Milwaukee 53' Wood-side Express Refrigerator

I have had one of the Mainline kits for years and have never seen that prototype car in the Milwaukee paint scheme, but that didn't stop me from having it. Now that i have seen your built up one I need to start on it fantasy scheme or not. Look at the new Scale City website there are a lot of new listings there and we can supply you with the KD's, we also have the ladders that Walthers had for their reefers, as well as stirrups that look better than the staples Mainline included in their kits. good luck on the build and be sure to post pics when done.

I have three or four of these, as Milwaukee road is my favorite road. The Atlas express reefer trucks work great for three rail, especially if I paint the side frames maroon.

Yes, the staples will need to go as well.  Thanks for identifying the car.  I was wondering who made it.  Here are prototypes in REA and PFE paint.  Looks like the door hardware is mounted a bit low on mine.   I'll try to move the door bar lock as long as I can do it without repainting the car.   This one is just a "fun" (no rivet counting) project.  I'll post pictures when it's done.   

I'll look at the Atlas trucks as well.  I may 2-rail it for looks and it should still run on my atlas 3-rail track.

Bob

RoyBoy posted:

I have three or four of these, as Milwaukee road is my favorite road. The Atlas express reefer trucks work great for three rail, especially if I paint the side frames maroon.

Maroon?  Shouldn't they be brown to match other passenger equipment?

Bruce

brwebster posted:

RoyBoy posted:

I have three or four of these, as Milwaukee road is my favorite road. The Atlas express reefer trucks work great for three rail, especially if I paint the side frames maroon.

Maroon?  Shouldn't they be brown to match other passenger equipment?

Bruce

It might depend on one's perception of color. The bottle said Milwaukee Road maroon, but it looked rather brown-ish when the paint dried.

Milwaukee Road early Hiawatha pass trucks were brown Badger offers the color as well as orange, maroon and gray. the part number for the brown is 16-45.

Try as I might, I couldn't find a shot of any head end CMStP&P equipment resembling that style express reefer.  No matter whether freight or passenger, prewar or postwar, anything head end was either a typical baggage car or boxcar.

Digging through my old copy of the Model Railroader Cyclopedia, there is 1 illustrated with a round roof and large letterboard, but lettered for the MP.  Drawing by Linnaeus H. Westcott...never heard of him.

There is also an illustration of a 44' reefer accredited to the Milwaukee Road with colors specified as orange yellow with brown underframe and roof.  No resemblance to the Mainline example but indicating that the color combo on a reefer wasn't fantasy.

Bruce

brwebster posted:

Try as I might, I couldn't find a shot of any head end CMStP&P equipment resembling that style express reefer.  No matter whether freight or passenger, prewar or postwar, anything head end was either a typical baggage car or boxcar.

Thanks Bruce for doing some digging.  That was my experience - No express cars.  I did find a prototype photo of the blue milk car by itself.

  Drawing by Linnaeus H. Westcott...never heard of him

Now that's funny. 

Bob

Here is some background info on the General American 53' Express Reefer.

Bob