Back in June of 2014, there was an announcement of the saving of a "billboard reefer" from the Kingan Refrigerator Line (K.R.L.X. # 943). The body of the 36' wood car had been kept inside for the previous 75 years and was in excellent condition. There was a long discussion in a thread at that time (see "Indiana Transp. Museum's "Kingan" billboad reefer") about a number of things, but the bottom line is that the car, which ITM was going to restore at an inside location away from Noblesville, was never moved inside. So for the past 7 years, the 1910-built car has deteriorated. With the current situation of ITM , there was some question about the cars survival. Now comes the news on the Ahead of the Torch (AOTT) website that the car has successfully been moved by truck to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union.

Attached is a Craig Presler photo from when the car was removed back in 2014 from the building where it had reposed for those 75 years.

Let's hope that IRM can provide a safe and inside location for the car which will finally lead to its restoration.

Les

The intervening years have done the car no favors, in addition to the rough handling removing it from the warehouse. The IRM crew found that one end sill had been pulled out, apparently because no one realized that without truss rods, there is nothing holding the sill on but nails. However, the wood parts are still there, and hopefully can be fit back together.

Story at this link: https://www.irm.org/in-the-news/irm-brings-home-the-bacon/?fbclid=IwAR2uP9x4T9ToT-FPSv7bXS0cdAH9T4ip5ce8z-coJqWUb5lr5Oc14fethLY