The Milk Man commeth.The Turner Centre Dairy Car Attendant drops off empty milk cans for local farmers as a WW&F mixed train makes a brief stop at the tiny station in Alna Center, Maine. The reefer car you see here was rather primitive by today's standards. There were no refrigerator units to provide precise climate control back in the early 1900s. The cars were insulated with saw dust, and cooling was provided by blocks of ice that were kept in a sink-like bin at one end of the car. Heating....yes, heating, was provided by a small coal stove installed in the center of the car. Heat was indeed required during the coldest months of the Maine winters, not just to keep the car attendant from freezing, but to keep the milk from freezing as well.
