What colour is this reefer?

[Jeff Young]

The answer doesn't actually matter to me as it's long before the period I model, but I stumbled upon it while looking for something else and thought others might find it interesting.


http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll22/id/681/rec/17

Is it a re-built Tiffany?

Cheers,
Jeff.

[Jim Courtney]

Probably the same color as this one:





Both are Tiffany 27 foot cars.  

The car in the Illinois Gulch wreck above (December 31, 1902) has been repainted and relettered (box herald faintly visible), but not rebuilt. It still retains the UP style end fascia with curved lower edge, and the Tiffany end vent is still there, though covered with a metal plate. Derrell Poole indicated that this was likely car number 586, which was never rebuilt, scrapped in May, 1903.

The Blackhawk photo of C&S 597 that Jeff posted, is likely a year or so later.  The Tiffany has been rebuilt: The end vents removed, completely re-sheathed and a new fascia on the end has been applied, with a horizontal lower edge. Can't tell if that's a truss rod under the middle of the car or not. Derrell Poole published an article in Outdoor Railroader that discussed the written records and AERs of the Tiffany rebuilding program in 1902-03.

As to color, Derrell speculated they were orange, though a deep butter yellow is another possibility. The color was dark enough that the new "The Colorado Road" lettering scheme in black is difficult to discern on the film of the day.

By the way, what color is the SUF reefer in the train behind C&S 66: