pd3463 Wrote:
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> Another thought too. I was told by my grandfather that when they used to take the milk to the station for the milk train, each farm used two
> sets of cans. One set was always riding to and from the creamery and one set was traveling to and from each individuals farm. The transfer always
> happened at the station. This brings up a question, was there a “creamery room” at the station? What was the process in your area?
>
> Phil
Hi Phil,
On the WW&F, cans were filled at the farm and brought to the depot each morning. The down train, Albion to Wiscasset would collect the cans in the dairy car which was heated or cooled depending on the time of year. For a time there was a dairy car attendant. Each can had a brass tag sweated onto the top. The tag indicated which station the can originated from, it was stamped with mile post number, the farmers name and a can number. We have some cans that were shipped from Alna Center in the 1910 - 1925 era and they have the brass tags.
The cans went to the Turner Centre Creamery in Wiscasset where the dairy car was set out on the siding. All cans were unloaded at the collection vat by the TCC employees. Empty cans were then steam cleaned and loaded back into the dairy car that was left on the creamery siding for the day. The Wiscasset switcher would pick the car from the creamery siding after lunch and bring it to the north yard to be added to the afternoon up train's consist. The creamery was unique in that it had a standard gauge Maine Central siding on the shore side of the building and the WW&F siding built on a trestle on the river side. There are still pilings in the river from the trestle work. The creamery was an important business in Wiscasset and used to have a town day when everyone could get a free cup of ice cream. The Turner Centre Dairy Co-op was sold to H.P. Hood in 1938, Hood is still in business.