"They'd say, 'Buzz, you're going to Harrisburg on a high class'.... You checked each other's watch."
— Russ Marlett, Conductor
A freight train that carried perishables, like fruit or meat, was called a "high class" and it had to be right on time. "Tomato specials" ran through to Heinz, potatoes were carried over to Chamley to make whiskey. Time was money, and the Pennsy knew the importance of being on time.
An express refrigerator car like this one usually rode in passenger trains.
Loaded with enormous blocks of ice, these express refrigerator cars were built to carry perishables like milk to delivery points on the local routes.
· Built in 1929, this Class R50B express refrigerator car was one of 550 such cars designed and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
· By 1961, highway and air competition and the general decline of railroad passenger service had reduced the number of such cars to 114.
· This car, No. 2561, is believed to be the sole remaining intact example of its type.
[Caption:]
The Milk Train
Milk needed to travel at the right temperature, and quickly.
Virginia Museum of Transportation Collection
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