Can anyone supply data on Seaboard's express reefers 3600 to 3641? I know they were 50'long and there were 18 of them on the roster in 1953. The Register of Passenger Train Equipment refers to the Offical Register of RR Equipment as a source of specifications for these cars. I don't have any Official Registers.

I have seen two photos of SAL trains with a "low roof" express reefer just behind the locomotive. One of Train #15 is on page 188 of "Seaboard Motive Power" by Calloway and Withers. Can anyone tell me about these cars? Are they even SAL?

-- Rick Morrison (eopipes@surfree.com), July 26, 2002

Answers

Looking at the same RP CYC article they show a truss rod express reefer with the center horizontal seam. It's a Frisco 473 - 499 series car built in 1911 by ACF for United States Express and rebuilt with steel sheathing by the Frisco in the 40's. This makes sense since the train shown is #15 between Atlanta and B'ham where the SAL connected with the SLSF.

-- William P. McCoy (bugsy451@bellsouth.net), December 14, 2002.

Railway Prototype cyclopedia (RP CYC) #7 has a terrific article along with all data on these and all express reefers. They show them as coming from the REX 3600 series built by GAC in 1930, 50'1" long with 8' WB equalzed trucks. I looks like the MDC or Athearn express reefer is pretty close.

As a side note, this series of reference books is outstanding. many hobby shops carry them and they can de odered direct from the publisher , RP CYC, PO box 451, Chesterfield, MO63006-0451.

-- William P. McCoy (bugsy451@bellsouth.net), December 14, 2002.

Rick,

The SAL cars were 50', arched-roof ice refrigerators that were originally leased from the REA standard car pool, then purchased outright at an unknown postwar date. SAL rebuilt their cars with steel ends and sides in the 50s--1959???--(check the SAL Color Guide-- there's a nice photo there with some data) and retained the rebuilt cars until sometime after 1968. The photo from Calloway's book you mentioned is not a 3600-class car. The 3600-class cars looked similar but did not have truss rods as this car does. I don't know of a published photo of the SAL cars, although photos of the REA and ther privately-owned cars exist.

John Golden

-- John Golden (Golden1014@yahoo.com), July 26, 2002.