Express reefer in freight trains?

[Erik PRR]

I just started operations on my N-scale PRR Catskill Division layout. Being a novice on this subject there has been a lot of reading and figuring to find a believable and working system. Questions remain though, here is one:

During season the strawberry harvest from Margaretville is shipped in an express reefer from REA that is picked up by a southbound mail and passenger train. But how should the empty car arrive to Margaretville?  My first thought was that this empty car didn't need to be transported so urgently and could as well be sent in a freight train, maybe as a head end car, but then I started to think about those special trucks that this car seems to have - maybe it is suited only for service in passenger trains.

/Erik Wejryd, Sweden

[Bob Bufkin]

Didn't make any difference if it has high speed trucks, it could still run on a freight train.  I have seen photos of different REA and PRR express cars on freight trains. 

[FrankCampagna]

It would probably be delivered by the passenger train. To generate revenue, it did have to move around fairly quickly, even when empty. Time is money.

Frank

[nkalanaga]

As Frank said, in dedicated service it would probably go back in the passenger train for quicker turnaround.  Not only didn't it make any money empty, but the longer it took to come back, the more cars would be needed for the business. 

For generic express service, I've seen plenty of pictures of such cars in freight trains.  Also, the GN, and probably other roads, had "express" cars that looked like conventional boxcars or reefers, but were equipped with high-speed trucks and steam/signal lines.  These could often be seen in freight trains, as they were used for any "high class" clean loads.

[rschaffter]

The only way it might end up in a freight train is if it were an express less-than-carload train, such as PRR's Merchandise Service.  However, I don't know if they ran reefers in those trains or not...

[babbo_enzo]

Mounting Express trucks on these cars are done to be able to run "at passengers train speed" , but don't necessary means that the car can't go slower
The "empty back" run was anyway dictated by RR necessity to have the car ready for another "loaded" run or not. I guess can depends from cars availability at the supplier spur / originate freight yard and Waybills.
So, I thing you can plan what you want, or better "depending on season" .

Hope this is a good sample of what you're in search :
"It's 12:01pm at Raleigh, NC and passenger, mail, and express train No. 4 has just released brakes and begun it's northward roll towards Richmond, Va. E7 3034 leads an SDP35 and a typical consist of PRR X29s, REA Express reefers, heavyweight baggage cars, and a single RF&P coach out of the Tarheel State capital in October 1966 ... next stop Henderson, NC."
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=391193&nseq=0

One additional consideration: when the traffic volume justify it, REA usually have a dedicated spur or at least a track where a REA warehouse was served.
see this picture for a sample:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=285053&nseq=5
 
Enzo
Modeling the friendly Espee in Italy

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