The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1945-07-19
Experiments With
Refrigerator Express


Just think Of a rolling ice-box Of
aluminium and glass, Graded on
springs that would do credit to a
baby buggy, flashing acorss the
country at better than a mile a min
ute-and there you will have the
Illinois CentraPs experimental re-
frigerator car in answer to those who
would have the railroads yield their
perishable freight traffic to the air
planes.
Add collapsible bulkheads within
the car which will make it truly an
all-purpose railroad vehicle, trans
formed in minutes from an ice-box
to a box-car satisfactory for mer-
chandise loading, SO that it can be
adapted to almost any call that may
be made upon it, greatly increasing
its possibilities for loaded movement
in both directions-the railway ideal.
Then put on top of that the further
fact that the saving in weight of the
car will be some $4,000 pounds. or
nearly rs per cent Of the total weight
at present required for a standard
refrigerator car. This in turn will re-
duce fuel consumption by locamo-
tives hauling the car and increase
the life Of the tracks over which the
car moves.
Finally, consider the promise Of
a railway refrigerator ear in which
even for long runs It may be pos
sible to maintain temperatures low
enough for the safe and satisfactory
handling not only Of the usual per-
ishable products but. also of the froz-
en- foods which have developed such
popularity in recent years.
These are the major points which
influenced w. A. Johnston, president
Of the illinois Central, to OK the
immediate construction of just such
an ultra-modern dual-purpose re-
frigerator a upon plans perfected
by the Refrigerator Car COMMITTEES
| Of the United Fresh Fruit & Vege-
table Association under the chair
manship of John N. Kelly, manager
Of fruit transportation Of the Fruit
Dispatch Company.
The car will be built in the Nc
Comb, Miss, al shop of the Illinois
Central, beginning about September
|, and is expected to be ready for
testing under use early In October.
Collaborating in arrangements for
this car are the Aluminium Company
of America and the Car Construc-
ton Committee Of the Association
of American Railroads. It will be
tested under the joint supervision
of the latter and of the United States
Department of Agriculture.
The new car, which is the out
come of two years of planning by
Mr.. Kelley's committee, will be built
Of aluminium alloys for lightness and
will be completely insulated with
fiber glass, sometimes known as
glass wool. It will have built-in fans
for the most effective cooling circu-
lation of the air from the floor
through the ice-boxes to the ceiling,
plus air-ducts for the protective
in respect to his status for discharge
or redeployment to another theater
of operations, since he keeps In mind
that all Air Corps personnel may
be deemed essential to the future
success of our armies against our
final enemy, Japan.
cooling of the sidewalks and better
| distribution of the air over and a.
round the load. It will be wired Tor
electric lights for use in loading and
unloading. The collapsible ice-boxes
will fold back as reinforcements FOL
the ends of the car when used FOL
other purposes, and an inner guard
will slide in place along the ceiling
to prevent pilfering via the ice
loading matches in the roof.
The trucks, or wheel-assemblies
will be designed for smoothness II
riding, using longer springs and
built-in stabilizers in the truck boil
sters. To prevent damage from hori'
zontal shocks, the Duryea cushion
type of underframe will be used, II
which the resilient attachment o.
the center sill to the car structure
protects the body, lading, under
frame and trucks against rougf
handling.
The floor racks Of the new car, OF
which loads are placed for circula
ton of air, win be Of aluminium in
stead Of wood for greater cleanli
ness, sanitation and non-retention O
odors in handling foodstuffs. Synth
etc rubber will be used in place o
~ 81 ~nN hofNhaG