I have seen a photograph of St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company (SLRX) #3601 on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation's old site in Wasena Park. The end of the car contained the stencil "Restored by St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company" indicating that SLRX had fixed the car up prior to donation. The car appears to be a 3' wood-sided reefer. The picture I have of it only shows the end of the car, as it is not the main subject (N&W 1218 is being extracted from the park for restoration).

Does this car still survive? Does anyone have any other pictures of it? Prior to this picture, I was only aware of the SLRX reefer at the Museum of Transportation, also a 36' wood sided car.


SLRX was owned by Anheuser-Busch and existed solely to transport A-B products to market, especially back in the day when St. Louis was the only brewery owned by the company. SLRX reefers did not have ice bunkers, as the beer was packed with ice.

First off I'll have to make this short as I'm traveling with work and most of my materials are at home.

The Boxcar is no longer with us, yes Boxcar. This car was not a reefer. This was an original N&W wood Boxcar and back in the day when the "Roanoke Museum of Transportation" pre Virginia Museum of Transportation, was looking at creative ways to fund restorations this idea was developed... How about we get a large company to fund the restoration... the small museum goes to large beer company and offers to let them restore the boxcar in the likes of a Beer Reefer if they will restore it. Budweiser restored and painted the car and it was on display for many years in Roanoke. Some years ago, during Virginia Museum of Transportation days it was decided to remove pieces of equipment from the museums grounds deemed "unfit" for display and a deal was worked out to store them in the nearby Roanoke Hump Yard. By this time the ex-fake beer car, was in need of a new restoration. Well as covered on here before I think, a late night switching move in the hump yard bowl ended in the wooden Boxcar being crushed between a caboose being used as a shove platform and a 150ton derrick. Mind you the caboose was un-occupied at the time. Both the Caboose and boxcar have been scrapped.

Long and short of it Not a reefer, never a beer car. No longer exist.

Another such insulated boxcar is at the Museum of Transportation near St. Louis, SLRX #3600. For several years it was located at Union Station where its large Budweiser marking was easily seen. It was restored by the brewery and donated to the museum in 1958.

Now that I'm back home and with my resources here is more information on the N&W Box car that is/was decorated and on display in Roanoke VA as a "Anheuser Busch" Beer Car.

The following was taken from the pages of the Roanoke Transportation Museum Guide Book for the museum published in 1982.

This Car Began its service life on the Norfolk and Western as boxcar No.65734 built by Mt Vernon Car Co. in 1918, and rebuilt in July, 1938.

After having outlived its useful life, it was demoted to use as a maintenance of way car in June, 1973 and ended up as a storage car for miscellaneous materials at N&W's Roadway Material Yard in Roanoke VA as No. 517565.

In November, 1980, the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Co. restored it as a turn-of-the-century beer car "Anheuser Busch" for placement and display in the museum in 1981.

Statistics:
Mfgr.: Mt. Vernon Car. Co.
Capacity: 60,000 lbs.
Length: 41ft
Width: 9ft., 5in.
Height: 13ft., 5in.
Construction: wood Sheathed, Steel underframe
Wheels: 36in. with friction bearings.

Donated by Norfolk and Western Rwy. Co.

Here are two views of the Car after it arrived back in Roanoke after being restored in 1981.
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx90/Pullman33/img101_zpsbfb22141.jpg

http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx90/Pullman33/img100_zpsef0af60f.jpg

Here are views of the car after it's brush with a Caboose in the middle of the night.
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx90/Pullman33/DSC06426.jpg
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx90/Pullman33/DSC06424.jpg
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx90/Pullman33/DSC06422.jpg

While both the Wooden Norfolk & Western Boxcar that belonged to the Museum and the Norfolk & Western Caboose that belonged to Norfolk Southern have been scrapped, many parts were saved before they were disposed of. The Friction Bearing truck sets and well as any other salvageable cast or metal piece was saved from the boxcar and parts were scavenged from the N&W/NS caboose before it was scrapped.

Last are images of the NS/Former N&W caboose that tangled with the N&W wood boxcar. Notice in first image you can see a hole in the end of the car body where the coupler of the wooden boxcar went through the end of the caboose.
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx90/Pullman33/DSC07338_zps23314aa8.jpg
http://i744.photobucket.com/albums/xx90/Pullman33/DSC07342_zps5438c477.jpg