FGE Paint schemes and timeline

[PGE_Modeller]

It very easily could be part of the 'Insulated' paint scheme.

These cars may be the first use of RBNX under FGE.  The site I checked for my other thread says July-54 which obviously isn't true (and why I'm looking for verification on the Hormel car).  I wish I had a Jan-53 ORER.  I'd like to know what (if any) other insulated cars they had at that time.


Jason

Jason,

The January 1953 ORER shows series R.B.N.X. 80000 - 80999 as a new addition with the number of cars blank - not surprizing with a 12-52 built date as the data would have been submitted to the publisher well in advance of the publication date.  The cars are listed as AAR Mech Designation RB, described as "Refrigerator, All Steel".  Inside length 40-0, Inside width 9-0, Inside height 9-1, Outside length 42-2 3/4, Width at Eaves 9-11, Height to Eaves 13-11 1/8, Height to top of running board 14-9 5/16, Doors 8-0 W X 8-9 5/16 H, CAPY 100000, CUFT 3270.

The only other AAR "RB" cars I see are: FCEX 4200 - 4349 (single car, actual # not specified), FCEX 4800 - 4849 (single car, # not specified), and FCEX 4850 - 4899 (shown as a series with no cars).  FGEX cars numbered under FGEX 399 are AAR Mech Desig 'RP'.  All other FGEX cars are Mech Desig 'RS'.  Reporting marks used are: FGEX, FCEX, FDEX, FHIX, FOBX and RBNX.

Cheers,

[OldEastRR]

Wow. Still no clarity. I know there are dozens and dozens of books on the PFE, every car they had, every color picture of every car they had, all the cars that were re-painted, times, dates, delivery schedules, weights etc etc etc... But did anybody ever do a picture/data book on FGE?

Talk about favoratism.

[reinhardtjh]

Talk about favoratism.

It's all Kato's fault!   

[bbussey]

Wow. Still no clarity. I know there are dozens and dozens of books on the PFE, every car they had, every color picture of every car they had, all the cars that were re-painted, times, dates, delivery schedules, weights etc etc etc... But did anybody ever do a picture/data book on FGE?

Talk about favoratism.

It truly isn't hard to get the FGE information, as they didn't have nearly as many schemes as PFE.  FGE certainly has been covered in assorted literature.  Here's a partial list off the top of my head:

• Refrigerator Color Guide by Morning Sun
• The Great Yellow Fleet, don't remember the publisher
• The aforementioned 81-page FGE Addendum published by the PRR, B&O and SCL historical societies
• The aforementioned SCL Modeler #21 PDF

I know that I've easily found everything I needed to replicate the cars I wanted.  The second easiest option is to paint/decal your models based on photographs of specific prototypes from the specific time-period you model, and there are plenty of FGE photos from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.  In addition, there are two models that are accurate representations of FGE prototypes that have been released in accurate FGE schemes from the time period you model and one of them currently is in stock with multiple road numbers, so the easiest option is to simply buy those.  It isn't difficult to assemble a fleet of prototypical FGE equipment in N scale.
 
What more do you need?  There is total clarity in these publications regarding the 1950s schemes ... but if you need more, you're going to have to do some research.  Besides, as a New Haven modeler, you should be used to having to do some Google'ing and additional digging to find information.
 

[reinhardtjh]

• The Great Yellow Fleet, don't remember the publisher

http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Yellow-Fleet-Refrigerator/dp/0870950916
Publisher: Golden West Books; First Edition edition (December 1986)
ISBN-13: 978-0870950919

Googled that for ya. 

Seriously though, thanks for the info.  Over in my area, the Buffalo Line was't as big of a FGE pipeline (as far as I can tell) but I was still seriously lacking in knowledge.

[OldEastRR]

Bottom line is, nobody here knows when FGE started putting stripes on their RB 40 footers, or when the lettering changed. Or why, in a that picture in the Lynch book dated 1958, there are rows of both steel reefers and RBs with NO striping.
Well, good. Then I can letter my cars however I want and nobody can prove I'm wrong. Making lemonade out of lemons....

[keystonecrossings]

If your modeling FGE, you're also modeling WFE and BREX and you'll need to get the car fleet ratios correct.

Consider what I have on my Keystone Crossings web site from a PRR perspective...

http://pennsyrr.com/index.php/modeling/203-reefers-in-freight-service

[wcfn100]

Bottom line is, nobody here knows when FGE started putting stripes on their RB 40 footers, or when the lettering changed. Or why, in a that picture in the Lynch book dated 1958, there are rows of both steel reefers and RBs with NO striping.

What are the road numbers on the RB cars?

Jason

[nkalanaga]

Since the WFEX cars have been mentioned, I looked in my (very limited) sources.  All of the 50 ft insulated cars from the early-mid 50s until the modern "Big Sky Blue" style lettering have stripes.  None of the reefers, mechanical or ice, have them.  As the schemes appear to be almost identical to the FGE cars, Bryan may be right, and the stripes were limited to the insulated boxcars.  Maybe this was a way of distinguishing the reefers and boxcars for those who didn't know, or didn't have time to read, the car codes?

[bbussey]

Bottom line is, nobody here knows when FGE started putting stripes on their RB 40 footers, or when the lettering changed. Or why, in a that picture in the Lynch book dated 1958, there are rows of both steel reefers and RBs with NO striping.
Well, good. Then I can letter my cars however I want and nobody can prove I'm wrong. Making lemonade out of lemons....

Aside from the fact that it's your model railroad and you can do whatever you want ... I fail to understand why you can't simply use the plethora of existing photos from your modeling era as a reference.  I don't see the reason for your dilemma or the continuing point of this discussion.  Duplicate what you see in the period-correct photos and your problem is solved.