What was the standard color for Milwaukee Road reefers? I have seen models in reefer orange, in reefer yellow, and blue. Did the railroad use all these colors?
Most of the wood side MILW reefers were painted Reefer Yellow with Box Car Red roof/ends(some say it was Tuscan Red). They had the CMStP&P logo.
Sometime ‘post war’ they went to Orange with black roof/ends. Sometimes it looks like Reefer Orange, others look line the same Orange as on the passenger cars. Older cars weathered to the appearance of sherbet). The logo changed from the CMStP&P to Milwaukee Road around the early 50’s. Still later those large mechanical reefers were painted with a galvanized roof(with orange over-spray).
The ‘blue’ cars were usually older reefers assigned to company ‘ice service’ - non-revenue service.
Most cars were long term leased through URTX or DRDX/DSDX(cannot remember the exact reporting marks). The Milwaukee was forced to buy out the cars in later years as the leasing companies did not want to keep the service.
Jim Bernier
Going to Google Images and searching Milwaukee Road reefers (and there are likely other search terms that would also be productive) comes up with a nice array of prototype photos – (there are model photos too but modeling from a model can perpetuate misunderstandings, as generations of Pennsy modelers learned due to some manufacturer confusion over whether PRR passenger F units were supposed to be tuscan red or brunswick black {doh! Wabash, below, caught me here – brunswick GREEN}).
I found these in less than half a minute
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39293933@N08/3850685936
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emd111/3744961618/
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=216996 ( agreat shot of a wood blue ice service reefer)
http://www.jeffstrainsite.com/railfan_pics/railroad_museums/stlouis/milwaukeeroad_reefer_37453.jpg
Dave Nelson
Several sets of the the Pennsy FP7s were painted the Tuscan Red but No other PRR F units. And eventually those Tuscan Red FP7s with the few B units that were also painted Tuscan Red were repainted in the Brunswich Green (not black) but yes, it was almost a black.
Thank you this answers my question. I had always wondered with the various yellow reefer models why there is a Milwaukee Road herald and those URTX markings but the leasing explains it. I think Branchline Trains made one in HO scale like this.
Also Dave, thanks for those nice photos!