Icing machine for refrigerator cars

[markfj]

This image of an icing machine working in New Mexico is very interesting and brings up a few questions.


First is when did railroads start taking delivery of refrigerator cars with build in cooling systems? This photo was in the February 1961 issue of Railroad magazine, so it seems surprising that manually icing cars was still happening then. The caption describes the machine as the “newest” icing machine in America, which implies manual icing was still going strong in the 60s. I would expect at that time railroads would be moving away from manually iced cars and buying cars with mechanical refrigeration equipment.

Second, what are those two objects hanging from the horizontal pole above the men on the car? At first I thought they were lights, but it looks like spot lights are mounted on the corners of the control booth or cab.

Finally, was this machine part of a train like a MOW relief train? It looks like those blocks of ice are moving on a conveyor belt, so I’m assuming an ice house is connected to it somewhere. The machine would probably be in captive service to a yard equipped with an ice manufacturing facility. 

It’s a very interesting photo of a something that probably most people have never seen, so I figured I would share it. Hope you all enjoyed it!

Thanks, Mark
Reading, PA

[Baikal]

Nov 1, 2022 15:57:58 GMT -8 markfj said:

This image of an icing machine working in New Mexico is very interesting and brings up a few questions.


First is when did railroads start taking delivery of refrigerator cars with build in cooling systems? This photo was in the February 1961 issue of Railroad magazine, so it seems surprising that manually icing cars was still happening then. The caption describes the machine as the “newest” icing machine in America, which implies manual icing was still going strong in the 60s. I would expect at that time railroads would be moving away from manually iced cars and buying cars with mechanical refrigeration equipment.

Second, what are those two objects hanging from the horizontal pole above the men on the car? At first I thought they were lights, but it looks like spot lights are mounted on the corners of the control booth or cab.

Finally, was this machine part of a train like a MOW relief train? It looks like those blocks of ice are moving on a conveyor belt, so I’m assuming an ice house is connected to it somewhere. The machine would probably be in captive service to a yard equipped with an ice manufacturing facility. 

It’s a very interesting photo of a something that probably most people have never seen, so I figured I would share it. Hope you all enjoyed it!

Thanks, Mark
Reading, PA

PFE's first production mechanical reefers (no ice) were built in 1949. A few test cars were built earlier.  Santa Fe is probably similar.  Ice and mechanical refers were both built through the 1950s.

PFE ended ice service in 1972 with "top icing" where crushed ice was blown on top of the load continuing for a few years.  Like steam loco coaling & water, ice service required a network of facilities to re-ice cars en-route- expensive.  Plus brine (some low temp loads required ice + salt) dripping from cars was very corrosive, shortening the life of everything from rolling stock to electrical equipment to bridges.

The hanging lights are warning lights, maybe different colors depending on the movement of ice or the machine(?)  I've seen them in PFE facilities too.  Note the machine could ice two tracks at the same time.

Ice blocks are on a conveyor coming from the ice house.

Thanks for photo.

[edwardsutorik]

Santa Fe retired their final ice-reefers in 1971. They got their first mechanical refrigerator car in 1949.

1961 would have been in the "changeover" period, where they still were using ice, but didn't want to invest and maintain giant fixed plants. This machine looks like an interim solution.

The two objects look to me like lights. I think they're there as a signal to start or stop a process, such as sending more ice blocks to the machine to load. Hence I'll guess there's a green one and a red one.

While it would probably be pleasant not to have to move the machine to a different location, I expect that possibility was envisioned.


Here's another picture of it from a different angle:




You can see that it is for crushed-ice loading only.



Ed

[Baikal]

Nov 2, 2022 7:58:15 GMT -8 edwardsutorik said:

Santa Fe retired their final ice-reefers in 1971. They got their first mechanical refrigerator car in 1949.

1961 would have been in the "changeover" period, where they still were using ice, but didn't want to invest and maintain giant fixed plants. This machine looks like an interim solution.

The two objects look to me like lights. I think they're there as a signal to start or stop a process, such as sending more ice blocks to the machine to load. Hence I'll guess there's a green one and a red one.

While it would probably be pleasant not to have to move the machine to a different location, I expect that possibility was envisioned.


Here's another picture of it from a different angle:




You can see that it is for crushed-ice loading only.

Ed

Chunks of ice were loaded into bunkers, not crushed (crushed being less than a couple inches, usually much less).  On the PFE, the ice blocks that were manufactured were 300 lbs, too heavy to use.  ATSF probably similar sized.  These blocks were moved and chopped into smaller approx 20-50 lb chunks by laborers on the car roof using "pickeroons" & bidents, or by the machine. Dropping too-large pieces of ice into the bunkers could damage the car.  Too small of pieces would melt too quickly and fall thru the bunker floor grating that was in place to allow for air circulation.

Crushed ice was sometimes air-blown through the car doors on top of some loads, with or without the use of bunker ice.  For instance brocolli & other produce that would not be damaged by direct contact with ice.

The particulars of what type of ice and/or salt, where, and when was specified by the shipper and was included on the waybill.

[edwardsutorik]

"During the early 1950's the Santa Fe rebuilt the ice hatches on SFRD reefers to better accommodate crushed icing..." Ben Hom, STMFC message # 38437

"The machines would move slowly along, guided by an operator in a cab, scooping up 300 lb. ice blocks and chopping or grinding the ice according the the need--large or small chunk, or even fine as snow." page 229, Santa Fe Railway Rolling Stock Reference Series-Volume Two

Also, judging by the size of the leftover pieces on the car roofs, the pieces were likely not larger than 6"--such a piece would have a maximum weight of seven pounds.



Ed

[Christian]

Fascinating stuff.

[lvrr325]

When Conrail single tracked the Erie west of Hornell they abandoned the newer, grade separated line despite it having lesser grades, supposedly because of the damage done to the bridges by the brine drip from refrigerator cars.

[edgecrusher]

You know..... Link Belt still exists as a company, gotta wonder if they still have the blue prints for these things stashed away somewhere. I could see someone making a pretty cool model of one of these out of 3D printed resin and some photo etch.

[edwardsutorik]

For those who want more info on the subject of reefer icing, I suggest joining this group:


groups.io/g/RailroadCitrusIndustryModelingGroup


A fellow Free-mo person has kinda sucked me in with his module with a citrus packing house.



Ed