Kind of late for billboard reefers. Check out the two Oscar Myer Cars on the head end!
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Nice N&W big steam footage - and novel pairing of 4-8-2 and 2-6-6-4.
Have been watching trains since a little kid (late '40's) and don't recall ever seeing a billboard reefer. Perhaps my memory has just faded and some were there in the earlier days.
Dave, I tried to find a YouTube link, but, none was to be found. I also thought of doing a screen shot, but, someone would delete it faster than you can say Jack Sprat.
No chance I suspect, RailFanDepot sells videos, that was probably a teaser.
New video for me, great pairing of the A and K2. However, I don't think it was anywhere near Blacksburg. Looks like Blue Ridge area.
I don't think you have to be a Facebook "member" to view that short video. Using the Vivaldi browser (most current version), I merely clicked on the link above, was taken to the appropriate website, clicked on the start icon and watched the video. I am NOT a Facebook "member."
Chuck
He was blowing his Weiner Whistle!
Jon 
@Big Jim posted:Kind of late for billboard reefers. Check out the two Oscar Myer Cars on the head end!
As long as the cars were leased or owned and in captive service for Oscar Mayer, the normal "billboard" rules wouldn't apply. Dubuque Packing, Needham Packing and Pepper Packing cars ran into the 60's.
The concern about billboard reefers that were general service reefers that could be loaded by any company. XYZ Company would complain about loading their products into a car advertising competitor ABC's product.
Rusty
Ya, billboard reefers were never actually 'outlawed'. The rule that came out in the thirties was due to the problems with backhauls (or lack thereof) as Rusty mentions. IIRC the new rule was if the lettering on the car was smaller than 18", a shipper had to accept it, even if it was lettered for a rival company. However if the lettering was larger than 18", other shippers could refuse to use it, and the car's owner/lessee had to be prepared to pay the railroad to ship the car back empty (and I believe paying more than the normal rates, to make up for the railroad's lost revenue).
Of course, this didn't apply to railroads, who about that time began using large 'billboard' lettering, large heralds, and slogans advertising their freight and passenger service.
They sure look good rolling over that superb N&W track, pulled by steam. Glad you found this, Jim. I am another who never saw a billboard reefer in service. They surely ran into and out of Los Angeles, but maybe not in the large numbers that ran in the midwest and east.
