FSM Kit #210 - Icing Platform - 2022 Build Challenge (1)

[BrianM]

John, Sorry, I'm a bit late to comment but a bit of long-winded refrigeration history that may be of interest:


Assuming that the complex was built late 1920's through WW II or even into the 1950's then:
1]  The primary refrigerant of choice would probably have been ammonia;
and
2]  The bulk ice storage room(s) would probably have had static coil banks, or "grids"located on the upper walls and across the ceiling of the room(s) - typically 1-¼" Sch. 40 pipe recirculating ammonia refrigerant, or sometimes depending on the jurisdiction where the facility was located, 1-½" or 2" Sch. 40 pipe recirculating a secondary refigerant comprising calcium chloride brine solution.  Literally miles of pipe in a large complex.

Assuming also that the building in the background is part of the ice house complex, then the structures that you marked protruding above the ice platform shade roof probably housed refrigeration equipment.  Some of the handling and product storage areas/zones often incorporated roof structures such as shown in the photo containing refrigerated coil banks and blower fans recirculating refrigerated air to and from the serviced zone via sheet metal ducting.

The block ice making tank containing refrigerated calcium chloride brine solution would typically have been at ground level with an overhead gantry crane to handle the sets of ice-making cans, placing them into and removing them from the can-carrying structure spanning the brine tank.  Typically the refrigeration compressors and associated equipment would be housed in a separate room adjacent to the ice tank room.

In the other photo the cylindrical structure on the roof (mid-left) appears to be an evaporative cooling tower for the refrigeration system condenser water.

More than you probably ever wanted to know about block ice making in that era using mechanical refrigeration!!

BrianM

[Jim Donovan]

I just caught up and found the ice making information fascinating. Brian and Craig thanks for sharing. John, kit looks great and your instructions on method really helpful. I am enjoying tagging along.

Jim D

[PRR Modeler]

Thanks Brian. That was very interesting.

[S&S RR]

John, Sorry, I'm a bit late to comment but a bit of long-winded refrigeration history that may be of interest:


Assuming that the complex was built late 1920's through WW II or even into the 1950's then:
1]  The primary refrigerant of choice would probably have been ammonia;
and
2]  The bulk ice storage room(s) would probably have had static coil banks, or "grids"located on the upper walls and across the ceiling of the room(s) - typically 1-¼" Sch. 40 pipe recirculating ammonia refrigerant, or sometimes depending on the jurisdiction where the facility was located, 1-½" or 2" Sch. 40 pipe recirculating a secondary refigerant comprising calcium chloride brine solution.  Literally miles of pipe in a large complex.

Assuming also that the building in the background is part of the ice house complex, then the structures that you marked protruding above the ice platform shade roof probably housed refrigeration equipment.  Some of the handling and product storage areas/zones often incorporated roof structures such as shown in the photo containing refrigerated coil banks and blower fans recirculating refrigerated air to and from the serviced zone via sheet metal ducting.

The block ice making tank containing refrigerated calcium chloride brine solution would typically have been at ground level with an overhead gantry crane to handle the sets of ice-making cans, placing them into and removing them from the can-carrying structure spanning the brine tank.  Typically the refrigeration compressors and associated equipment would be housed in a separate room adjacent to the ice tank room.

In the other photo the cylindrical structure on the roof (mid-left) appears to be an evaporative cooling tower for the refrigeration system condenser water.

More than you probably ever wanted to know about block ice making in that era using mechanical refrigeration!!

BrianM

Brian


Thank you so much for answering my question.  In my part of the country mother nature generated the ice and it was stored in well insulated Ice Houses. It was a very big industry with all the fresh water lakes in this area. It makes since that refrigeration facilities where used to generate and store the ice first - then as they got cheap enough, and small enough, they replaced the ice as the primary way to keep produce cool. Thank you for your help with this. Now, I have to look at my 1940's and 50's pictures and see if these facilities were used in the North.

[S&S RR]

I just caught up and found the ice making information fascinating. Brian and Craig thanks for sharing. John, kit looks great and your instructions on method really helpful. I am enjoying tagging along.

Jim D

Jim


Thank you for tagging along and I hope you find something that helps you enjoy the hobby.

[S&S RR]

Thanks Brian. That was very interesting.

Yes it was!

[bparrish]

Great ditty on ice production..............
This was not far from the stationary refrigeration system on the first ship I was on.  There was no brining process but the location and size of piping was about the same.


Thanx
Bob

[GPdemayo]

Great history Brian.....thanks for sharing. 

[BrianM]

You are welcome.  Notwithstanding that I'm retired, some other projects have had to take priority over my hobby activities so I enjoy an opportunity like this to make a contribution to the discussion.

John: It will be interesting to read what you find out about the area that you depict in your layout. 

The reality as early as the 1920's of block ice demand exceeding the availability of stored ice, even if only for the latter part of the year, necessitated that the mainstream ice vendors invest in mechanical refrigeration and the cost of the latter was progressively getting more attractive due to ever expanding adoption in other industries.  Example: meat chilling, freezing and storage; dairy products production and storage; etc.  Of course as time went on and demand for refrigerated food and associated storage increased it is likely that block ice production by mechanical refrigeration became cheaper than traditional winter ice harvesting with long term storage so the latter rapidly faded into history.

Food for thought: If you are depicting a real backwoods area with just a few ice bunker reefer cars a week then I would think an ice harvest/storage arrangement to be quite appropriate.  Maybe even showing the harvested ice elevator or hoist along with some of the ice sleds and scrapped/damaged sleds in the area of the storage building.  However, if you plan regular freight service from or through the area of the icing platform with intent to ice and/or re-ice (for long haul) numerous refers on a daily basis then I suggest that the ice facility incorporate mechanical refrigeration.  Either way, the difference depicting mechanical refrigeration could be fairly simple providing you do not plan to show any interior detail.

EDIT:
Now, my sincere apologies but I should have gone back to page 1 and re-read your overall plan before commenting above.  Looking at the photos it is clear to me that transporting harvested ice to that area will involve some intriguing logistics with an interesting back story (unless the ice comes in by rail box car which could be feasible {marginally profitable ice sales business} and could generate additional rail traffic - ice in by rail, ice out in reefers and maybe some local distribution by road vehicle if you decide to add road access to the low elevation platform at elevating conveyor end of the structure.).  Alternately I respectfully suggest going the mechanical refrigeration route but that does not really fit with the FSM ice platform kit design.

I feel have overstepped my privilege by excessively ambushing your thread so please feel free to contact me by PM (natrefATgvtc.com) if you would like to do some off-thread imagineering and/or would like some historic photos of both harvesting and mechanically producing block ice.

Brian M

[deemery]

It's my recollection that a lot of coal dealers also delivered ice.  That's the reason I added a small icehouse to my coal dealership.  Sometimes lumber or moving would be combined/done by the same family.  (That's based in part by a family friend whose business started as coal delivery and ended up as movers.)


dave

[BrianM]

Dave,

A company called: Wisconsin Ice and Coal would be an example.

Brian M