Re: Depression Era Freight Cars - Newfoundland Part 2 - Reefer

Your post sent me scrambling for my copy of the Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada book. The colour photo of the outside braced reefers (bottom pg 78) shows that they were indeed wood. I would have thought steel-sided from the builder shot I posted. Here's a second view and if I dumb down the exposure a bit, and squint just right, I can see that horizontal wood siding does indeed show up. I wonder if they just had a super tight fitting car for the builders shot.



As to the colour, that pg 78 shot shows them as a khaki green, and I somehow think that would be accurate. Perhaps a little lighter because of the grime, but not too much. Remember that these were now lettered for CNR, post-Nfld Rly acquisition in 1949. Also for comparison on pg 70-top, is a colour shot of an express boxcar on the "Caribou" trans-island passenger train in 1952. It's also that khaki colour, which matches the light green baggage car immediately behind it.

Anyway, I'm not a student of the railway, and hope these photos are somehow making it to folks who are. If they're new, they might fill in some of the information gaps.

Future posts will include a two-parter on Nfld passenger cars, engine facilities in the 1930s, and the Sentinal Steam Rail Cars. The Andrew Merrilees collection also has a signifiganct number of photos on the private Anglo Newfoundland Development Co. and Buchans Mining lines, as well as the 2 foot gauge cable-hauled Bell Island incline railway. Fascinating stuff, in due course.

Cheers,
Ralph



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2020 10:34AM by tgbcvr.