100 ton PCF RPL

[ericsp]

Today I saw a first. It was a 100 ton Pacific Car and Foundry (PCF) Mechanical Reefer with load restraints or dividers (RPL). I have never seen nor heard of such a thing, until today. It is ARMN 757493, class R-100-2 and looked like a class R-70-20. Does anyone know anything about it? Was it a 70 ton RPL rebuilt with 100 ton capacity or did it start out as a 100 ton RPL?

[espeefoamer]

The load restraints are there to keep the prisoners inside from escaping!

[ericsp]

The only two I have been able to find anything on so far are the ARMN 757402 and ARMN 757493. Maybe they are uprgrading some 70 ton RPLs to 100 ton RPLs.

[CShaveRR]

Given UP's practice for renumbering those cars, they're formerly UPFE 457000-series cars with the same last three digits. Upgrading them to 100-ton capacity is merely a matter of changing the trucks, and possibly someother components.

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CShaveRR

Given UP's practice for renumbering those cars, they're formerly UPFE 457000-series cars with the same last three digits. Upgrading them to 100-ton capacity is merely a matter of changing the trucks, and possibly someother components.

That means that they are ex-SPFE cars, according to Pacific Fruit Express, 2nd Edition. Thinks for all your help with my questions about reefers.

[Anonymous]

I have a pic of ARMN 766147. Is it also one of the upgraded cars?

[CShaveRR]

Eric, I may have steered you wrong about those 100-ton cars. I don't think any SPFE cars were relettered UPFE and not renumbered.

The cars I looked at yesterday in the 760000 series were all 70-ton cars; I'm now wondering whether your 750000s are sequentially renumbered from the 460000s-- i.e. ARMN 757402 might be ex-UPFE 467402. I will try and dig the prior identities out, though it may take a while.

Meantime, I found two things a little troublesome about the R-100-2 stenciling on the car: Looking at ARMN 757402, I find that the load limit and light weight still add up to 220000 pounds--that's the gross rail load of a 70-ton car. Also, class R-100-2 is already assigned to some FGE-built "Chilled Express" reefers in the ARMN 931000, 932000, and 933000 series. I wonder if that classification was stencilled in error.

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wncrails

I have a pic of ARMN 766147. Is it also one of the upgraded cars?

That is a 70 ton reefer. It is a rebuilt R-70-16. It has had some work done on it (I do not know the extent). Some some of the ARMN 766000 series cars are incorrectly stenciled R-70-20 though.

[CShaveRR]

Just got the word back this morning--ARMN 757402 and 757493 are in fact formerly SPFE 457402 and 457493, respectively.

[ericsp]

I have not seen either one of these since 02/17/05. Has anyone seen these or other ARMN 750000 series cars?