These stock cars bring back many memories for me. When I was rather young I worked in the livestock auction market that my father and his partner owned. The stockyards was located in Winchester, Ky. and was served by the Louisville & Nashville. The siding that served our loading ramps at one time had served four customers, a warehouse, a feed mill, the stockyards, and there was a switch that led to an elevated trestle serving a coal dealer's yard, next was the switch to the south bound main. All of the above was about two city blocks long and could be seen from Patio Tower when looking north. We may have shipped cattle at one time, but not in my memory. One of my jobs was to load lambs and hogs. The hogs were shipped in single deck cars much like these. The sheep however were loaded in double deck cars that required a second car spotting, once for the lower deck and once for the upper deck. The loading started just after lunch and lasted until we were finished. If we were having a big day, as each car was loaded the engine would pull further north on the siding. When more than four cars had been filled the engine and caboose would have to cut off after the next spot and cross the street. Most cars were provided by the L & N , but sometimes were from other roads. When the L & N could not get any cars, we would get C & O cars as Winchester was also served by them. When loading lambs, I would watch for a "pet or bottle fed lamb" because it would follow me. I would let it follow me into the car then I would shut the door and push the lamb to the other door and put my belt around a slat and the lamb. I next would open the door and get behind the other sheep and rattle my shaker can hoping the leading lambs would see the lamb in the car and go to it. If there were not any pet lambs then you had to work harder. When the Interstate highway finally came to Winchester, everything went to the truckers. The end of live rail freight as I knew it !
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I have a picture of me and my daughter taken on the steps of the caboose. Hard to believe it has been twelve years since then. My daughter just graduated from High School last week.
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