These two photos were finds on ebay several years ago. They were undoubtedly recorded to document the shifting of the lumber load on the adjacent flat car, either by a curious photographer or for actual railroad purposes.
The Santa Fe purchasd large quantities of ARA-inspired refrigerator cars (based upon the ARA design for the double sheathed wood box car, which the Santa Fe ordered in classes Bx-8, -9, and -10.) The first group was assigned to class RR-5, 900 cars built in 1927 by American Car & Foundry and Pullman Car & Manufacturing, car nos. 23451-24350 (there were 100 nearly identical cars with divided ice baskets in class RR-6, nos. 24351-24450). SFRD purchased an additional 1,900 similar cars between 1928 and 1931, classes RR-7, -8, -9, and -11, nos. 24451-26350.
In the period immediately prior to the US involvement in World War Two, many of the cars received improvements, including AB schedule air brakes and new Murphy rectangular panel roofs. Not all cars received these upgrades. Note that SFRD 24132 shown here still had a staff-type hand brake to go with its AB brakes and new Murphy panel roof.
Most of these cars were rebuilt into all-steel cars between 1950-1953, classes RR-49, -50, -51, and -53, but that is a different story...
References: Santa Fe Railway Rolling Stock Reference Series -- Volume Two, Refrigerator Cars, Ice Bunker Cars 1884-1979, Jordan, Hendrickson, Moore, and Hale
The "D" is SFRD by this time stood for Department. On July 1 (or July 21 according to some sources), 1902, the Santa Fe incorporated the Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch (not “Dispatch”) organization as an independent company using the assets of the Santa Fe Fruit & Refrigerator Lines. This was just one of several reorganization actions taken by the railroad at that time. The Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch Company was to handle all perishable freight in system.
ReplyDeleteOn August 18, 1918, the United States Railway Administration announced that the SFRD (Despatch) would be under Federal control of the USRA effective January 1, 1919. Subsequently, the USRA eliminated Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch on that date. USRA took control of SFRD (Despatch) cars with the operation of the cars remaining under the Santa Fe Railway.
The Santa Fe immediately reorganized Despatch, which then was a separate company, as the Santa Fe Refrigerator Department, an operating department of the railroad. This allowed Santa Fe a bit more control of the refrigerator cars and operations as allowed under the USRA regulations. SFRD then stood for Santa Fe Refrigerator Department.
As late as 1924 (six years after the “D” stood for Department) the Official Railway Equipment Register books still listed SFRD reporting marks as Santa Fe Refrigerator DESPATCH. The Registers had not caught up with the official company change.