Rapido HO 196001 Class R-40-27 Steel Reefer, Pacific Fruit Express Set #1 (6)

The Rapido Trains HO Scale Pacific Fruit Express R-40-27 and -28 Reefer isbased on steel refrigerator cars built from January through August 1957,with a total of 1700 cars built in class R-40-27. They were placed into thePFE 10001-11700 numbering series and featured a 4-foot-wide Youngstownsliding plug-door, sliding toward the left, combined with a 2-foot-widehinged door to the right of it. This created a 6-foot-wide opening whenboth were opened, or just a 2-foot-wide opening if the car needed to beinspected before unloading in order to retain the cool interiortemperature. Soon the R-40-27 car's plans were modified with a six-footsliding plug-door, along with the established 2-foot-wide swinging door,creating the new class R-40-28 cars, of which there were 100 (PFE11701-11800) constructed by July 1957. Both the R40-27 and R-40-28 classcars were ice cooled and included overhead electric fans to circulate thecool air enroute. As it would turn out these would be the last ice-cooledrefrigerator cars built by PFE. After these classes, all PFE reefersutilized mechanical cooling. The Rapido Trains reefers are accuratelyscaled from prototype blueprints and field measurements and featureseparate wire grab irons, correct running boards and brake wheels, correctcooling fan housings and positionable roof hatches. Cars come equipped withRapido metal semi-scale knuckle couplers mounted at the correct height. Thecars are accurately decorated and come indivually and six packs withmultiple roadnumbers. The R-40-27 and R-40-28 Reefers are part of the lineof Rapido Trains HO Scale freightcars and containers.