On Aug 24, 2008, at 12:55 PM, charles slater wrote:

Andy the Rr-47 class cars were built new in 1951 by the West
Wichita shops and did have a diagonal panel roof.
The Rr-49 class cars were rebuilt in 1950 from Rr-5 class wood
cars some of which had already had there original roofs replaced
with Murphy streight panel roofs in the 1930/40's. The cars that
had the streight panel roofs at the time they were rebuilt into
Rr-49 cars kept them, and the Rr-5's that had their original roofs
when rebuilt into Rr-49's got new diagonal panel roofs. So the
answer is the Rr-49's used both roofs, but if there is a number
series for which ones the Santa Fe folio sheet does not break that
down. My GUESS is they were mixed togather.
Maybe Richard H. has more information on this.

Charlie is correct on all counts. I would just add that VERY few of
the Rr-5 class reefers survived with their original roofs, so almost
all of the Rr-49s had the rectangular panel roofs which replaced the
original Rr-5 roofs in the late '30s and early '40s. In the photos I
have of Rr-49s, the roofs (where visible) are all rectangular panel.

Richard Hendrickson