HEATED INSULATED BOXCARS

 

EASTERN SEABOARD MODELS

 

 

  Refrigerator cars and insulated boxcars are useful not only for keeping commodities cold, but also for protecting them from extreme cold.  The latter was particularly important on railroads in northern climates.  In the transition era, an insulated boxcar that had no means of refrigeration carried an “XI” mechanical designation.  If equipped with a heating device, the car had an “XIH” mechanical designation.  These designations were phased out in the sixties in favor of type “RB” bunkerless refrigerators.  Though a rarity on the prototype, XIH boxcars are the source of perhaps the most well known paint scheme in model railroading: the red white and blue “State of Maine Products” boxcars.

 

   Thanks to Eastern Seaboard Models, N scale modelers now have an accurate model of the popular “State of Maine” boxcars.  Introduced in 2010, it is a state-of-the-art model with body mounted couplers and an etched metal running board.  The model is available in just about every paint scheme applied to these cars, with most schemes including variations for different eras.  Each road name is discussed individually below:

 

BANGOR & AROOSTOOK (BAR)- In 1950, the Bangor and Aroostook received 300 class XIH boxcars from the Magor Car Company.  Numbered 2000-2299, they were equipped with charcoal heaters under the floor and painted in the famous red, white and blue “State of Maine Products” scheme.  In 1953, Pacific Car and Foundry delivered an additional 150 cars to the Bangor and Aroostook numbered 2300-2449.  These cars were used primarily for hauling Potatoes.  In the 60’s, the charcoal heaters had been removed from some of the cars.  Other cars were modified to handle potatoes in bulk; renumbered 2500-2579, their mechanical designation had been changed to RBLH.  The Equipment Registers note that their cubic capacity had been reduced by nearly half, and they were equipped with “Conveyers and controls for loading and unloading of potatoes in bulk”.   

 

CANADIAN PACIFIC (CP)- Canadian Pacific acquired 1,400 type XIH boxcars to supplement their fleet of heated refrigerator cars.  The first series of 500 cars (35000-35500) was delivered in 1959 with six-foot doors and charcoal heaters. Three subsequent series followed in 1961 (35501-35800) and 1962 (35801-36100, 165000-165299) with eight-foot doors and “Thermostatically controlled alcohol heaters”.  Built in Canada, these cars varied from the Eastern Seaboard models, but are still a decent representation of the prototypes.  In 1978, car number 35893 was painted in a “Mandarin Orange Express” scheme for publicity purposes.  In 1979, forty cars from the original series had their charcoal heaters removed and were renumbered to 36300-36349.                                                                                                                                 

NEW HAVEN (NH)-  The New Haven’s fleet of 100 cars (45000-45099) was an add-on to the Bangor and Aroostook’s 1953 order from Pacific Car & Foundry.  In order to cut costs, they wore the same State of Maine scheme.  By 1966, the cars were no longer equipped with heaters.  The 93 cars that made it to the Penn Central merger were numbered 350500-350592.  At least 77 cars made it to Conrail, however none of my Equipment Registers (1/78, 1/79 and 7/81) list cars with Conrail reporting marks.  The early years of Conrail were a chaotic time, and keeping track of obsolete rolling stock was certainly low on their list of priorities.

 

OKEE CORPORATION (OKEX)- Okee was a northeastern manufacturer of architectural supplies.  In 1971, they acquired a fleet of former Bangor and Aroostook cars which were no longer equipped with heaters.  Railcarphotos.com has photo of car 6033 at Brooklyn, New York in 1976.

It is stenciled: “Return to Bay West Paper Co. Agent MILW RR. Green Bay Wisc. via service route”.