horses on trains

Yippie Kiyea.

Only in Hollywood!

Certainly not for thoroughbreds.  John

As a boy, I had one of those horse-carrying Lionel cars you mentioned, as it was part of a set, along with a couple of old-fashioned coaches and a "The General"-type engine and tender (wood-carrying). And I do recall wondering if such a contraption for transporting horses were real. I concluded, as that boy, that I didn't care. It was an okay toy to have among my Lionel wonders. Now that you have shared with us those photos from a movie, I recall, vaguely, seeing that movie, too, and recall wondering about the horses being seriously injured jumping from so high a perch as those RR-cars, down to the ground.

Thanks for the memoires!

FrankM

Hot Water posted:

Only in Hollywood!

Not quite true, sir.  Evidence suggests that such make-shifts were not uncommon during the Civil War.  While horse cars were certainly in use, there were times when the need overwhelmed the supply.

I have heard, though not seen, more than one story of someone buying a horse and it being delivered in the back of a pick-up truck.  In all cases the sources were deemed to be creditable.  If the horse is well trained or feels safe enough it shouldn't cause an issue.

As for jumping from the height of a flat car, take a look at some YouTube videos about "3-day eventing."  That height wouldn't be much of an issue.

palallin posted:

Hot Water posted:

Only in Hollywood!

Not quite true, sir.  Evidence suggests that such make-shifts were not uncommon during the Civil War.  While horse cars were certainly in use, there were times when the need overwhelmed the supply.

Yeah, it did happen.

And if you want to see more John Wayne horse flats, watch 3 Godfathers (not the Mafia kind), a good western movie anyway, as those things go (John Ford directing, so, good stuff). I DVR'd it a few days ago and am watching it, usually while I eat. It even has Ward Bond in it.

Byrdie posted:

I have heard, though not seen, more than one story of someone buying a horse and it being delivered in the back of a pick-up truck.  In all cases the sources were deemed to be creditable.  If the horse is well trained or feels safe enough it shouldn't cause an issue. 

One of my brothers swore to me that another brother coaxed an old horse into the back of the family station wagon after I had moved away.   First brother was a born liar and second brother a character who only denied it on his deathbed forty years later.  Makes a pickup truck seem entirely plausible.

What, me worry? 

I see horses in pick ups all the time.  Cows, bulls, goats.  A pleasure of living in the south! 

Jim

Horses carried on train by posse that chased Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

A closed-car like that , plus the ramp, must have made a significant difference, right?

My grandfather, a railroad carpenter, built stock racks for his '37 Chevy pickup and hauled cows, calves, and hogs to the stockyards.  I have seen old photos of civil war flatcars with racks and horses.

carsntrains posted:

I see horses in pick ups all the time.  Cows, bulls, goats.  A pleasure of living in the south! 

Jim

Before I responded, I looked to see exactly where "in the South" that you lived. I am a Southerner, and I can't say livestock in a truck is a common sight - but I don't live in the country. I imagine that a fair number of Yankee farmers carry animals in trucks, too.

But, I see you live in Australia - now, that, son, is Down South. Not a "South" I've seen.

D500 posted:

carsntrains posted:

I see horses in pick ups all the time.  Cows, bulls, goats.  A pleasure of living in the south! 

Jim

Before I responded, I looked to see exactly where "in the South" that you lived. I am a Southerner, and I can't say livestock in a truck is a common sight - but I don't live in the country. I imagine that a fair number of Yankee farmers carry animals in trucks, too.

But, I see you live in Australia - now, that, son, is Down South. Not a "South" I've seen.

Oh yes. Wish I had pictures of my father hauling Angus and Hogs to the pens on the Milwaukee Railroad siding in Momence, Il. using his pickup with slat sidings. We could put 2 in there on each trip along with the trailer we pulled holding 6.  Pens were still there for decades in ruins long after the tracks were pulled up.

I opened this thread half-expecting to find the topic about therapy horses now being allowed to accompany passenger on trains. I do know mini therapy horses exist. The world's just going insane. 

D500 posted:

carsntrains posted:

I see horses in pick ups all the time.  Cows, bulls, goats.  A pleasure of living in the south! 

Jim

Before I responded, I looked to see exactly where "in the South" that you lived. I am a Southerner, and I can't say livestock in a truck is a common sight - but I don't live in the country. I imagine that a fair number of Yankee farmers carry animals in trucks, too.

But, I see you live in Australia - now, that, son, is Down South. Not a "South" I've seen.

I'm glad you pointed that out.  Reckon I'm as shocked as your were to see I lived that far south!  Reckon its something I didn't change when setting up my account.   

Tennessee..  The volunteer state! 

Jim

My wife and I own and ride horses. Horses by default are 1000 lbs of panic.   It can be trained out of some horses, but they are wired with the flight/fright response, and the panic can occur if they are frightened.  Transporting horses in modified baggage cars is much safer than those makeshift flatcars.

Bob

You can always fly them by plane  to their destination.

Pickups outfitted with manufactured stock racks are becoming less common now here in the midwest, but nobody is surprised to see one.  Anymore just the hobby farmers use them.  One time though, some thieves stole about 6 fair sized hogs from a farmers pen.  They had a pickup with no stock rack, just your usual pickup box.  They pulled into town and went to their motel, and then took them to the sale barn.  The receiver knew that to be suspicious and call in the cops.  They got arrested eventually.  One of them even demanded a jury trial, but the jury made short work of that one. I guess this was about 30 years ago now though.