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Pacific Fruit Express Co. Drawings
MS 852  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Immediate Source of Acquisition
  • Corporate History
  • Additional Collection Guides
  • Preferred Citation
  • Scope and Contents
  • Conditions Governing Use
  • Related Materials

  • Language of Material: English
    Contributing Institution: California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
    Title: Pacific Fruit Express Co. drawings
    creator: Pacific Fruit Express
    Identifier/Call Number: MS 852
    Physical Description: 300 Linear Feet
    Date (inclusive): 1901-1981
    Language of Material: English
    Abstract: This collection includes 7,396 Pacific Fruit Express Company structural and component ice plant and car shop drawings.
    Physical Location: Statewide Museum Collections Center

    Conditions Governing Access

    This collection is open for research.

    Immediate Source of Acquisition

    Gift of the Pacific Fruit Express Co., 1985

    Corporate History

    The Pacific Fruit Express Company (PFE) was incorporated in 1906 and began operations the following year. A joint project of the Edward H. Harriman-controlled Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, the PFE handled shipments of vegetables, fruit and other perishables primarily from western growing areas to markets in the northern and eastern states. At its height, the company had a total of almost 41,000 ice refrigerator cars. To service these, the PFE operated a number of ice plants and docks, as well as car and repair shops throughout the west. After World War II, the number of cars owned by the company declined, although their size increased. Mechanical refrigerators began supplanting the older ice bunker cars. By 1972 the ice cars had been totally replaced. Joint ownership between Southern Pacific and Union Pacific ended in 1978, with the two railroads dividing the rolling stock and SP keeping the Pacific Fruit Express name.

    Additional Collection Guides

    1. Drawings arranged by subject 
    2. Drawings arranged by location 

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Pacific Fruit Express Co. drawings, MS 852, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.

    Scope and Contents

    This collection includes 7,396 Pacific Fruit Express Company structural and component ice plant and car shop drawings.
    Drawings of ice plants, icing platforms, car repair shops and other structures, as well as component parts and standards to operating equipment are in the collection.
    Locations of ice plants include: Roseville, Colton, Los Angeles, Fresno, and Bakersfield (California), Tucson (Arizona), Pocatello and Nampa (Idaho), Sparks and Las Vegas (Nevada), Laramie (Wyoming), Ogden and Salt Lake City (Utah), Council Bluffs (Iowa), North Platte (Nebraska), various locations in Oregon.
    The Pacific Fruit Express drawings are primarily composed of paper negatives. There are a few drawings that use ink on linen, pencil on paper, and mylar formats.

    Conditions Governing Use

    Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to CSRM Library & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

    Related Materials

    See MS 49 Pacific Fruit Express Company Records for information about financial matters, equipment, and structures:

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Railroads--Buildings and structures