Weaver’s reefer is as nice as they come. Weaver has delivered plenty of rivet and seam detail on the body, plus a nice variety of add-on items, including brake platforms, ladders, and supports along each doorway.
Flip the car on its back and you’ll find a separate frame casting with cross supports, lines and air reservoirs for the brake system, and tanks for diesel fuel (this being a mechanical reefer, mind you). The underside of the car has two power pickup rollers (one per truck) and a grill for the speaker.
Weaver offers the car with either metal or lower-cost plastic trucks and couplers. I always opt for die-cast metal parts, since the cars ride better with the added weight.
The track-powered sound system (an additional $15) produces the sounds of a reefer turning on and off to maintain the proper temperature inside the car. A model of a generator is slipped behind a sliding see-through screen at one end of the car. You can run the car with the screen open or closed. For maximum visual effect, I suggest sliding it open.
The “generator” is a small silver box with three alternating LEDs: green, yellow, and red. When the car is running, the lights cycle. While the sound can get lost in the noise of even a soundless locomotive pulling a train along tinplate track, the best effect is to park the reefer on a section of powered track with a few of its kin. This adds one more element of realism that helps fill out the tapestry of a layout.
Price: $36.95 (with plastic trucks), $46.95 (with die-cast metal trucks and couplers); add $15 for diesel motor sounds
Features: O-42 operation, plastic construction, undercarriage detail, optional die-cast metal trucks and couplers, optional diesel generator sound
Pros: Terrific model, clever sound option
Cons: This baby is scale-sized, so don’t buy it for an O-27 layout
Made in the United States of America by Weaver Models
