| Modelers of HO trains model after
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| | (wheat, Corn, Barley, Soy, etc.),
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| specific railroad periods of the United
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| | equipment that needed to be enclosed,
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| States and Canada. From almost the onset
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| | parts, manufacturing equipment that was
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| of American railroads the 40 foot boxcar
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| | relative small and the manufacturer did
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| has been in existence. It began to
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| | not want the tools and or equipment
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| disappear from the railroads in the
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| | dinged by flying debris, ice, snow and
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| 1960s.
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| | heavy rain, and typical Midwestern hail
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| Refrigeration was changing from the old
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| | storms.
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| ice method to the modern thermal
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| | Typically soft goods like flour, sugar,
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| air-condition cars that were self
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| | fruit, dairy products, and processed
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| cooling. Also, the 40 footer was
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| | meats were hauled in 40 foot reefers.
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| beginning to be too small. The larger 50
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| | These boxcars are smaller in size than
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| & 60 footers were taking over and they
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| | the standard 40 footer. The majority of
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| even experimented with 86 foot boxcars.
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| | these reefers were wood as were most of
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| The big railroads wanted to haul more
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| | the other types of 40 foot boxcars. This
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| goods and reduce the tonnage they had to
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| | changed however, as time went on to metal
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| haul. It took 125 40 foot boxcars to
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| | reefers.
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| equal 100 50 foot boxcars. The reduction
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| | There are multiple types of 40 foot steel
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| would be 25 less 40 foot boxcars times
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| | boxcars. There are the following types:
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| their empty gross wait.
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| | 40' Superior Door Boxcar; 40' Double Door
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| This was certainly an advantage for the
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| | Boxcar; 40' Ribbed Boxcar; 40' Modern
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| railroads let alone the maintenance of
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| | Boxcar; 40' Express Boxcar; 1937 AAR 40'
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| the smaller boxcar. With this in mind the
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| | Boxcar; 40' 12 Panel Boxcar; 40' AAR
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| majority of the model railroaders I know
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| | Modified Boxcar; 40' PS-1 Boxcar; 40'
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| still prefer the 40 foot boxcar. They
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| | Boxcar w/Youngstown Doors; 40'
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| like the era from the late 1920s though
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| | Double-Door Boxcar; 40' High-Cube Boxcar;
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| the early 1960s. They are also very
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| | 40' Ribbed Boxcar; 40' Steel Boxcar w/6
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| colorful and interesting. Many of these
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| | Panel Doors; 40' Steel & Wood Ice Bunker
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| nostalgic colorfully designed boxcars are
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| | Reefers; 40' Steel & Wood Boxcar. This
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| gone unless they might be in a railroad
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| | includes several types of 40' stock cars.
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| museum. There were so many different
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| | In all they all had a specific purpose
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| designs and logos to see.
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| | for the railroad as well as the user.
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| The hobbyist still has the opportunity to
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| | Many of the reefers were labeled with the
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| find many of these colorful boxcars that
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| | name of the product and producer of the
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| are manufactured by several model
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| | goods being carried. There was Rath Black
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| railroad producers of freight cars. Some
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| | Hawk Meats, Swift, Carnation Dairy
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| examples are Kadee, Intermountain,
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| | Products, Needham Meats, and major
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| Athearn/Athearn Genesis, Accurail,
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| | carriers such as Pacific Fruit Express.
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| Bachmann, Walthers, Red Caboose, Bowser,
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| | The Pacific Fruit Express Company (PFE)
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| Roundhouse (Roundhouse is now makes only
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| | owned the largest number of reefer cars
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| the pre twentieth century cars),
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| | of any of the different reefer users.
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| Branchline, Life-Like, etc. There are
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| | Union Pacific owned the second largest
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| several more that sell kit form freight
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| | number of PFE reefers and pulled more
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| cars as do some of the aforementioned
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| | reefers than any other railroad during
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| companies. You can even get wood kits but
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| | that period of the 40' Boxcar/Reefer era.
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| they are not common.
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| | As time has gone on the boxcar has almost
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| Now for the types of 40 foot boxcars
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| | disappeared from the railroads. However,
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| there are more than you may possibly
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| | the need for boxcars has now become
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| think. The types of construction and
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| | critical. The Piggy Back and Double Stack
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| usage varied. It all depended where the
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| | Containers is not necessarily the means
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| railroad was mainly located and types of
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| | needed for some goods. The boxcar may
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| products, food and perishables that were
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| | indeed have a come back on the railroads
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| being shipped. From perishables, staples
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| | of today.
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