Charlie
The cream compartment cars were 326-329, built at Plattsmouth in 1937. The
photo in Bulletin 16 (the same photo as that in Bulletin
12) notes that these were the last four cars of the group so perhaps the
compartment was an afterthought. Logic certainly dictates
that the compartment was only at one end and that the doors on the "other" side
were the same as the viewed side (but it would be
nice to know).
It's interesting that the four cream cars were not separately listed in the
ORER, although a separate compartment would have reduced
the cubic capacity, whilst 304 and 321 were listed by themselves. Thinking
about the 3/8 inch reduced inside height and 1/8 inch
reduced door height of these two cars, I wonder if they had an experimental
ceiling installed, or something!
Interesting to note that sometime between 1941 and 1945, the number range for
the express reefers was amended in the ORER's from
300-329 to 300-399, although no more express reefers were added actually to the
roster. Presumably someone considered that those
numbers would be needed or the ORER wouldn't have been changed. How much
freedom did BREX have within the Fruit Growers Express
organisation when it came to car building?
Rupert
----- Original Message -----
From: "cvlk" <cvlk@comcast.net>
To: <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 12:46 PM
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Cream compartments
> Never having seen anything except the builders photos of the cars both with
> and without the "Cream Door", I have no idea what the
> idea was behind them.
> I'm not sure what the arrangement was for the "compartment" with the ice
> bunker, air circulation within the car, etc...
>
> I am looking at a 1950 OER and BREX shows passenger refrigerator cars 300-399
> (total of 29 cars) with an outside length of
> 51'=11". Cars 304, 321 have very slightly different interior dimensions.
>
> The 1940 OER is more illuminating; it shows cars 300 to 329 for a total of 30
> cars; all listed together with no notes that might
> sort them out. It seems to me I once knew which cars had Cream Doors and
> which didn't; why or how I am not sure at this time.
>
> BREX 300 is conventional; BREX 326 has the "Cream Compartment" according to
> builders photos taken of the same side of both cars.
> The 326 was built at Plattsmouth July 1937. The extra door seems to be set
> flush with the inside wall of the ice bunker and there
> is nothing different otherwise between the two cars other than a the doors
> and stirrup steps to access them.
>
> Charlie Vlk
>
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