DSP&P Reefer in HON3-NGDF

[Robert McFarland]

This post by Michael Graff includes photos of his scratchbuilt HON3 Tiffany reefer,A post by Ron Rudnick claims that Tiffanys originally were white.With some agreement by Mallory Ferrell.Even though the screen says "Photo not available"click the X and you'll get the photo

[Todd Hackett]

Since Robert doesn't seem to be able to provide links, the thread he's talking about can be found here.

[Jim Courtney]

As Randy Hees points out in his NGDF post:

The two classes of Tiffany reefers, 26' built in the DSP&P shops in 1880 (12 cars) and 27' cars built by St Charles in 1883 (15 cars) . . .


The short 26 foot cars predated the UP acquisition of the South Park, so I see no reason why they couldn't be white, like so many models that have been built. I seem to recall someone quoting early Denver newspaper articles referring to white reefers on the early South Park. Santa Fe reefers of that era where also white.

The 27 foot cars were not built by the UP shops, rather built by St Charles, just after the UP gained control of the South Park. They may have been ordered prior to the UP take over, perhaps after.  I can see a case for either color / paint scheme on this latter series of cars, depending on whether the UP exerted any control over the specifications of the order. Prior to the 1885 UP renumbering, freight cars on the South Park and Colorado Central were considered to be cars owned by UP subsidiaries, not yet fully integrated into the UP system as divisions, and were lettered for those roads.

Here is what Randy suggests the Tiffany's looked like under early UP ownership, 1883-1888, if painted UP reefer green:


Color drawing posted by Randy Hess on NGDF


I would suspect though, that the green color scheme, if applied to these cars, more likely came along when both classes of cars were repainted with the UP reporting marks in the late 1880's to early 1890's. It would make more sense for the colors to match UP standard practices then.

Just my 2 pennies worth . . .

For more discussion see: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.41377.n7.nabble.com/Denver-NNGC-Notes-Tiffany-Reefer-Colors-again-UP-Standard-Reefer-Green-td9330.html

[Robert McFarland]

Could the 26ft Tiffanys have been originally equipped with Eames brakes?

[Jim Courtney]

I seem to recall that Westinghouse automatic air brakes were applied to the freight car fleet in the winter of 1883-84. The 27 foot Tiffanys from St Charles, and the 27 foot UP built boxcars and coal cars were delivered with air brakes.

So the short 26 foot Tiffanys likely rode around with Eames brakes for several years, 1880 to 1883.

[Ron Rudnick]

July 4, 1880, the Rocky Mountain News reported that the DSP&P now had 2 Tiffany refrigerator cars
The Union Pacific took over the DSP&P Dec, 1880
The first entry in the South Park "Boston" Journal for air brakes is March, 1883 and it is for $486.53 after that there is a monthly entry for more air brakes, and they are for thousands of dollars
In short the Park converted to air brakes in 1883
So yes the 26' cars would have been equipped with Eames brakes

[GRUMPY]

How were the Eames brakes installed on the cars ( lay out)
                GRUMPY

[Robert McFarland]

Art Wallace wrote an article in Bogies and Loop that included a photo of his Litchfield boxcar showing the underbody detail including the brake cylinder mounting.There was also an old drawing showing the basics of Eames brake hardware mounting.Todd Hackett would know which issue as I had it on the B&L CD -our old computer crashed more than a year ago and I haven't downloaded it on the new computer yet.