A National Steel Car Corp. Ltd. (NSC) 3,294-cubic-foot capacity mechanical refrigerator car is now available from Rapido Trains. The model, offered in Canadian Pacific’s script and Multimark paint schemes, features injection-molded plastic construction, metal wheels mounted on plastic axles, and body-mounted metal couplers.
Prototype history
In the late 1960s, NSC built a group of mechanical refrigerator cars exclusively for Canadian Pacific (CP). The cars, which stayed in service through 2002, were equipped with aluminum floor racks, stainless steel lining, and a trolley meat rail system. The full-size refrigerator cars were used to transport fresh produce, frozen foods, and meats.
The sample we received is decorated as CP 286280, the class car of the railroad’s 286280 through 286413 series. The prototype cars were built in 1968 at NSC’s plant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
As delivered, the NSC 3294 refrigerator cars were painted silver on the sides and roof and black on the ends and sills. Red script “Canadian Pacific” lettering was applied to the left of the door; the same font was used for the “Controlled Temperature” lettering to the right of the door. The reporting marks, road number, and other car data was applied in black and white paint as appropriate.
The Rapido HO mechanical refrigerator car is also offered in a late version of the script scheme. These cars have a wheel-inspection dot in the lower right corner, adjacent to the Automatic Car Identification plate. The dots began appearing on full-size cars in March 1978. Two body panels to the left is a patch of slightly darker silver paint. On top of the patch is a triple panel consolidated stencil, a style used from the 1980s to the 2000s.
CP Rail’s Multimark scheme rounds out the paint scheme options on Rapido’s NSC reefer. The railroad introduced the scheme on June 17, 1968. During that time, CP Rail had various divisions, including rail, air, express, hotels, and ships, each with its own color. Red and black were applied to the triangle, which suggested forward motion, in the Multimark on freight cars and locomotives.
Model features
The Rapido HO mechanical refrigerator car features a one-piece plastic body with separate, factory-applied plug doors. The model has numerous freestanding parts, including metal stirrup steps, grab irons, and uncoupling levers; plastic door rods, four-rung ladders, and lower door tracks with stand-off detail; and a fuel filler neck on the sill on both sides.
The A end of the reefer is where the diesel engine and refrigeration equipment was located on the full-size cars. The left side of the model has three sets of vertical louvers. There are also door tracks for the non-functioning access door for the diesel engine. The right side of the car has a single square grill. This is where the cooling equipment would be located.
Features on the B end of the car include a factory-applied hand brake with plastic chain and clevis detail and a freestanding brake wheel. Both ends of the model have a see-through, etched-metal crossover platform; formed wire crossover handrail; and a plastic placard board.
The underbody is a separate plastic casting with molded stringer and crosstie detail. The center sills, crossbearers, and bolsters are a separate casting with pins that fit in holes on the underbody. The casting is attached to the underbody with glue.
The Rapido HO mechanical refrigerator car, like other offerings from the manufacturer, has plenty of underbody detail. The air reservoir, brake cylinder, control valve, cylinder lever, and dead lever are freestanding plastic parts. Formed wire lever support brackets are attached to the center sills. A pair of plastic fuel tanks with molded sight gauge detail are placed parallel to the sills.
The car rides on plastic, screw-mounted 100-ton Barber S-2 roller-bearing trucks with raised foundry data, separate brake beam detail, and 33” metal wheel stubs mounted on plastic axles. Metal wipers with wire leads are concealed behind the truck sideframes. The wires pass through bean-shaped openings in the underbody. Our sample doesn’t have a speaker, so the leads are neatly taped in place. Rapido offers a reefer sound board with speaker as a separate-sale item (No. 102135, $19.95).
The draft-gear boxes are attached with Philips-head screws. A plastic train line air hose, with the glad hand picked in silver, is attached to the side of both boxes. The plastic draft-gear box covers are also secured with screws. The Rapido HO scale mechanical refrigerator car uses Kadee No. 5-style metal knuckle couplers with No. 634-style centering springs.
Model vs. prototype
Our review sample is neatly painted in Canadian Pacific’s as-delivered scheme. The paint is smooth and evenly applied, and the separation lines between colors are crisp. The lettering placement matches prototype images that I found online and in books. There are some voids in the red script lettering where it passes over the post flanges and exterior posts. Those spots would be easy to touch up with paint and a fine brush.
Prototype drawings of the NSC 70-ton mechanical refrigerator car were published in the 1970 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia of American Practice (Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp.). Rapido’s model matches or is within scale inches of published data. The model has a recommended radius of 18”.
The Rapido HO scale mechanical refrigerator car is the latest addition to the manufacturer’s Ultimately Canadian freight car line. The ready-to-run car faithfully captures the lines of the late 1960s NSC prototype. Whether you use the car straight from the box or upgrade it with sound, the model will certainly be a standout in your freight car fleet.
Facts & features
Price: Single car, $54.95; six-pack, $329.70. Plug-and-play sound board, $19.95.
Manufacturer
Rapido Trains
500 Alden Rd., Unit 21
Markham, Ontario, Canada
L3R 5H5
Era: 1968 to 2002 (varies based on scheme)
Road names: Canadian Pacific (script lettering [as-delivered and late] and Multimark repaint). Six road numbers per scheme; also available painted silver but unlettered.
Features
- 33” metal wheel stubs mounted on plastic axles, correctly gauged
- Metal couplers, at correct height
- Recommended minimum radius, 18”
- Weight: 4.9 ounces, .4 ounce too heavy per National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1
