freight cars identity

[scole100]

For Christmas I recieved a 32' old time freight car from a friend. It looks like a regular box car, but on the sides it has 4 groups of open vents. It also has two sliding doors on each side, one vented, one solid. Does any one know what type of car this is supposed to represent and what it was used for? The brand is IHC.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like a produce car.Railroads in the south east US might have usrd them to haul watermelons.Sliding doors were for ventilation.

[leighant]

Yes, I have seen these cars referred to as "ventilated box cars". Saw the AAR Car Classification listed in my April 1954 Official Register of RR Equipt, don't remember the class designation, probably VX but that's just a guess. It is pretty old hat in 1954. I saw a photo in the Corpus Christi Public Library archives from about 1910 with a San Antonio & Aransas Pass (SAAP) venitlator car loaded with watermelons at Sandia, Texas. (means watermelon in Spanish.) The ventilator door could be closed for fruit loads that needs fresh air not to overheat, or the solid door closed be fpr more convantional loads.