Billboard Reefers

[Sheepdog]

"Billboard Refrigerator Cars" by Richard H. Hendrickson and Edward S. Kaminski, is also recommended by Jeff Wilson in his Model Railroader book "Produce Traffic & Trains" in the Guide to Industries Series, which itself is an excellent book and also well illustrated.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the most colorful billboard reefers were the Hanrahan refrigerator cars owned and operated by the Colorado Midland.  They featured a  full car sized Ute Indian on the right side of the middle ice bunker doors.  They were built by Pullman in 1897 and most ended up on the Midland Terminal after the CM was abandoned during WWI.

The Santa Fe also rostered Hanrahans during this period and the CM's were probably influenced by AT&SF since Santa Fe contolled the CM during the 1890s.

LaBelle has offered a custom wood kit in HO scale for years of the CM's reefers.  Other models in various scales have been offered from time to time in this colorful scheme albeit applied to regular reefer designs and not the Hanrahan.

The most beautiful CM model I have seen is the one in #3 gauge built by Barry Bogs.  It can be viewed at www.cumberlandmodelengineering.com along with other fine large scale models.  The Santa Fe Hanrahans were lettered in full AT&SF lettering on the right side of the middle car ice bunkers and featured the "Santa Fe Route" herald on the left side.  This was before the holy cross herald and SFRD were created it appears.

 

 

 

 

 

[Firelock76]

Boston and Maine?  I thought it was the New Haven, and in 1937.  I'll have to check it, it's been a while since I've watched that video.

I've had my video cassette watching on hold for a while.  The old VCR decided to eat my tapes!  Finally found a new DVD/VCR player a few weeks ago.  What a relief, at least someone still makes them!

OK, I'm back and Wizlish you're absolutely correct, the wreck WAS on the Boston and Maine in 1934, and in Clinton, Massachusetts. 

Man, was I wrong on that one!

[Wizlish]

Firelock76

As a matter of fact, there's a video called "Train Wrecks, Crashes, and Disasters" where you can see those "Potato" cars scrambled all over the New Haven line in the "Great Potato Wreck" of 1937.

Firelock, that wouldn't be the potato cars we see scrambled all over the Boston and Maine line in the Potato Wreck of 1934, by any chance?

[wjstix]

Firelock76

Let me recommend a fantastic book on the subject:

"Billboard Refrigerator Cars" by Richard H. Hendrickson and Edward S. Kaminski, published by Signature Press  www.signaturepress.com  in 2008.  MORE than you'll ever want to know about the whole billboard car story.  I own a copy myself and can't praise it enough.  TONS of photographs. 

I'll second that, it's "the" book on the subject of billboard reefers. On general reefers, John White's "The Great Yellow Fleet" is also an excellent book.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0870950916/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=33848934715&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9420057544743850811&hvpone=126.40&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd

Firelock76

A thought: Atlas may be using fictitious or out-of-business brewery logos to get around any possible trademark or copyright infringement issues.

Possibly, but really probably not, since Atlas and other manufacturers have sold many cars lettered for real beer companies in the past. I think the bottom line is, well, the bottom line - that they make money selling beer cars, regardless of whether the brewery ever existed, or if it actually ever owned or leased reefers. There are enough guys out there who collect beer reefers, or who will buy one for a local beer product, that they make enough money to justify making the cars. 

Keep in mind the billboard beer reefer era was pretty short. Prohibition was (partially) lifted in 1933 to allow the manufacture of beer and wine, but billboard reefers were restricted only a few years later...so there really was only about a 3-4 year window for those cars. (Of course there were billboard beer reefers before Prohibition, but you rarely see those modeled.)

[Firelock76]

Daveklepper's memory is absolutely correct when he says he remembers BAR cars in red, white, and blue marked "State of Maine Potatoes."  Those were the pre-war cars which were subsequently replaced with the "State of Maine Products" cars.

As a matter of fact, there's a video called "Train Wrecks, Crashes, and Disasters" where you can see those "Potato" cars scrambled all over the New Haven line in the "Great Potato Wreck" of 1937.

It was a black day for a lot of New York Irish families, let me tell you.

[1oldgoat]

There were a number of 40' insulated plug door cars with BAR (and maybe NH) reporting marks in the R/W/B paint scheme. They were equipped with some sort of manually operated vents on the upper corners of the carbody. I read somewhere that these cars were used to transport pulp (not pulp wood).

[Firelock76]

Let me recommend a fantastic book on the subject:

"Billboard Refrigerator Cars" by Richard H. Hendrickson and Edward S. Kaminski, published by Signature Press  www.signaturepress.com  in 2008.  MORE than you'll ever want to know about the whole billboard car story.  I own a copy myself and can't praise it enough.  TONS of photographs. 

So if you're looking to research authentic billboard car liverys and logos this book is the place to go.  I'm sure some railbook sellers may have it in stock or can get it for you.

I just checked the Signature Press site and it looks like you can order it direct if you like.  At $60 I admit it's not cheap, but it's worth it.  At least to me it was.

A thought: Atlas may be using fictitious or out-of-business brewery logos to get around any possible trademark or copyright infringement issues.

Another thing:  I'm an O gauger myself, and own a number of billboard reefers  from Atlas and other makers.  Quite honestly, if it's well made and colorful and I like it, I buy it.  I really don't care if it's fictitous or not. 

Truth to tell, I wish someone would put out gag reefers in O gauge like they do for N and HO gauges.  You know, cars like "Burppo Beer" and "Fartzenhow Bean Co.?"

Billboard reefers are cool!  No pun intended

By the way, I had a question about a particular Heinz billboard reefer and e-mailed both the authors concerning same.  Both were very gracious and e-mailed me back with answers.  Good guys!

 

[rongager]

I see that Atlas is now advertising billboard beer reefers and admits they are not authentic liveries. They have just found old breweries logos and made fictional liveried cars.  I am sure that billboard reefers and box cars with no running number must be fictional, but how many of my hundreds of them are authentic?  How can I tell?

[Great Western]

 Thanks Paul for that clarification and WJSTIX for a comprehensive post.

Incidentally I have two reefers on my model (1:29) pike.  They are Illinois Central - Refrigerator and also lettered NRC.

[IRONROOSTER]

UP 4-12-2

Actually, if you check, I believe the year billboard reefers were originally outlawed was 1934 and not 1937.

John

 

 1934 for new ones.  1937 for existing ones.

Enjoy

Paul

[wjstix]

The majority of refrigerator cars in the "Billboard Reefer" era were involved in various leasing agreements, and lettered for private companies. Usually the letter X at the end of the reporting marks indicates the car is either owned by a private company and/or is in a lease arrangement, like "BREX" for Burlington Refrigerator Express. Some people believe that the railroads or car owners sold advertising space on the sides of their cars, but that's not where the name came from. Generally the company that leased the car would paint it for their company, often in bright attention getting colors with large letters reminding many of billboards - hence the name "Billboard Reefers".

It gets pretty complicated, but in the 1900s railroads had come under fire for operating reefers as a monopoly, and so there were a number of separate companies set up to lease and operate reefers. Many of these, although on paper separate companies, were interlocked with the railroads, like Santa Fe Refrigerator Dispatch (ATSF), Western Fruit Express (GN), Burlington Refrigerator Express (CB&Q) etc. In some cases, several railroads were involved in a company like Fruit Growers Express. There were companies like American Refrigerator Transit Co. that leased out cars to companies too. Some companies like Cudahy meat packers operated their own reefers, and even leased them out to other companies. Some are still around, I believe there are some BNSF cars lettered WFEX for Western Fruit Express.

Eventually problems arose with company A refusing to use a reefer lettered for company B, so the railroads ended up not being able to ship a loaded car both directions - that is, a car would be loaded for company A in say Chicago and taken to New York. If they didn't have a load to send back to Chicago, and other companies wouldn't use the car, the railroad would have to take it back to Chicago empty - and get paid less for doing so then they would a loaded car. Plus there were allegations of kick-back schemes and preferential rates for certain shippers and such.

Finally it was decided that lettering could only be so high (I think 14"?) on a car, and could only use the company name, not advertise a particular product. Cars were repainted (they were allowed to go a certain amount of time after the ban in their pre-ban paint scheme before they were required to be repainted) into less exciting paint schemes by the companies using the cars.

An up-side is railroads began using their cars to advertise around that time, so by the fifties boxcars often had huge lettering on the side, with slogans for the railroad and it's top trains..."Everywhere West", "Route of the Vista-Dome North Coast Limited", "Route of Courteous Service" etc.

[Great Western]

 I don't recall where I read it John.  But the date is not critical to me just the info regarding the future of the cars.  As I mainly model the steam/diesel transitional period I didn't want to have obvious out-of-time consists. 

[UP 4-12-2]

Actually, if you check, I believe the year billboard reefers were originally outlawed was 1934 and not 1937.

John

[daveklepper]

I am going by memory, and I could be mistaken.   Possibly they are the regular box car you refer to or something earlier.

[Great Western]

 Thank you gentlemen for some interesting and informative replies. It is greatly appreciated.

[henry6]

That's an often overlooked fact: reefers often were warmed in cold weather.  There were heaters which looked like smudge pots or switch heaters...a cylindrical like container about 24 to 30 inches long and 8 or 10 inches wide and maybe 6 inches high with an opened stack at one end about 4 or 5 inches high.  They would be put in the cars to keep perishables from being frozen.  Problem was that if someone went in a car with one or two of these carbon dioxide/monoxide makers they would soon pass out.  Thus it was learned to be prudent and open the car doors for a few minutes before entereing!  The heaters were sometimes dropped in through the ice hatch and so it had to be a two man job to ensure the placing the heaters didn't fall in from the lack of oxygen.

[AltonFan]

daveklepper

I don't think they were restricted to this service, and two railroads got away with it because it was not a specific firm's product.

I do believe these cars were at least somewhat restricted because they were equipped with heaters to keep the spuds from being frozen.

[MJChittick]

Here's a view of an old BAR car.  As you'll note, it has the slogin "STATE OF MAINE PRODUCTS"

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/bar/bar2573bpb.jpg

 

[henry6]

I'm not sure of the NH part but the STATE OF MAINE POTATOS was a BAR staple during the 50's and 60's.  PRODUCTS is a more recent scheme from the MMA.

[Bob-Fryml]

daveklepper

And, of course, the New Haven and the Bangor and Aroostik had the red white and blue insulated box cars with the big label STATE OF MAIN POTATOES 

"STATE OF MAIN POTATOES " Dave? Or do you mean the blue-over-white-over-red horizontal striped "STATE OF MAINE / PRODUCTS" boxcars?

I'm not sure if there were any insulated boxcars or reefers decorated either by the New Haven or the Bangor & Aroostook with the  "STATE OF MAINE / PRODUCTS" color scheme.  Anyone know for sure?

Montreal, Maine and Atlantic car no. 1 (MMA 1) presently sports this arresting color scheme.  See the attached link.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=188437

 

 

[daveklepper]

And, of course, the New Haven and the Bangor and Aroostik had the red white and blue insulated box cars with the big label STATE OF MAIN POTATOES

 

I don't think they were restricted to this service, and two railroads got away with it because it was not a specific firm's product.

[jrbernier]

  This depended on the owner of the car.  For example, the C&NW did a lot of advertising for local midwest creameries and farm related companies on their NWX reefers.  The basic rule was that if the product advertised on the car was not shipped in it - this was a violation of the new rule.  The C&NW repainted the cars with their then standard gray sides.

  A private owner car like Miller Brewing or Swift Packing could keep their special lettering, as long as only their products were shipped in them.  That is why even in the 60's there were new insulated box cars lettered for Johnson's Wax and carried the reporting marks of JWAX - pretty clever advertising!  Hamm's Brewing had at least 2 very colorful blue/white paint schemes on 50' cars in the 60's.  The problem with them was that they were big 'advertisments' for kids to raid the cars for free beer! 

Jim

[Great Western]

I read, recently, that Billboard advertising on freight cars was banned by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1937.  Accordingly these cars were no longer interchanged between roads.

I wonder what happened subsequently to these cars: were they repainted into road liveries (assuming roads owned them) or if they were leased were they then sold on?