank car with two tanks. Flyer by Lionel has produced this as well. Seee photo following

 

 

AF Bordens6-48524_1079

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Images (5)
  • PRR flat with tanks 6-22558_5718
  • Bordens Tank
  • Hoods 6-39425_2122
  • mqOahV3pTGtGDLZszMQrIlA
  • AF Bordens6-48524_1079

Borden's milk cars came in these variations:

 

GPEX (General American Pfaudler) 40' wood tank cars

GPEX 50' wood tank cars

National Car Co flat with removable tanks for truck service

GARE (General Amercian Refrigerator) 40' wood reefer (for finished products)

GARE 50' wood reefer.

BFIX 40' butter dish tank car rebuilds

GPEX 40' steel tank car

GPEX 50' steel tank car.

 

LOL, I could be wrong, but I have a hunch that the majority of the replies to Hobonorthern's post don't fall into what he meant.  But that can be a problem when an open-ended question is used in the topic and only a picture is posted.

 

I suspect that he is asking about variations specifically to the MPC-era plated tank car in the picture he posted.  If so, then I have in fact heard that there is indeed a variation does exist; the regular chrome-plated car, and one that has a gold-tinting in the plating, which I think is what is depicted in that picture.  I don't actually know how legit the gold-tinted car is, but I've seen them listed on the Bay once in a while.

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