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Pennsylvania Railroad Interchanged Cars
Revised 3/13/03
R50B Express Reefer (2551-3100)
2820, Frederick, MD, 1944. M. D. McCarter, Pennsy Power III.
Number no longer visible, this car sits on the deadline in Altoona, May, 1971. Harry Stegmaier collection, from PRR Color Guide Vol. 1.
2561 preserved in Altoona. E. Roy Ward, from PRR Color Guide, Vol. 1.
The Pennsy had 550 high of these high speed express reefers. They were 54'6" long and rode on PRR standard 4-wheel cast steel passenger trucks, class 2D-P5. When not needed for refrigerator duties, express reefers often carried dry express shipments. One unit is preserved at the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, PA.
Excellent drawings appear in Pennsylvania Railroad Heavyweight Passenger Equipment Plan and Photo Book. S Guagian also featured detailed drawing in July/August 1987.
Walthers produced this kit in 3 numbers in 2003.
R60 Express Reefer
5717. Harry Neff collection, Pennsy Power III.
Pennsy had 36 of these 63' reefers, built by ACF in 1913. Car and load could not exceed 140,000 pounds. Ice capacity was 184 cu. ft.
Paint for Headend cars
The roof would have been metallic brown until about July, 1939, car cement (dull black) through 1943, and black thereafter.
Underbodies were olive until January 1944. The PRR Historical Society Painting and lettering guide then lists about 6 months where underbodies were painted tuscan, 6 months Truck Green, a technicality which I list but I believe I can safely say even diehard Pennsy fans ignore. From mid-1945 on, the underbodies were black.
Handholds were black. Technically, window sashes, if there are any on the R60, are listed as dark orange until 1936 on headend cars, tuscan red 1937 on.
Lettering was gold leaf until mid-1952 on Pennsy passenger cars, but I am almost sure the R50B express reefers were an exception and switched to the buff (or Deluxe or Imitation Gold) color by WWII, probably because the gold leaf didn't hold up well. (Bob Zoeller)
For the era you are modeling (1953) I would recommend you use Floquil Boxcar red. Yup, I said Boxcar Red. I think many folks would tell you I am all wet if you were to tell them that this is what you painted it in advance of them asking. I have always used it for passenger equipment prior to 1959 and have gotten tons of positive comments and won plenty of awards with it. I know it sounds wrong but as I have learned I never judge a book by it's cover, it is the end result you are looking for. I used it on my PA/B's for my recent article in Mainline Modeler albeit that the color shift to the model photography is much redder than the actual model. The model actually matched the Sweetland photo very nicely. For head end equipment try to keep the gloss down and for the ear you are modeling the lettering should be done in "Bronze Gold." (Greg Martin)
