oldline1Why would frozen food require meat rails in the cars?
They wouldn't.
The cars were ice bunker cars, that means they probably didn't carry frozen foods.
The cars didn't have meat rails, that means they weren't equipped to move hanging beef.
Two separate things.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
oldline1 dehusman Since they were ice bunkers and didn't have meat rails, that pretty much rules out frozen foods and meat. That narrows it to most likely produce or beer. They didn't have stage icing, ventilators or fans so it was a pretty basic car. Why would frozen food require meat rails in the cars? Many thanks to those who answered my question about these cars. oldline1
dehusman Since they were ice bunkers and didn't have meat rails, that pretty much rules out frozen foods and meat. That narrows it to most likely produce or beer. They didn't have stage icing, ventilators or fans so it was a pretty basic car.
Why would frozen food require meat rails in the cars?
Many thanks to those who answered my question about these cars.
oldline1
If you've ever seen pictures of certain types of meat freezers, entire sides of beef are hung on rails so that they aren't touching ground until they are butchered into their specfic cuts or ground as needed.
dehusmanSince they were ice bunkers and didn't have meat rails, that pretty much rules out frozen foods and meat. That narrows it to most likely produce or beer. They didn't have stage icing, ventilators or fans so it was a pretty basic car.
BigDaddyMaybe there were more than one Merchants Dispatch
No, its just that Merchants Despatch operated cars with different reporting marks, but they were all owned/leased by MDT. They were type RS reefers so we know they weren't meat reefers and the notes in the ORER don't say anything about fans or half stage icing grates.
In 1953 they used :
The QMRX refrigerator cars were numbered in the 50000 to 53999 series, there were about 435 cars in service. They have the same dimensions as a car in the MDT 16500-47999 series cars. There are no other notes on who the cars were assigned to, other than MDT.
Since they were ice bunkers and didn't have meat rails, that pretty much rules out frozen foods and meat. That narrows it to most likely produce or beer. They didn't have stage icing, ventilators or fans so it was a pretty basic car.
http://www.pwrr.org/rrm/rrmq.html
That's quite a list for "Q"s compared to that in my October 1968 ORER, which shows only QAP (Quanah, Acme & Pacific Ry.) and QLP (Quebec Ry. Light & Power Co.)
Wayne
Maxman, you caught me, or Rapido, or both It was a Merchants Dispatch car but not the QRMX reporting marks. Maybe there were more than one Merchants Dispatch
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddy Rapido knows
Rapido knows
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I' m reasonably sure Chris van der Heide will know this. In the meantime see Roger Hinman's book on Merchants Despatch (2011) p.153.
They're in the ORER for 1958. I found a reference that said this was introduced 7/54 (for 'private owners' operated by Merchants Despatch) and was retired 7/66 which at least gives you a range of possible dates.
I just found a nice old shot of a wooden reefer with reporting marks of Q.M.R.X.
Does anyone know what this company might be and the use for this car?
Thanks,