For those of you who model in the late 1960's-early 1970's era and are wondering about running reefers on the Frisco - the Spring, 2012 issue of the Union Pacific HS's publication "The Streamliner" started a detailed two-piece article on "Pacific Fruit Express in the 1970's". In the article are data showing the percentage of PFE eastbound (loaded) perishable shipments that were interchanged with other roads in early 1972: C&NW ------ 22.9% CRIP ------- 15.3% N&W ------- 14.7% BN --------- 13.5% SLSF ------- 12.7% Others ----- 20.9% So, run those PFE reefers on the Frisco! Most were newer mechanical reefers, but a few ice bunker reefers were still in service with PFE back then. Most of the interchange would have been at KC I imagine, but a few might have been exchanged at Ellsworth, Ks as well. Ken
That's good to know. Now I have a reason run the ones I have. Look for a reefer train on the Avard Sub sometime in the near future
PFE reefers on the Frisco? You bet! Ed Bunch was the Frisco's off-line traffic agent in Tampa, Florida, throughout the 60s and 70s and received a lot of PFE reefers with fruit and produce from the West Coast that moved through Birmingham for final delivery in Florida on the Atlanctic Coast Line and Seaboard. Publix Super Markets with HQ in Lakeland was one of his best customers and Ed told me that he played golf with the president every Wednesday afternoon! Check out photos of freights and yard scenes taken on the Frisco and I'm sure you'll spot plenty of PFE reefers in them. In 1975 we received five or six SFRD ice bunker reefers on the Santa Fe at the E. Dallas Yard that had to be re-iced enroute! The biggest Afro-American man I ever met was on top shoving ice into the bunkers. I climbed on top and chatted with him before I went on duty at 3:3O PM. This was well into the age of mechanical reefers too! This was probably the last time any ice bunkers got re-iced in Dallas on any railroad! If memory serves me well they were destined for the Dallas Farmers Market in the shadow of downtown Big D as we handed them over to the S.P. It was summer and water was pouring out of the drainage vents on the underside of the cars. It do get warm in Texas in mid-July! Joe Toth
