Classic Metal Works - 50261 - Truck, IH R190 - Armour Refrigerator Line - 1954 IH R-190 Box Van

Prototype History: The International R series was a truck manufactured by International Harvester. It replaced the L series in 1953. It was mostly a facelift of the light and medium models. The front style seen on the L series redesigned for the R line. A simple rectangular opening with a tapered bar running across the center replaced the ornate grill design of the L series, and the IH "man on a tractor" logo was placed in the center. The heavy duty models (R-185 and higher) were changed only slightly in appearance, in that four of the seven vertical bars in the upper grille were removed. There were few mechanical changes in the R line, other than facelifts. There were twenty-nine engines available. Both Cummins and Buda Diesels were now offered in the RD-190 and RD-200 Series, whereas only Cummins had been available, and even then only in models larger than the 190/200 Series.

From Wikipedia

Road Name History: The Armour Refrigerator Line (ARL, one of the Armour Car Lines) was a private refrigerator car line established in 1883 by Chicago meat packer Philip Armour, the founder of Armour and Company.

To get his products to market, Armour followed the lead of rivals George Hammond and Gustavus Swift when he established the Armour Refrigerator Line in 1883. Armour's endeavor soon became the largest private refrigerator car fleet in America. By 1900, the company listed over 12,000 units on its roster (one-third of all the privately owned cars in the country), all built in Armour's own car plant.

One of the Armour Car Lines' subsidiaries was dedicated to produce hauling. In 1919 the Federal Trade Commission ordered the company's sale for anti-trust reasons. On March 18 of the following year the new entity, to be known as Fruit Growers Express (FGE), would take with it 4,280 pieces of rolling stock, repairs shops at Alexandria, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, and numerous ice plants and other facilities scattered throughout the East Coast.

The General American Transportation Corporation assumed ownership of the line in 1932.

From Wikipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Focused on the production of HO and N Scale post World War II to 1970s era North American vehicles, the Sylvania, Ohio based Classic Metal Works was founded in 1997, by William J. Giacci.
Primarily constructed out of die-cast metal, Mini Metals CMW products are factory assembled and decorated.
In May 2017, Classic Metal Works and Mini Metals product ranges have been taken over by Round 2 Corp.

Note: The following CMW stock numbers have not been used, breaking the linearity of the numbering: 50313 to 50315, 50362 to 50364, 51154 to 51163