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Micro-Trains - 850 44 070 - Reefer, Ice, Wood - Colorado & Southern - 511

One  of these sold for an average price of: 10.0010.00One of these sold for an average price of: 10.00
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HO Scale - Micro-Trains - 850 44 070 - Reefer, Ice, Wood - Colorado & Southern - 511 Copyright Held by TroveStar
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Brand/ImporterMicro-Trains (Details)
ManufacturerMicro-Trains (Details)
Stock Number850 44 070
Original Retail Price$44.95
Country of ManufactureUnited States
Image CreditLink
Body StyleMicro-Trains Reefer Ice Wood
Prototype VehicleReefer, Ice, Wood (Details)
Road/Company NameColorado & Southern (Details)
Road Letters/Reporting MarkC&S
Road/Reporting Number511
Paint Color(s)Weathered Orange
Print Color(s)Black
Coupler TypeKadee Magnetic Knuckle
Wheel-Set Type/ConstructionBrass
Wheel ProfileRP25
Ready-to-RunNo
Item CategoryRolling Stock (Freight)
Model TypeLog Car
Model SubtypeSkeleton
Model Variety30 Foot



Prototype Information:
During the mid-19th century, attempts were made to ship agricultural products by rail. As early as 1842, the Western Railroad of Massachusetts was reported in the June 15 edition of the Boston Traveler to be experimenting with innovative freight car designs capable of carrying all types of perishable goods without spoilage. The first refrigerated boxcar entered service in June 1851, on the Northern Railroad (New York) (or NRNY, which later became part of the Rutland Railroad). This "icebox on wheels" was a limited success since it was only functional in cold weather. That same year, the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad (O&LC) began shipping butter to Boston in purpose-built freight cars, utilizing ice for cooling.

The first consignment of dressed beef left the Chicago stock yards in 1857 in ordinary boxcars retrofitted with bins filled with ice. Placing meat directly against ice resulted in discoloration and affected the taste, proving to be impractical. During the same period Swift experimented by moving cut meat using a string of ten boxcars with their doors removed, and made a few test shipments to New York during the winter months over the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR). The method proved too limited to be practical.

The use of ice to refrigerate and preserve food dates back to prehistoric times. Through the ages, the seasonal harvesting of snow and ice was a regular practice of many cultures. China, Greece, and Rome stored ice and snow in caves, dugouts or ice houses lined with straw or other insulating materials. Rationing of the ice allowed the preservation of foods during hot periods, a practice that was successfully employed for centuries. For most of the 19th century, natural ice (harvested from ponds and lakes) was used to supply refrigerator cars. At high altitudes or northern latitudes, one foot tanks were often filled with water and allowed to freeze. Ice was typically cut into blocks during the winter and stored in insulated warehouses for later use, with sawdust and hay packed around the ice blocks to provide additional insulation. A late-19th century wood-bodied reefer required re-icing every 250 miles (400 km) to 400 miles (640 km).

From Wikipedia
Road/Company Information:
C&S was formed in 1898 with the consolidation of the Union Pacific Denver & Gulf and the Denver Leadville & Gunnison, both of whom had been under the control of Union Pacific prior to falling into receivership. C&S was best known for their 3’ gauge lines built westward from Denver by the Colorado Central (the so called “Clear Creek Lines” to Black Hawk, Central City, and Georgetown including the famous Georgetown Loop) and the Denver South Park & Pacific (southwest to Como, Climax, Leadville and for a short time, Gunnison.) However, the narrow gauge portion was a small fraction of the Colorado & Southern system.

The standard gauge portion started from a point north of Wendover, Wyoming south through Cheyenne, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Trinidad and on to Texline on the New Mexico – Texas border. There they connected with their subsidiary Fort Worth & Denver City Railway to Fort Worth and other Texas cities. C&S also controlled the Trinity & Brazos Valley which gave them friendly connections all the way to the port of Galveston. (We’ll cover the FW&D, T&BV and other C&S subsidiaries on future RRotD’s.) The mainline also included the famous “joint line” used by C&S, Santa Fe, and Rio Grande between Denver and Pueblo.

In 1908, Chicago Burlington & Quincy (who connected with C&S in Denver, Cheyenne and Wendover) bought about two thirds of C&S shares and took control. CB&Q was jointly controlled by Great Northern and Northern Pacific and the goal was to secure a through route from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf of Mexico. C&S adopted CB&Q practices for steam locomotive designs and before long the “Burlington Route” shield appeared on tenders but with C&S lettering on the cabs. Other than that, C&S and FW&D were left to manage their own affairs to a large extent.

In 1937, the old South Park narrow gauge mainline was abandoned leaving only a short stub between Climax and Leadville to connect a molybdenum mine to a standard gauge Rio Grande branch. Four years later, the Clear Creek lines were abandoned and the Climax branch was standard gauged bringing an end to all C&S narrow gauge operations. The Climax branch would go on to host the last regular standard gauge freight service with a steam locomotive by a Class 1 railroad. 2-8-0 #641 would last drop its fire on October 11, 1962.

C&S pressed on through the diesel era with locomotives in CB&Q and later successor Burlington Northern paint but sub-lettered for C&S. Colorado & Southern was finally merged into Burlington Northern on the last day of 1981.
Brand/Importer Information:
In the 90s, interest in N scale model railroading grew dramatically, as more and more people found entertainment and fun in the operation and collecting of this ideal scale. The phenomenal growth in the popularity and quality of N scale can be attributed to a great degree by Micro-Trains® efforts. Today, Micro-Trains® is the only model train manufacturer of any scale that offers more than 120 different styles of prototypically correct model train freight cars. The company's uncompromising standards of excellence are reflected in the uniquely accurate features, and exacting fidelity in the micro-fine printing and lettering that each freight car offers. The fit, finish, and detail of each item produced is celebrated throughout the railroad modeling community.
Manufacturer Information: In the 90s, interest in N scale model railroading grew dramatically, as more and more people found entertainment and fun in the operation and collecting of this ideal scale. The phenomenal growth in the popularity and quality of N scale can be attributed to a great degree by Micro-Trains® efforts. Today, Micro-Trains® is the only model train manufacturer of any scale that offers more than 120 different styles of prototypically correct model train freight cars. The company's uncompromising standards of excellence are reflected in the uniquely accurate features, and exacting fidelity in the micro-fine printing and lettering that each freight car offers. The fit, finish, and detail of each item produced is celebrated throughout the railroad modeling community.
Item created by: gdm on 2021-06-13 12:43:03. Last edited by gdm on 2021-06-13 12:43:04

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