Reefer cars with what operation form

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi,

These days BLI anounce some news like Reefer cars GACX 53’6”. In that news BLI comment something like operate with passenger trains.

Can somebody help me to find or explain me more information about this kind of cars?

I would like to do some train with this cars and some diesel or steam loco.

Thanks a lot,

Alex

2

Gidday Alex, here’s a couple of links that might help…

http://home.comcast.net/~potomac_nmra/Clinics/PassengerOperations.pdf

http://coastdaylight.com/sb/san_berdoo_64.html

Cheers, the Bear.

3

Hi Bear,

Great great!!! Terrific information.

Thanks a lot,

Alex

4

I suspect the GACX reefer from BLI would be an express reefer, but I will need to check their page and compare to prototype information to comment reliably. (Which takes me off this thread…)

5

Okay. Found it.

The BLI model represents a 53’6" express reefer BUILT by General American Car Co. I emphasized the word “built” because the label GACX might confuse someone. Might confuse me, for instance.

The letter X (as is GACX) is often used as the last letter of the reporting marks of a non-railroad-owned car to identify its owner. For instance, most tank cars are not owned by railroads but by car leasing companies or by shippers. The tank car division of General American may own a tank car and lease it to ABC Oil Co. The official reporting mark of the tank car might then be GATX 12345 identifying General American as the owner but there may well be much larger letters billboarded across the side of the tank for ABC OIL and its nationally advertised logo. However, the BLI GACX cars may necessarily be cars that carry the GACX reporting mark. The BLI webpage I saw did not have pictures that showed detailed view of the cars… “GACX” is a simple way of identifying the builder and construction appearance of the cars, just as “USRA” identifies several designs of freight cars designed by the U.S. Railroad Administration during World War I as approved standard designs to standardize car construction as a war efficiency measure.

So what does this have to do with having a train with the BLI “GACX” reefers? It is just that the reefers may be operated by a railroad or by an express company. They may go in a passenger or express train that is designated to carry express traffic as the need for express traffic goes up and down. Modelers often think of their passenger trains as having a fairly regular set of equipment- a consist. Manufacturers sell a passenger train set with the motive power and cars, and we often run it session after session without switching. Real railroads often bought or assigned passenger to run in a specific regular consist in a p

6

Head end traffic, baggage cars, express reefers, milk, mail, newspapers, kept passenger trains running long after most passengers had taken to flying or driving. If you are running passenger trains, you can have as mamu express reefers and head end cars as you like. There are plenty of photos showing head end cars outnumbering coaches and sleepers.

7

Sorry for my late response.

Many thanks to all. Now my Reefers knowledge is more better.

Regards,

Alex