General American Pfaulder Corporation Milk Car

In this car the small sliding door above the side entry door was used for the milk loading hose. To keep the interior as clean as possible during loading the entry doors were kept closed once this piping was hooked up unless a worker was going in or out. The tanks were emptied from the bottom using pipes routed out the large door. The tanks are canted slightly toward the center to make it easier to drain them this way.

The electric agitation motors were plugged in and their propellers stirred the milk in the tanks while it was being loaded, or when waiting to be emptied. This distributed the butterfat in the milk, kept an even temperature in the pre-cooled milk, and prevented the residue from sticking to the walls of the tank, making cleaning easier. The motion of the car was expected to do this while the milk was being transported.

The tanks are made of stainless steel insulated with two inches of cork, not "glass-lined" steel used in older cars. No ice was used, as the insulation in the cars and tanks was sufficient to keep the milk from getting too warm. The large quantity of pre-cooled milk also did not change temperature quickly. In one test, milk was shopped from Wisconsin to Florida, and the temperature only rose one degree in a trip of 101 hours.

Once the tanks were emptied they were scrubbed clean



by a worker who entered through the large oval door. They were then sterilized using steam and resealed. Regular inspections were made by local health authorities to ensure cleanliness.

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