Reefer Ops: Express Reefers

 Located at the west end of the layout is main west staging, divided into two sub staging yards: St.Louis and Chicago. Additionally there will be three staging yards representing the three connecting railroads: B&O, C&O, and NYC.

AIR passenger trains will originate from West Staging. These passenger trains will feed a handful of cars to the passenger service facility: REA, USPS, Pullman Service, various industries, etc…

These passenger trains will not, I think provide enough work for my passenger job, so I am planning three passenger transfers from the connecting roads, one passenger transfer from each of these connecting road staging yards.

These transfers will be made up of several of each type of head end car(1*),   billed to various spots in the passenger jobs area of responsibility (From time to time there will be a passenger car in these transfers, making a connection, but that is for another discussion).

If, as I expect, each transfer consists of at least ten cars then the passenger job will stay busy. 

Inbound express reefer numbers will vary seasonally, but I expect those carrying refrigerated items to be handled in much the same way.

Inbound cars will be classified as per waybills, into blocks of connecting cars, cars for REA, or cars for local customers. Through cars requiring Re-icing will get their ice adjacent to the depot via an icing subcontractor (It was pointed out that express reefers generally did not make a trip to a freight ice dock, but rather were iced near the depot to keep their delays to a minimum).

The REA facility near Littlerock Yard will be large enough to have a cold room, so it will be receiving Express Reefers.

Local produce wholesalers will also receive express reefers with high value or highly perishable produce.

The Pullman Co. commissary will probably get a car from time to time.

Finally the Cold Storage Companies and Grocery Wholesalers will receive Express Reefers of seafood.

In the Holiday Season Express Reefers will carry express to REA as well as Storage Mail to the Post Office(2*).

There should probably be some sort of provision for cleaning-out these reefers.

The majority of MTY Reefers will run west in solid blocks as second sections of passenger trains, or tacked on the rear of mail and express trains. Some MTY Express reefers will, again seasonally, be spotted at the Post Office or REA  for “dry” storage mail or express loads.



1*) Baggage, Express Box, Express Reefer

2*) By the 1950’s, I think, the majority of express reefer loads were “Dry Loads”, that is they were regular express or mail as opposed to produce or seafood. By that time highways were getting much better and trucks were taking a great deal of the express produce business.



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