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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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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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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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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) 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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Honor Role ¨C Donations 2025 (Update
2
Honor Role ¨C Donations 2025 (Update #2) Many thanks to my railroad friends who have contributed to the Hemet Heritage Foundation/Hemet Depot Museum. These are the latest additions to the list of donors: Bruce Morden Paul Wilfong If I have missed anyone, please let me know. Now, if any of you not mentioned above wish to contribute, I ask that you contribute to the Hemet Heritage Foundation. This non-profit group owns and operates the museum in historic Santa Fe Depot in Hemet, CA. The group receives no government funding and has no paid employees. Volunteers do all the work, and all expenses are paid through annual Foundation memberships and donations. Donations are critical. Among other necessities, we need to accumulate funds replace the Depot roof and some of the air conditioning components. If you wish to donate, please go to this website: https://tinyurl.com/3t2857rz Bob Chaparro Moderator Railroad Citrus Railroad Citrus Industry Modeling Group /g/RailroadCitrusIndustryModelingGroup Model Railroads of Southern California /g/ModelRailroadsofSoCalif https://www.facebook.com/groups/150347595443 Railway Bull Shippers Group /g/RailwayBullShippersGroup
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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 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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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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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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Southern Pacific PFE Advertisement A post by Rexford Leong Jr. on the Facebook Southern Pacific Railroad group. Undated but 1966 or later. Bob Chaparro Moderator
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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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Irvine Valencia Packing House A post by David Eck. Description: Circa 1940 This photo is by Edward W. Cochems. Image is from the University of California Irvine Library. Bob Chaparro Moderator
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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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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
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Lemon Cull Gondola Trio Here are my three lemon cull gondolas parked in front of a scratch-built shallow relieve model of the Corona Citrus Association Packing House. The packing house model is 140 feet long, the same length as the prototype. Bob Chaparro Moderator
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Packing Citrus In The Grove - I. L. Lyon & Sons A post by Robert Wilkiewicz on the Facebook Urban Archaeology SoCal Pomona Valley Ontario IE History group. Description: Antique postcard from Redlands California C. N. Jackson Photographer My Notes: This appears to reflect an earlier time when the crop was packed in the grove. Notice these are packing crates and not field boxes. This evolved to packing on the open platforms of local railroad depots to packing at purpose-built packing houses. Bob Chaparro Moderator
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Ghost Sunkist Sign Merle Dech on the Facebook Ghost Signs group. Location: Toledo, Ohio. Souk Restaurant at 139 South Huron Street. Bob Chaparro Moderator
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BAR 2903 ex-BAR 10113 (Boxcar) Pacific Fruit Express used Bangor & Aroostook reefers under an arrangement with that railroad. This photo is from a post by Larry Curtis on the Facebook Bangor & Aroostook Railroad group. Larry identifies this as a refrigerator car. BAR 2903 is not a refrigerator car. Visually, the latitudinal running boards on the roof confirm this. But more importantly, the January 1955 Official Railway Equipment Register identifies this car as a boxcar, specifically an AAR Class IXH or insulated boxcar with a heater. There have been reports of two older wood sheathed BAR refrigerator cars having been painted in the red-white-blue paint scheme as an experiment but this car is not one of those. And there were never any BAR steel sheathed reefers painted in the red-white-blue paint scheme. Every photo identified as such actually is a photo of an insulated boxcar. Many model manufacturers get this wrong. Bob Chaparro Moderator
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UP 3610 With Reefer Block A post by Taylor Rush on the Facebook From the Album group. Description: Flying white extra flags and trailing a long line of iced and loaded refrigerator cars as she enters the yards at Cheyenne, Wyoming is Union Pacific MC-2 class "Mallet Consolidation" number 3610. The big coal-burning 2-8-8-0 "Mallet" articulated was built by the Schenectady plant of the American Locomotive Company, construction number 58272, in May of 1918. Nicknamed "Bull Mooses" by their crews, eventually the Union Pacific would roster seventy of these slow but powerful locomotives. They were succesful enough that between 1937 and 1943 all were simpled and upgraded. Number 3610 would emerge from the shops as a SA-C-2 class and carrying the new number 3510. Bob Chaparro Moderator
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