Modernizing a PFE model

Recently a friend approached me with a model he had recently purchased, a Pacific Fruit Express Class R-40-2 car sold by Fox Valley Models (reportedly the former MTH model product). He had not realized it was a 1920s paint scheme (he models the 1950s) and did recognize that the yellow paint scheme would have been long gone by the time he models.

Here is a photo of the model. It is in some ways nicely done, with wire grab irons, and nice crisp sill steps. It even even has separately applied UP and SP emblems, evidently to represent the porcelain enamel medallions that PFE applied for a few years after 1928 (and then removed to avoid the hazard of them falling off the cars). The outside-metal roof surface being black and wood roof parts boxcar red is correct, as is all the lettering, for a car built in 1928.

Below is a photo of the prototype car class (Steve Peery collection). This photo, and considerable information about the prototype cars, can be found in Chapter 6 of Pacific Fruit Express (2nd edition), Thompson, Church and Jones, Signature Press, 2000.

But in early 1929, PFE changed its car color from yellow (an Armour Yellow, not the lemon yellow on this model) to a light orange. [Eight years later, SP would adopt this color for its new Daylight trains, and it became known as Daylight Orange, though originated in use by PFE.] The entire PFE fleet was entirely orange by the early 1930s, certainly before 1934. So the color of the model would be incorrect for any layout set later than 1934.

I won’t go further into PFE painting history, but an excellent source is available. Extensive information on PFE painting and lettering over time can be found in Southern Pacific Freight Car Painting and Lettering Guide, Dick Harley and Anthony Thompson, SPH&TS, 2016.

The Class R-40-2 design happens to have been characterized by grab iron rows at the right end of each car side, the last PFE class so equipped. From that time forward, new PFE cars would receive ladders in that location. When the cars of Class R-40-2 were refurbished in the late 1930s, they would have lost the grab iron rows along with the yellow color. 

Class R-40-2 was also the last PFE class to have a wood-framed superstructure. Class R-40-4 and all later wood-sheathed cars received steel superstructure framing. In the late 1930s, such framing was even extended to rebuilt cars. By 1950, nearly all the older cars which still had wood superstructure framing had been rebuilt or scrapped — including every single car of Class R-40-2.

Accordingly, I had to tell my friend that this model, to be used in a 1950s layout, would have to receive ladders in place of its grab irons, and be repainted orange, and would have to be renumbered as a rebuilt class or as Class R-40-4. The best choice would probably be one of the post-1948 paint schemes in which all side hardware was orange instead of black, to avoid having to repaint all those details black by hand in the repainting process.

My friend was not very interested in doing a total repaint, and I didn’t volunteer to take on the task. At that point, I suggested the model would look nice in his display case, he nodded sadly, and departed. But if anyone reading this account wants this model, let me know. I may be able to arrange getting it to you.

Tony Thompson