Here is another file I found concerning billing, and copies of waybills.  Presented not to make fun of accountants. However I have to wonder how much time and labor was expended here.
And of the thought that in the 1950's, five dollars was worth a lot more. 
This collection of paperwork has "detention" listed several times so it must have been a somewhat common term.  
     Also note that the reefer makes several stops here. Is there anyone who has modeled that?  
From NP files found at the Minnesota Historical Society. ( After I die, I hope some day to have my ashes spread in the NP files at the MHS and then maybe, I can get in some real research time.)
Again presented for your education or amusement.                                                                                             Jim Dick - Roseville, MN 
   

    Paul, I presented several years ago at Chicago and CCB RPMs about the usage of reefers and in winter they were busiest. January, February saw about 100 percent usage in AAR notes I found and used as a basis for the presentation following reefer loading bi-monthly for 1956-57.  

     I'll attach the image and the yellow areas are where they definitely needed to be used (in protective service) to keep things like canned goods, pharmaceuticals, and other items safe. The red areas are where crops were ripening and ready for transit, and the orange areas are where potatoes were being shipped, more or less as a year round commodity. If potatoes freeze they get mealy. Potatoes I found were more or less shipped year round and if a person does not know what else to waybill on a reefer, potatoes is a safe bet.  

      Oh wait, here is a list I put in the files some time ago: https://realstmfc.groups.io/g/main/files/Perishable%20Commodities,%20definition%20and%20list%20of  
John Hile uploaded these:https://realstmfc.groups.io/g/main/files/P%20P%20Tariff%2013%20Rule%2036.pdf   Item 1140 (Florist stock - ferns) a few pages down is more common than you would think load coming east on the NP in reefers. How often when you see bouquets of flowers, do you see ferns used to accent the bunch? 
      Note in either of these lists, all the items preceded by the numeral 1, items that need to be protected against cold or heat. Or the number 3, items that needed to be protected against cold. And if a commodity that needed to be protected were loaded in the yellow area or destined for the yellow area, it would have been placed in a reefer.  How often do we see this modeled or model it?
     Here is another upload by John:   https://realstmfc.groups.io/g/main/files/P%20P%20Tariff%2013%20Section%206.pdf

     OK, after one presentation, someone came up to me and stated only, "However I don't model winter." I'm not sure why they thought that was pertinent however, lets follow up on it. 
     Reefers according to all the data I have ever seen were some of the top earners on the rails. They also were bought on bonds (borrowed cash) that had to be paid off. And standing still made no money. They make money (per mile) when they are moving unloaded or loaded and the most when loaded. However we have talked about that here before. 
    So they make money in when in protected service and when fruits and vegetables ripen and need to be shipped.  What do they do the rest of the year?   The 3 for 1 keeps them moving. 

    The three for one substitution here" https://realstmfc.groups.io/g/main/files/Refrigerator%20Cars%20for%20Box%20Cars     John Barry was kind enough to roll eleven pages into one pdf at the bottom.  The 3 for 1 or 2 for 1 (simplified) means for the price of one boxcar you can get up to two or three reefers.  As we have talked about it here before, it is meant to get reefers home, with a load if possible.
        So does that increase or decrease the odds of seeing reefers in a train consist, (generally speaking)?  I'd think it increases the chances.

        And the links above by myself or John Hile give a broad list of commodities to model.  I think John's is better. A boxcar of canned goods to a food wholesaler or two reefers of the same canned goods? With the substitution allowance either is perfectly plausible.  
       
 I started the above mentioned presentation with the thought - Do I have too many reefers? I still wonder however using some in protected service or under the 3 for 1 rule, it is not a crisis.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Jim Dick - St. Paul 
     

For anyone who might be interested, there's a new commercial video that has just been posted of my layout (link below) and maybe also to my blog post about it. The blog post is here:

https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2019/11/a-new-video-of-my-layout.html

and the video, if you want to jump straight to it on YouTube, it's here:

https://youtu.be/RUfmRvun2_w

Tony Thompson
tony@signaturepress.com

The monad goes back to some time after 1893. It was applied to some rolling stock in the 1920s.

--
*Tim O'Connor*
*Sterling, Massachusetts*

Interesting. The Monad was in use in 1931?  Man, I've had to discard the Monad decals on all the NP Boxcars I've built (1939) per the Sunshine data sheets, and you tell me that the reefers had it all that time? May have to look into Andy Carlson's kit bash, although not sure what ends to use to match the radial roof casting from Central Valley Model Works.
RJ Dial

        Of the trip frequencies, I recently noted a reefer (in other paperwork) that made a partial unloading, then a second stop where it was fully unloaded. This would certainly slow down mileage covered. I mention this because I am not aware of anyone who has mention modeling partial unloading of a reefer.  
      
         I have no information on how common this was. I am aware that some reefers traveled branchlines and made multiple stops however reefers used this way (at least on the NP) were home road reefers in captive service. 

         Can someone explain the term "detentions" in connection with reefer travel.  Tony, I looked through the index on the PFE book however not there.  I'll post in another thread some paperwork where the term detention is used several times.                                                                                                                             Jim Dick 

--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts

Scale wheels are useful when constructing models. I have some P87 wheelsets and I use them to visualize truck ride height. It's easier to see if the model needs raising or lowering. Colin Meikle

As an N Scale guy, getting a chuckle to see HO guys chatter about decal thickness.  Welcome to our world!  

The topic of the thickness of Tichy decals comes up from time to time over on TheRailWire.net.  If I was to summarize it?  I'd say, what is clear is that thickness is:

a) somewhat related to the specs of the rig, paper and ink used,

b) somewhat related to the specific image and color sought to reproduce, and

c) somewhat related to communication between the printer and the client.   

So it would be wrong to make a general statement of "Tichy's decals are too thick".  Sure, for some decals, of some images, on some settings, on some surfaces, Tichy might not be able to produce what you'd like.   For us N scale guy, we can say that about nearly all decals.  

But for the sake of compassion, I will share some sample data posted back in 2017 on TRW comparing thickness of Tichy's inkjet decals to say the Microscale screen printed water slides looking at very comparable black ink datablock on new PFE decal sets:

Using my ol' Starrett Vernier micrometer caliper, I have The Tichy backer paper, adhesive and carrier film at a dead 0.0090" and over the datablock, a 0.0100".  So a black only ink height is just 0.001"

The Microscale set, the backer paper to carrier is 0.0065", over data block, 0.0071".  So 0.0006.... yes, the Tichy's (more legible) ink is 0.0004" thicker than the Microscales.  But it's not ink build up that draws my eye.

The Tichy backer paper / adhesive & carrier, is also clearly thicker.  Some of this may be irrelevant as it could be that Tichy uses a thicker backer, but it could be a thicker carrier which might account for issue of curl.  And if this is a real issue, it may be fixable for Don to switch to a finer stock on which to print. 

Obvious, other colors and multilayer prints may be thicker.  And your results may vary.  

Off topic:  All this leaves me thinking the scale  model decal market might still benefit from new technology - one that can yield smaller / finer fonts at higher resolution, and not dependent on the limitation of ink jet or silk screen.  Kind of intrigued by the advances in intaglio microprinting and advanced inks, and wonder if such can be applied to develop waterslide decals ... but I'm certainly no expert here!

therefore would like to find some information.

    Old mind, but now seem to remember that a picture is in one of the CBCs.  Mine are all at the other house so I can't look it up.  A question, as I said in an additional post mine has .066 wheels sets.  Did they come this way (what are yours) or were they added.  Seems strange and the only brass cars I have ever seen with scale or close to scale treads.  Years ago I bought a set of scale wheels to use with contest cars.

-- 
Jon Miller
For me time stopped in 1941
Digitrax  Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User
SPROG User
NMRA Life member #2623
Member SFRH&MS