My layout is set in 1956. I have several mechanical reefers from a previous layout that I have been running. I just noticed the service date of all of them are in the early 1960s. Since that is so small, I can easily ignore it but it got me wondering if these types of reefers would have been around in 1956. Specifically, all are 50 foot mechanical reefers with plug doors. I've done some googling and I've read the plug door wasn't introduced until around 1960 but I'm not sure the source of that is reliable. What is the earliest date such reefers could have made an appearance?
According to this thread and Wikipedia, your plug doors are good. Ice reefers would be OK in 1956 too.
Linkd are not working tonight, third try https://tinyurl.com/waqdx58
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
"Great Northern Equipment Color Pictorial-Book Three" by Scott R. Thompson/Four Ways West Publications
Here are early mechanical reefers in this book. These are all equipped with plug doors. WFEX: Western Fruit Express
1952 WFEX 890-8991953 WFEX 800-8451955 WFEX 7950-80991957 WFEX 7900-7949
BN7150 "Great Northern Equipment Color Pictorial-Book Three" by Scott R. Thompson/Four Ways West Publications Here are early mechanical reefers in this book. These are all equipped with plug doors. WFEX: Western Fruit Express 1952 WFEX 890-8991953 WFEX 800-8451955 WFEX 7950-80991957 WFEX 7900-7949
Good information. One of my reefers is a WFEX. I'll have to check the number to see which series it falls in.
It didn't sound right to me that the plug door was not created until 1960. Thank you for confirming that.
Plug doors were used as far back as the 1890's.
If the car has exterior posts ("ribbed" sides) then its most likely from the 1960's. If the car has smooth sides, then the car is most likely from the 1950's.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Note sure what you meant by "service date"? Freight cars would have a built date (often "BLT" and then a month/year) and a date of it's most recent shopping or reweigh. If the car was brand new, it would say "NEW" and then the date - which would be the same as the BLT date. Usually reweigh dates would have a 2-4 initial indication of the location of the reweigh with the date, like "CHI 2-68" for a car reweighed in the road's Chicago shops in Feb. 1968. So a car built in 1955 could have a reweigh date in 1975.
Santa Fe's first 50 ft mech reefers were running in 1955- they had same lettering pattern as the iced reefers (small square/circle/cross, passenger train names on one side, Santa Fe All The Way on the other side)
Two examples from late 1952, one a plug door the other, not.
1953_CBC by Edmund, on Flickr
1953_CBC_0001 by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed