Model Power - 4028 - Reefer, 50 Foot, Steel - ThermIce - 8903

Model Information: This body style was made in China for Model Power. It is a knock-off of the Lima 45 foot Reefer with shallow ribs which was imported by AHM, etc. You can spot the difference by checking to see if "Lima" is stamped on the bottom. The Chinese made models also have wonky clips holding the trucks in place instead of the ubiquitous "Kingpin". These trucks are poorly made and lack adequate clearance from the underframe. This causes the axles to rub against the underframe detail creating a distinct "clicking" sounds as the cars move around the track. The model measures 3.43" long so it comes in at over 45 scale feet but nowhere close to the advertised 50 feet in Model Power catalogs and marketing material.

Road Name History: The ThermIce corporation was part of the Publicker family of businesses. Publicker operated a large lab in Edgemont Pa and a second one on the Publicker site in Philadelphia. The Philly site had a very large dry ice plant called ThermIce that took all the Carbon Dioxide that was a biproduct of their distilling and used it to make dry Ice. They could distill up to 70 million gallons a year.

Brand/Importer Information: Founded in the late 1960's by Michael Tager, the 3rd generation business specializes in quality hobby products serving the toy and hobby markets worldwide. During its 50 years of operation, Model Power has developed a full line of model railroading products, die-cast metal aircraft, and die-cast metal cars and trucks.

In early 2014, Model Power ceased its business operations. Its extensive portfolio of intellectual property and physical assets are now exclusively produced, marketed, sold, and distributed by MRC (Model Power, MetalTrain and Mantua) and by Daron (Postage Stamp Airplanes and Airliner Collection).