Refrigerator Cars

Refrigerator car No. 2500 custom built to run on the DAR by E. E. Armstrong of Falmouth, NS, circa 1905.

Refrigerator cars, nicknamed reefers, are insulated box cars with cooling (and sometimes heating) devices used to transport perishable foods. They can easily be identified by their small doors and rooftop ice hatches. No evidence has emerged of DAR lettered reefers, but the DAR often hosted CPR reefers, such as CPR 286510, often found exporting fish and dairy products and importing meat and fruit. Refrigerator cars also played an important role in winter to export Nova Scotia's apple crops. The insulated sides helped keep apple barrels from freezing in sub-zero temperatures, assisted in very cold weather with portable stoves or charcoal heaters. While refrigerated cars protected apples and ensured a better quality product, they also has less capacity (due to the thick walls and ice bunkers) and could only carry 200 barrels of apples as opposed to 300 barrels in a standard boxcar.^[1] The railway also charged a higher rate for shipping in reefer cars. CP refrigerator cars were used to carry some North American export apple traffic, such shipments from the Annapolis Valley to processors in Upstate New York in the 1950s.^[2]

At least one apple exporter also owned his own refrigerator cars. Edward E. Armstrong, a large apple grower in Falmouth had two cars built for his ownership, ARL Nos 2500 and 2501 in 1905^[3] They were 37 foot refrigerated cars intended for fruit and dairy service built to Armstrong's order at the Rhodes, Curry & Co. in Amherst. Each had a 60,000 pound capacity and were painted light blue and lettered for the "Armstrong Refrigerator Line" on one end with a diamond shield and "Owned by E.E. Armstrong, Falmouth N.S." lettered on the other.^[4] He built two more in 1906 and by 1913, Armstrong had five refrigerator cars. He sold them to the Intercolonial Railway in April 1913.^[5]

The DAR built and ran an ice house in Kentville, to provide blocks of ice for refrigerator cars.^[6] Built sometime in the 1920s or 30s, it was located just behind the Kentville Station.

Gallery

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  Photograph of custom refrigerator car No. 2500 made for Edward E. Armstrong of Falmouth, circa 1906.

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  Refrigerator car No. 2501, made for Edward E. Armstrong, circa November 1906.

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  Detail of panorama of Windsor Railyard showing Baggage No. 46, flat car No. 425, box cars, and a refrigerator car on the Windsor Wharves in 1914.

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  Detail of panorama of Windsor Railyard in 1914 showing van DAR435786 and a refrigerator car in centre.

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  Kingsport with box cars and a refrigerator car loading the Kingsport Fruit Company warehouse in foreground and the Kingsport Station on right circa 1920.

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  Apple Warehouses at Hillaton with CPR Refrigerator Car No. 286510 on right, 1920s.

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  No 503 leading the Flying Bluenose, Train No. 123 at the Kentville Station with a CPR refrigerator car in background, circa 1920s.

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  Stock Car No. 1097 and reefer in train wreck, unknown date.

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  The Kingsport Wharf with refrigerator car and visiting float plane beside the DAR freight shed and schooner F.B.G., circa July 1936.

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  Eastbound mixed train on the Bear River Bridge with refrigerator cars from Digby and Yarmouth fish plants, circa winter 1937.

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  Eastbound mixed train on the Clementsport Bridge with refrigerator cars from Digby and Yarmouth fish plants, circa winter 1937.

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  Digby Wharf with freight unloaded from SS Princess Helene with CPR Refrigerator Car on left, CN Boxcar 409933 at centre and DAR boxcar 69782 on right, winter late 1930s.

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  Engine 1046 eastbound from Kentville with a decent freight. Note cars five and six are reefers (probably CNR) with hatches up.

References

External Links

• http://www.nakina.net/cp/cp0.html - Earlier DAR/CPR boxcars and reefers
• http://www.nakina.net/cp/cp2.html - Later CPR boxcars and reefers