This is probably a stupid and simple question, but…
I’m just starting to get back into the hobby and have chosen N-scale. Well I was organizing my cars on a spreadsheet, and realized that I may have miss-categorized a few cars because I assumed that they were box cars.
So my question is this:
How do you know if a car is a box car or a reefer by looking at it?
Any help is appreciated.
In general, reefers look like boxcars but have hatches on each corner of the roof. These are there to load ice into the ice bunkers, which then keeps whatever’s inside cool. Reefers also have different side doors than boxcars.
What Orsonroy has stated is true for the steam and early diesel era bunker refrigerator cars. I think modern era reefers may be a little more difficult to distinguish from box cars and to be honest, I am no further help as I’m unsure what modern reefers look like. We need someone modeling the modern era to help out here.
I’d go with markings, fruit or meat is a reefer. So in my N scale collection,I know. I got them because they handled fruit or meat. If general, express or other.
Thank you.
I noticed that some of teh cars have doors that look kind of like metal, instead of having wooden beams, too.
Modern mechanical reefers have a panel in one of the lower corners where the refrigeration equipment is housed. They are usually over 50 feet long, and pretty clearly marked, unless you buy them undecorated.
Here is an example of a modern reefer, please excuse the graffiti, that’s another topic.[;)]
Note the opening at the left end of the car on the photo.
There are insulated cars that look like plug door box cars, that I’ve seen in photo books, classified as reefers. They dont have roof hatches or mechinical refrigeration.
According to John Armstrongs- The Railroad, What It Is, What It Does -The reefers are class RB “bunkerless refrigerator” They have min 3" side insulation,
3-1/2" top and roof insulation and no mechinical refrigeration.
I have also seen pictures of “insulated boxcars” I do not know if they are the same as the reefers,
One way to tell an RB reefer from a box car (if you can’t read the classification, which is painted in small letter on the side of the car) may be the name of the owner or operator for which it is painted.
I’m guessing that some of the Plug door boxcars marketed by Atlas & others may actually be RBL cars. Perhaps the only way to tell is to get a good magnifier & look at the car markings. Box cars will be X something. Reefers will be Rsomething. This site has a ggod reference for AAR markings.
Your bookstore may also have a copy of “freight train cars” to give a basic idea of the AAR class system.
Perhaps it all depends on what kind of service the plug doors were used for. Some may have been in canned goods service or some other load that merely requires temperature control. I think the mechanical reefers are mostly used for frozen food service. The ice hatches in the corner of the roof would be obvious for ice reefers.
Thanks for all the input!
Wdlgln005, the best way did prove to be looking at the classification markings.
Do reffers cost more than Box Cars?
DOGGY
The Atlas 70’s “Therm Ice” car represents a RB, I’m sure there are others. While the better model manufactures strive for accuracy, I’m sure you can’t always trust what they put in small print on the side of a car. The best answer is to research and know the prototype.
http://gji.home.netcom.com/a1gindex.htm
A1G 2220 Series: 40 Foot Box Cars, Plug Door (“Refrigerator” Cars)
Found this site that covers all the Atlas first generation fleet. It appears that the 40ft plug door cars can be boxreefers depending on what marking the mfr wants to use. No wonder there’s such confusion! Perhaps at the low end, it’s not exactly prototype!
In my experience, reefers cost quite a bit–and their use leads to the harder stuff: brass rolling stock, LaBelle wood kits, and for the deeply addicted, scratchbuilding.
The mechanical reefers I’m familar with from modeling the 1960’s have a fuel tank(s) underneath. Don’t know about newer ones and I think the Cryogenic ones, I think they’re called, don’t but are filled with dry ice or frozen nitrogen, or some such.
Boxers don’t provide enough support in my opinion and reefer is bad for your motivation, so I never use either one. Oh… BoxCARS and Reefers…
Nevermind… [:D][:I][:D]