An American Car & Foundry 40-foot wood refrigerator car is the fourth model to join the ScaleTrains S-Helper Service lineup. The reefer, based on a prototype from the 1920s, features plastic construction; factory-installed and painted wire grab irons; and sprung, die-cast metal trucks.
Prototype history
The review sample we received is decorated as Santa Fe Refrigerator Department (SFRD) No. 23949, part of the 23451 through 23950 series built in 1927 by ACF. The full-size car was part of the RR-5 class. In addition to the 500 cars built by ACF, the class included 400 cars built by Pullman and numbered 23951 through 24350.
Refrigerator cars from the RR-5 class were rebuilt in 1950 and 1951 and reassigned to the RR-49 (11432 through 11931) and RR-50 (11932 through 12421) classes. Among the upgrades were steel sides, 3/4 improved Dreadnaught ends, and metal running boards. The rebuilt cars stayed in service into the mid-1970s.
For additional information, check out Santa Fe Railway Rolling Stock Reference Series — Vol. 2: Refrigerator Cars, Ice Bunker Cars 1884-1979 by C. Keith Jordan, Richard H. Hendrickson, John B. Moore, and A. Dean Hale (The Santa Fe Modelers Organization Inc., 1994).
Model features
The ScaleTrains model features a one-piece plastic body with a separate roof. Formed metal was used for the grab irons, ladder rungs, and stirrup steps. The freestanding details are painted black and mineral brown as appropriate. Molded body details include the door hardware, ladder stiles, and poling pockets.
Freestanding plastic placard boards are attached to both ends of the car. The B, or brake, end of the car also has a factory-installed brake platform and a metal vertical brake staff topped with a plastic brake wheel.
The simulated wood roof is a separate plastic casting with a factory-applied running board casting and positionable hatch covers. An unpainted metal weight, secured with screws, is visible inside the car. Wire grab irons are located on the corners above the ladders. The molded fastener detail near the mounting holes is a nice touch.
Underneath, the car has molded floor boards with woodgrain detail. The body bolsters, center sills, and crossmembers are a one-piece casting secured with glue and screws.
The refrigerator car is shipped with American Flyer-style couplers and wheels. I replaced those with the supplied Kadee-compatible plastic couplers and scale code 110 metal wheelsets. The self-tapping screws, also included, easily threaded into the mounting holes at both ends of the car.
The model features a plastic K brake system. Details include the brake cylinder, reservoir, and triple valve; levers; brake rods; and partial brake pipe between the crossmembers.
A closer look
The sample we received follows the SFRD paint scheme of the era: yellow-orange (sides), mineral brown (roof and ends), and black (underbody and trucks). The lettering placement is similar to prototype photos in the aforementioned book.
Detail placement varies between the model and full-size SFRD cars. The model has two grab irons by the road number and capacity data, but the prototype had one. The placard boards on the end of the model should be moved to the car sides (left of the doors) and painted black. The model has three angle brackets where the sides meet the ends; the full-size RR-5 cars had W-profile steel corner posts.
Some dimensional data for the 23451 through 23950 series of RR-5 reefers was included in The Santa Fe Modelers Organization book. The car length and height are within scale inches of published dimensions. The door height is accurate, but the width is roughly a foot too narrow.
It has been around a quarter century since this model debuted under the S-Helper Service banner. Kudos to ScaleTrains for making the 40-foot wood reefer available again. Whether you get a factory-decorated model, or decide to make your own cars using the painted but unlettered offerings, the model will add some cool factor to your rolling stock fleet.
Read a review of the ScaleTrains S wide-cupola caboose on Trains.com.
Facts & features
Price: $59.99
Manufacturer
ScaleTrains
4901 Old Tasso Rd. NE
Cleveland, TN 37312
scaletrains.com
Era: 1920s to 1960s (varies based on paint scheme)
Road names: Santa Fe Refrigerator Department, American Refrigerator Transit Co., Bangor & Aroostook, Fruit Growers Express, Union Refrigerator Dispatch with Milwaukee Road herald, and Western Refrigerator Line with Green Bay & Western herald. Three to six road numbers per paint scheme; also available painted orange and yellow but unlettered.
Features
- Body-mounted Kadee-compatible couplers, .040” too low (both ends)
- Scale code 110 metal wheelsets, in gauge
- Minimum radius, 20”
- Weight: 5.7 ounces, .1 ounce too light per National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1
