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Dry Ice Refrigerator Car Test
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Dry Ice Refrigerator Car Test Here is some "dry" reading if you have the time and inclination: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003645607&view=1up&seq=19 This is a 1952 technical paper from the USDA reporting on a refrigerator car equipped with dry ice system of refrigeration. Bob Chaparro Hemet, CA |
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Bill Welch
Interesting find Bob. Although the test facility was at FGE, I am pretty certain they did not use A Fruit Growers car. In the years after WWII feeling the pressure from trucks equipped with Thermo-King Mechanical FGE began experimenting with several mechanical and non-mechanical systems in an attempt to find an effective and economical way to transport frozen commodities at Zero and below. One system used Dry Ice. While the system could effectively maintain Zero, the cost was prohibitive and they quickly moved on to alternative technologies.
By 1952 FGE had a small fleet of 40-foot Mechs powered both by Diesel (Frigidaire) and Gasoline (Thermo-King) and a few 50-footers being evaluated. In 1953 the FGE shops at Alexandria began building what would eventually by 1957 number 1,100 All-Temperature 50-ft Mechs for FGE, WFE, and BRE. the largest Mechanical fleet operated by any Refrigerator Car entity at the time. A modern model of these is very desirable i think, but i am prejudiced. Model on Ya'll Bill Welch |
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Schuyler Larrabee
Attached, not the specific car referenced in Bob’s post but an image of a dry ice reefer, which my records show “scrapped, June 58.”
Schuyler
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Bob Chaparro via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 1:53 PM To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io Subject: [RealSTMFC] Dry Ice Refrigerator Car Test
Dry Ice Refrigerator Car Test Here is some "dry" reading if you have the time and inclination: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003645607&view=1up&seq=19 This is a 1952 technical paper from the USDA reporting on a refrigerator car equipped with dry ice system of refrigeration. Bob Chaparro Hemet, CA 
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Tony Thompson
Schuyler Larrabee wrote:
Actually, no, this is not a "dry ice reefer," but a car used to TRANSPORT dry ice. Tony Thompson |
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lsittler
Further in regard to Bill Welch’s comments, attached is builder’s photo
from FGE files showing WFE 67564 in which Thermo-King heating and cooling unit
was installed. Transmittal memo attached to photo is dated at Alexandria
Virginia, March 12, 1949. Les Sittler
From: Bill Welch
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 4:25 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Dry Ice Refrigerator Car
Test Interesting
find Bob. Although the test facility was at FGE, I am pretty certain they did
not use A Fruit Growers car. In the years after WWII feeling the pressure from
trucks equipped with Thermo-King Mechanical FGE began experimenting with several
mechanical and non-mechanical systems in an attempt to find an effective and
economical way to transport frozen commodities at Zero and below. One system
used Dry Ice. While the system could effectively maintain Zero, the cost was
prohibitive and they quickly moved on to alternative technologies. By 1952 FGE had a small fleet of 40-foot Mechs powered both by Diesel (Frigidaire) and Gasoline (Thermo-King) and a few 50-footers being evaluated. In 1953 the FGE shops at Alexandria began building what would eventually by 1957 number 1,100 All-Temperature 50-ft Mechs for FGE, WFE, and BRE. the largest Mechanical fleet operated by any Refrigerator Car entity at the time. A modern model of these is very desirable i think, but i am prejudiced. Model on Ya'll Bill Welch 
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Bill Welch
In looking at the grills on WFEX 67564 is probably a Thermo-King equipped car. Truckers were fine with their gas powered T-K's but the RR's did not like them because gas is more flammable. Many outside the FGE/WFE/BRE System would not accept them for interchange and this was probably why the Frigidaire eventually is what they adopted system wide.
Bill Welch |
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lsittler
Additional FGE file photos of WFEX 67564. Les
From: Bill Welch
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 9:26 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Dry Ice Refrigerator Car
Test In
looking at the grills on WFEX 67564
is probably a Thermo-King equipped car. Truckers were fine with their gas
powered T-K's but the RR's did not like them because gas is more flammable. Many
outside the FGE/WFE/BRE System would not accept them for interchange and this
was probably why the Frigidaire eventually is what they adopted system
wide. Bill Welch .png)
.png)
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