Refrigerated+Cars

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Refrigerated Boxcar Brief History After the end of the American Civil War, Chicago, Illinois emerged as a major railway center for the distribution of livestock raised on the Great Plains to Eastern markets. Getting the animals to market required herds to be driven up to 1,200 miles to railheads in Kansas City, Missouri, where they were loaded into specialized stock cars and transported live "on-the-hoof" to regional processing centers. Driving cattle across the plains also caused tremendous weight loss, with some animals dying in transit. Upon arrival at the local processing facility, livestock were either slaughtered by wholesalers and delivered fresh to nearby butcher shops for retail sale, smoked, or packed for shipment in barrels of salt. Costly inefficiencies were inherent in transporting live animals by rail, particularly the fact that about sixty percent of the animal's mass is inedible. The death of animals weakened by the long drive further increased the per-unit shipping cost. Meat packer Gustavus Swift sought a way to ship dressed meats from his Chicago packing plant to eastern markets.

Thier are five ways in which the refrigerated boxcar is used: 1) dairy and poultry producers require refrigeration and special interior racks. 2) fruit and vegetable reefers tend to see seasonal use, and are generally used for long-distance shipping for some shipments, only ventilation is necessary to remove the heat created by the ripening process. 3) manufactured foods such as canned goods and candy as well as beer and wine do not require refrigeration, but do need the protection of an insulated car 4) meat reefers come equipped with specialized beef rails for handling sides of meat, and brine-tank refrigeration to provide lower temperatures. Most of these units are either owned or leased by meat packing firms. 5) fish and seafoods are transported, packed in wooden or foam polystyrene box with crushed ice, and ice bunkers are not used generally.



Refrigerated boxcar often referred to as a reefer. Facts: Attributes and benefits
 * It was designed to carry perishable items at a specific temperature
 * Items often stowed in these reefers are vegetables, fruits, drinks, meat, and other poultry
 * Reefers can be chilled with ice, a mechanical refrigerator system, or carbon dioxide
 * Some shipments of fruits require only ventilated boxcars to help with the ripening process
 * Available in various lengths
 * Meat reefers are designed with specialized beef rails
 * Dairy and poulty products require specialized interior racks to assure that cool air is being circulated

Born on June 24, 1839 in Massachusetts and died on March 29, 1903 in Illinois

Gustavus Franklin Swift is credited for inventing the refrigerated boxcar. He founded a meat-packing factory during the late 19th century in which he controlled until his death. The refrigerated boxcar helped expand his empire shipping dressed meat all over the country.This also help begin the "era of cheap beef". By using animal by-products, Swift was able to manufacture products such as soap, glue, fertilizer, and various types of sundries.

Internet References

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[] Marcus Randall