HO Santa Fe RR-61 Mechanical Reefer: Santa Fe All the Way Slogan #2256 (Rapido 156010)

Rapido's blueprint-accurate HO Santa Fe RR-61 mechanical reefer with the Santa Fe All the Way slogan, road number 2256.

The Prototype

Santa Fe ran one of the largest refrigerator car fleets in America through its Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch (SFRD), carrying California and Arizona produce east and frozen foods across the country. In the 1950s the railroad moved from ice-bunker reefers to mechanical refrigeration, with diesel-powered cooling units that held a set temperature for the whole trip.

In 1958 Santa Fe followed the RR-56 cars with the RR-60 and RR-61 classes. Built to the same basic design and dimensions as the RR-56, the RR-61s carried upgraded insulation and were classed as super-insulated, all-purpose mechanical temperature-controlled cars.

Santa Fe also used its freight cars as rolling billboards. This car carries Santa Fe's famous "Ship and Travel Santa Fe – All the Way" slogan, reminding shippers and passengers that one railroad could take them from Chicago to California and the Gulf.

Features

• Drawn from original Santa Fe blueprints and drawings
• Lettering and artwork sourced from original design drawings and photos
• Separate door posts, door latches and coupler cut levers
• Fully detailed underframe with piping and mechanical equipment
• Detailed cushion draft gear with Kadee #158 whisker couplers
• Roof hatch can be posed open or closed
• See-through side grills
• Trane diesel generator detail (non-operating)
• Ready to run

Specs

• Scale: HO (1:87)
• Manufacturer: Rapido Trains
• Item #: 156010 (Santa Fe All the Way slogan run)
• Road / number: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #2256
• Car type: RR-61 class mechanical refrigerator car

Also available individually: sister cars #2243, #2247 and #2250 from the same run. Photo shows the Santa Fe All the Way slogan scheme; road number may differ.