Refrigerator Car Model
date: label: Date made
content: 1905
notes: label: Description
content: This refrigerator car model was made by employees of the car-building and car-repair shops of the Merchant Despatch Transportation Corporation (MDT) around 1905. The Merchant Despatch Corporation operated express freight cars carrying meat and perishable foods for approximately 128 years between the Northeast, Chicago, and other western states including California. The use of refrigerator cars with blocks of ice to preserve food began in the 1860s. From the late 1880s fast rail distribution of perishable food radically changed the American diet by allowing fresh produce to be delivered nationwide at any time of the year.
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States: New England
label: Associated Place
content: United States: Pacific Coast
label: Associated Place
content: United States: Mountain Region
topic: label: Subject
content: Patent Models
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Transportation, Railroad
label: See more items in
content: America on the Move
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: Exhibition
content: America On The Move
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Merchants Despatch Transportation Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2000.0032.01
label: accession number
content: 2000.0032
label: catalog number
content: 2000.0032.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Model, Refrigerator Car
label: Object Name
content: model, railroad freight car
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (part material)
label: Physical Description
content: stone (part material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/2 in x 10 in x 39 in; 36.83 cm x 25.4 cm x 99.06 cm