Reefers at a Grading Station

I’ve previously posted a few photographs that Jack Delano recorded while traveling through North Carolina back in the summer of 1941. This image was recorded during a visit in July of 1940.

There isn’t much information recorded about this scene, simply stating that these reefers (refrigerated cars) are at a grading station near Belcross, North Carolina. It’s an interesting collection of cars, with both steel and wooden cars in the mix, one even being an older outside braced car. Represented are Western Fruit Express, Fruit Growers Express and Burlington Refrigerator Express. And there is one car that doesn’t seem to have any identification that I can see, even under magnification. Perhaps the lighting is such that faded lettering isn’t visible.

All have their roof hatches open. Since it’s July, I would assume that the contents merely need to be kept ventilated. One car at left has a door open and appears to be loaded. Another car at right has it’s doors open and appears empty. I can faintly make out a man with some crates on the platform beyond those open doors.

Reefers at a Grading Station

One thought on “Reefers at a Grading Station

  1. I went back to the Library of Congress and found some other Delano photos taken around other grading stations in North Carolina at the same time as this image. It was potatoes that were being graded, then packed into either wooden barrels or burlap sacks. I assume these were then loaded into the reefers (being used as simple ventilated cars in this case).

    -Jack

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