St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company
Encyclopedia
Refrigerator car
A refrigerator car is a refrigerated boxcar , a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars , neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus...
line established on February 3, 1878, Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
's first subsidiary. The company formed to facilitate large-scale distribution of the company's products via the U.S. rail network. The SLRX not only built its own reefers
Refrigerator car
A refrigerator car is a refrigerated boxcar , a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars , neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus...
, but maintained and operated them as well.
In 1919 the firm was acquired by Manufacturers Railway Company (MRS), another A-B transportation subsidiary. The St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company currently owns the "Dome Railway Service" in Wood River, Illinois
Wood River, Illinois
Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,296 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wood River is located at ....
.
St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company Roster, 1900–1960:
| 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 |
| 1,500 | 1,500 | 5,088 | 604 | 762 | 1,337 | 944 | 268 |