I spent the day yesterday at a Greensburg Show looking for reefers. I was able to find a few reefers built in the teens. But anything later did something like the following Built 1934, New 1966.
After searching all day, I found an old moldy Althearn Kit that was built 1944 and New 1944.
Just that one. One reefer that would have been on a 1950’s layout.
At least I only paid $5. But I tell you it was frustrating.
You’ll just have to wait until you’re out here in California. Plenty of reefers out here–maybe it’s a regional market thing. I bet there are plenty of coal cars at train shows in Pennsylvania.
Chip,
Branchline makes a ton of reefers. The 6 or 7 that I have all have a BLT date in the 30s. I recently picked up an Accurail that was dated in the 30s. Those should have still been around in the 50s.
Tom
Intermountain has reefers to fill your era, also check out walthers and red caboose. mike h.
Chip, to the best of my knowledge, the word “NEW” should only be followed by a date that is the same as the “BLT” date. The word “NEW” refers to the weight of the car when the car was new. After a certain time period (30 months before 1948), the car had to be reweighed. If the weight had changed due to repairs, modifications, etc., the original weight would be painted over and the car would be re-stencilled with the new weight, along with a shop symbol (showing where the re-weighing was done) and the current date. Regardless of whether the weight had change or not, “NEW” and the accompanying date would be painted over and re-stencilled. If the weight of the car had changed, the number representing the “LD LMT” would also change, as the sum of the “LD LMT” and the “LT WT” must be the same for all cars of a given nominal capacity (indicated by “CAPY”). This sum was 136000 for 40 ton cars, 169000 for 50 or 55 ton cars, and 210000 for 70 ton cars. Champ offers decals to alter this data on almost any car of your era.
Wayne
Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you’re modelling the fifties (as I presume you are?) and you’re going around picking up cars to read the ‘fine print’ to see when it was built, you might want to do a little more research on lettering and paintschemes of cars of that time. You should be able to look over a display of cars at a flea market and tell just by looking which ones are too old or too new for your era.
A good source of info are illustrated decal catalogues like Clover House or Microscale. Champ’s diagram books are still available, and Walthers “PLD” (Prototype Lettering Diagram) books should be available at a flea market or on “bay-e”. PLD 1 is basically a reprint of their first decal catalogue from 1942, PLD 2 goes up to IIRC 1960.
[:)]
Wayne,
It was my understanding that it was cheaper to rebuild cars than to build a new one. The Built date was the first build and the “New” date was the rebuild date. I could be wrong.
Stix,
That is clearly what I need, However, unlike the PRR where I just have to look for the circle PRR, there were so many refer mfrs that I have not detected a clear pattern. I probably over rely on the dates, but that’s what I have to go on.
Did you look at this link that I posted in your earlier thread (based on past experience, I’m guessing “no”, but what the hey, I’ll ask)?
http://kc.pennsyrr.com/model/reefer.html
I am guessing “no” because there is a lot of information there about when various paint schemes came into use and were retired for WFE, PFE, BREX, and others. Yeah, it was done by an N-Scaler, so you’re not being spoon-fed Pablum as to which models to buy, but with a little effort and the intiative to write down some notes, you’d be able to look at models and know if the paint schemes were appropriate for your era.
So … did you look at it?
I thought at first I hadn’t even looked at it, but when I looked just now, I find I actually had, although I didn’t read all the way through. I did look at the charts and pictures. I guess I’ll have to go through it a little more cloesly. What I did do was bookmark it then.
By the way, I saw a copy of the Modling Street City Scapes book at the show, so at least I’ve seen it. I sort of gagged on the sitcker price and left it there though. I’ll start shopping it.
Less than 16 bucks new at amazon (only 1 in stock at this moment). And lower than that used. How much cheaper would you expect to find it and how much time/money would you spend trying to get a better deal?
Hi, Chip, You are not alone, buddy! I do that too as I model GN circa '47-'50. I make sure of all my dates, too and I have 65 plus freight cars 36 to 40 footers to tug with my FT ABBA. and will soon have a pair of DCC/sound equipped GP7’s if I want to add helpers or a local. I love to put my freights into a siding for a pass or meet with my 14 car Empire Builder which just flows by. Happy railroading! jc5729 John Colley, Port Townsend, WA
You’re right about rebuilding, at least in an older timeframe. Rebuilding was considered an expense, for tax purposes, and could be written off, whereas new cars were a capital expenditure and did not offer the same tax advantage. The word “NEW” refers to the weight of the car when it was new. The “BLT” date had to remain on even rebuilt cars, as there was a limit to the age of the frame - 40 years, I think. I’m uncertain as to how a rebuilt date would be shown on a car, although PFE “reconditioned” a great many cars, and noted this on the carside. The PFE car shown above is one such car, although I goofed by having the reconditioned date the same as the reweigh date on a weathered car, as I’m modelling 1939 (roughly) [swg] - the dates are okay as shown, but the entire car would most likely be weathered to the same degree, without “fresh” stencilling. [
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Wayne
It was a matter of priorities. I had already spent too much buying track. In the past, I had found a dealer in used track. I had picked up track for $1 per stick. The cheapest I’d found was $3.29 per stick, so I’d spent more money than I had wanted already. I know to you it seems like being cheap, but to me, well I’m watching really close these days.
Sorry to say Chip, but you are wrong. As Dr. Wayne noted, the “NEW” date refers only to the first time the car was weighed. The rule regarding re-weighing that the Dr. mentioned changed in 1949, to stipulate that all reefers had to be reweighed after the first 30 months, then every 48 months thereafter. But if the car was shopped witthin that period, including the trucks journals being re-packed with new waste/lubricators/oil, a reweighing was required. The word “NEW” would then be replaced with the abbreviated name or code for the shop where this took place. In practice this means the reweigh/repack date should be within 4 years of the date of your layout.
As for what cars would have been running in 1950, most of the reefers available in HO are suitable, at least in terms of design, if not the paint job.
Cheers,
Mark.