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Unidentified PFE/WP Reefer
Unidentified PFE/WP Reefer A post on the Facebook Dorothea Lange group. Taken in 1937. These cars were built to PFE blueprints and were operated and maintained by PFE.
PFE paid a fixed monthly charge to WP, and in turn collected all mileage payments resulting from operation of the cars.
There were WP 2,775 cars, numbered PFE 50001 to 52775. These had wood-framed superstructures and exteriors.
WP cars were never different in color from the rest of the PFE fleet. They were a color close to Armour Yellow when new and in 1929 were repainted light orange.
By 1950, less than 1,000 of the WP cars remained in revenue service
During 1952¨C1953 the remaining cars were rebuilt with steel-framed superstructures and air circulation fans. The sides remained wood. They were renumbered as 55001 - 55899.
There were still 31 of the WP cars in the July 1963 ORER. But the series was gone by 1965.
Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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John Deere 60 Orchard Tractor
John Deere 60 Orchard Tractor A post by Mike Broten on the Facebook John Deere Number One group. He comments: This was a unique machine designed for specific tasks within orchards and vineyards. Introduced in 1953, the 60 Orchard was a successor to the styled Model AO tractor.? Production only lasted until 1956, making it a relatively rare tractor. The most striking feature was the low profile. This allowed the tractor to work efficiently under overhanging branches in orchards without causing damage. William Wood commented: The base styled AO, 60-O and 620-O tractors had no shields. To become a grove tractor, shields (spears), wheel covers, engine screens and operator shields had to be ordered. Each of those options were added "Al-La-Carte" from the sheet on the order book, for an individual tractor. There are, also. notes indicating things like specific wheel size, that must be ordered. I have advertising literature that show specific illustrations of both "orchard" and "grove" variations. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Track Diagram - Las Vegas, NM 1951
Track Diagram - Las Vegas, NM 1951 This is from Warbonnet Article "Las Vegas, New Mexico an Intermountain Santa Fe Terminal" by John Signor and labelled as such on a track diagram within the article "New Mexico Division Circa 1951". This diagram shows the Icing Platform and Salt House. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Orange Grove - Krotona Hill, Hollywood (1902)
Orange Grove - Krotona Hill, Hollywood (1902) A post by David Eck. Description: View of Orange Orchard - Krotona Hill, Hollywood - 1902 Scenic view overlooking the orange groves on Krotona Hill, located near Gower and Beachwood Drive, in Hollywood. A man is standing in the orange grove. He's very small and is near the bottom of the frame. (Click to enlarge.) Note the building and windmill. I do wonder how this image was taken. No airplanes at this early date. I am guessing that it was taken from a hot air balloon. Image from Los Angeles Public Library via Calisphere Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Model: PFE 46348 (R-40-20)
Model: PFE 46348 (R-40-20) A post by Paul Harms on the Facebook Prototype Accurate Model Refrigerator/Insulated Cars group. He comments: This PFE R-40-20 started as an Intermountain kit. I changed to the proper ends (Details West) and proper U.P. shield. I have been looking at pictures (PFE book, Ted¡¯s reefer manual, etc.) and trying to piece together the lettering changes. In 1950, these cars had fans added, but there seems to be some minor lettering inconsistencies (contradictions) on the cars that retained their original paint schemes. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Local Wholesale Dealer's Ad with Bear Brand - 1919
Local Wholesale Dealer's Ad with Bear Brand - 1919 A post by David Eck. Description: The ad on the left is for J.I. Lamb Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin and appeared in the La Crosse Tribune Newspaper on June 6, 1919. The company specifically promoted Bear Brand Sunkist Oranges. The orange crate label is seen on the right. Note the outline bear image in the ad which matches the label. The ad also mentions Hewe's Park Brand and Castlemore Brand Lemons. It wasn't unusual for specific brands to be mentioned in local advertising. The Lamb Company sold citrus as a wholesale dealer, so they encouraged the public to ask their local retail dealer for these specific brands. The fruit sellers and grocery stores would then buy these brands from Lamb to sell to the public. Technically, one Sunkist brand should have the same quality fruit as another Sunkist brand, but I suppose it created an added sense of quality in the minds of the public to insist on a specific brand like Bear Brand. After all, the ad states: Look for This Label - Bear Brand - It stands for quality fruit. The best that California offers. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Santa Fe FT #195 With Reefer Block
Santa Fe FT #195 With Reefer Block A post by Don N Jane Hall on the Facebook Elmer K Hall's Rail Photographs group. Description: Early Elmer shot: Santa Fe FTs with #195 flying what appear to be white flags on the front of a block of Santa Fe reefers.? Photo Elmer K Hall, my collection Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Re: SP GS 4456 With Reefer Block
Interesting that there is a mix of open and closed hatches. I would guess this WB move is empty reefers from Roseville for loading on the Coast Division from Santa Clara County south to Santa Margarita.?
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The lower line is the Mococo line to Tracy via Pittsburg and Antioch.?
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At this time it appears SP steam was concentrated on the mostly level Western Division Cal-Pacific line and level San Joaquin Division the running out the rest of useful lives.? |
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Red Ball Store Sign - Circa 1920s
Red Ball Store Sign - Circa 1920s A post by David Eck He comments: This sign would be hung by string (see photo, top) in retail markets and fruit dealers. Marketing materials for Red Ball grade fruit are rare. The California Fruit Growers Exchange (CFGE) focused nearly all its marketing efforts on selling their Sunkist grade citrus. Red Ball was the designation for the second best fruit from CFGE. Red Ball oranges would still be sweet and juicy and had the advantage of being less expensive than Sunkist grade oranges. This afforded consumers an option. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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SP GS 4456 With Reefer Block
SP GS 4456 With Reefer Block A post by Taylor Rush on the Facebook From the Album group. Description: Southern Pacific GS-4 class "Northern/General Service/Golden State" number 4456. The streamlined 4-8-4 was built by the Lima Locomotive Works, construction number 7854, in March of 1942. Missing her side skirts and longer wearing her original "Daylight" colors, number 4456 was photographed moving a train of reefers through Martinez, California in October of 1956. Original photo taken by R. Buhr, or something like that. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Question: Expanded Metal Panels On SFRD Reefer Roofs
Question: Expanded Metal Panels On SFRD Reefer Roofs On the Groups.io Real Steam Era Freight Car Discussion group David Soderblom asked: I don¡¯t personally recall seeing that some SFRD cars had expanded metal panels across the cars, on the car center side of the hatches. Did anyone else do this, and which SFRD classes? Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Model: Cab Forward With PFE Reefer Block
Model: Cab Forward With PFE Reefer Block A post by Brian Moore on the Facebook Southern Pacific Prototype Modelers group. Description: Westward X4185.? SP Class AC-8 4185 at the west end of Callender, Calif. with an empty reefer block. Wednesday 28 April 1954. My Notes: Brian lives in Plymouth, England. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
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Re: Check Out The Icing Platform
The orange machine to the right is an automatic icing machine, the one to the left is a machine used to add salt to the ice bunkers. On Mon, Apr 28, 2025 at 12:19?PM Bob Chaparro via <chiefbobbb=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: Check Out The Icing Platform
What is ProRail? In the early 1980s, a group of model railroad owner-operators collected into small groups at NMRA regional and national conventions to discuss prototype operations on model railroad layouts. Occasionally, it was suggested the group should plan a get-together specifically to discuss operations and share operating on each other¡¯s railroads. At an ad-hoc operating weekend in 1986 at Lee Nicholas¡¯ home in Utah, the discussion coalesced into a plan to hold an owner-operator hosted ProRail Annual event. ? The first ProRail Annual was held in April 1987 in Chicago. The Chicago owner-operator group, informally known as RailGroup, agreed to host the first event if Kansas City would agree to host the second ¨C ensuring no one would be embarrassed by hosting the one-and-only ¡°annual¡± event. At the time, no one knew whether there would ever be a third ProRail Annual, although an operating group in northern New Jersey cautiously offered they might be interested, and they ultimately did host the third ProRail Annual.??Since that first ¡°ProRail87,¡± twenty-three ProRail Annual events have followed in locations throughout the country from Massachusetts to California. Because the ProRail Annual event has proven to be very successful, and because attendance at an Annual is naturally limited by the availability of operating positions, the Annual has spawned numerous regional and local weekend ¡°ProOp¡± events. These events are regularly hosted a various times throughout the year by groups from Atlanta, Georgia, to Vancouver, B.C. |
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Check Out The Icing Platform
Check Out The Icing Platform A post by Doug Harding on Facebook. He comments: Today I ran on a very nice Union Pacific layout modeling the Council Bluffs and eastern Nebraska. HO scale, no scenery, but superb track and operations. I handled the transfers between the UP and all the railroads that came into Council Bluffs from the east. My Notes: Two icing machines! Doug took this at ProRail last week. Layout owned by Mark Amfahr of Woodland, MN. Bob Chaparro Moderator |
Bob Chaparro
Ken Adams