Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Modeling: January 2026

Union Refrigerator Transit Lines (URTX) refrigerator 4982 leased to Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&StL) is built using resin castings for sides, ends, and roof cast in the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company (M&N) Shops. The masters for making the molds came from Sunshine Models, kit 71.4, purchased at an old price in the vendor room at 2025 Railroad Prototype Models (RPM) Conference in Naperville, IL. The Sunshine Models resin kit provided parts to build a URTX refrigerator with decals for a refrigerator leased to the M&StL with the “The Peroia Gateway” slogan.

However, upon opening this kit there were two sets of decals, a set for the M&StL and a set for The Milwaukee Road. In addition to the two sets of decals, there were also two underbodies and two sets of details parts; however, only one set of sides, ends and roof. Knowing this URTX refrigerator was leased to The Milwaukee Road as the Minneapolis & St. Louis by URTX and being able to cast parts to produce a second refrigerator car, I decided to resin cast a second set of sides, ends and roof to make it happen.

The prototype was one of the General American Car Company (GATX) wood cars built in 1930 and 1931 assigned to car number series 4900 to 4999, A.R.A. class RS. The cars had wood sides, ends, and roof with wood running board. One car body feature that stands out on some cars in this series is the small angle iron added to the side sill below the door. These cars rode on ASF Ride Control trucks.

URTX 4922
Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo, Ted Cullota collection.
(Click on this or any other image to enlarge)

A black and white photo of URTX 4922 appears in Steam Era Freight Cars Reference Manual Volume Three: Refrigerator Cars, (Speedwitch Media, 2017). A color photo of URTX 4975 appears in Refrigerator Color Guide by Green Green (Morning Sun Books Inc., 2005). The cars in these photos have the M&StL herald rather than “The Peoria Gateway” slogan. URTX General American Car Company refrigerator 35-Ton car diagrams for the C. M. St. St. P. & P (MILW) appear in the 1931 Car Builders’ Cyclopedia (Simmons-Boardman Publishing Company, 1931). These photos and others and car diagrams were used to build URTX refrigerator I numbered 4982.

MILW refrigerator car diagram
1931 Car Builders' Cyclopedia

Onto the kit build that began as any resin flat kit with assembling the car body. I used my castings rather than the kit castings with the exception of the underbody. First, the sides were checked to make sure they were the same length and they were. A side was glued using CA (super glue used for all joints or parts install unless another adhesive specified) to an end to make an “L”. The two “L”s were glued together to form the basic box. The roof was installed next followed by the underbody to makeup the car body.

Car body assembled.

On the underbody provided in the kit, coupler pocket pads and bolster center plates were drilled and tapped for 2-56 screws. Kadee #262 coupler boxes with Kadee #148 couplers inserted were installed with Fastenal 3/16” screws. Accurail trucks (temporary) with InterMountain 33” metal wheels were installed with Fastenal 1/4” screws. Later in the build the Accurail trucks were replaced with Kato ASF Ride Control trucks #31-601.

Couplers and trucks installed.

Before the underbody was installed baffles cut from .040 sheet styrene were installed in the car body. And, six Harzole lead free self adhesive wheel weights were installed to obtain a car weight of 3.8 ounces.

Baffles and weights installed.

Before the addition of kit and upgrade parts, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Grey Surface Primer #73.601. When the primer was dry, the running board which had been sanded to a thickness of .025 was installed with Zap Canopy Formula 560 glue. Running board end brackets were made with Evergreen #90501, 3/64” angle and #8102, 1 x 2 strip styrene. Ladders, Yarmouth Models Works etched ladder, 18 inch ,7 rung stiles with Tichy Train Group (Tichy) #1101, .010 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW) rungs, were installed.

Running and etched ladders installed.

Continuing the build and upgrade, B end work was done. Work included adding the following details:

Brake step & brackets, Tichy AB set #3013
Brake shaft step, bent to shape from A-Line #29000, sill step
Brake shaft bracket at roof, Tichy AB set #3010
Brake shaft, Tichy #1102, .015 inch diameter PBW
Retainer valve was molded on car body
Retainer line & brackets, Tichy #1100 .008 diameter PBW
Brake wheel, Tichy #3013 AB brake set
Grab irons, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW

B end details installed.

After grab irons, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW were installed on the sides, roof details were done. Ice hatches provided in the kit were installed. Next the ice hatch levers, Plano #12079 in the kit, were installed. To match the prototype hinges, the above car diagram was used to make the hatch hinges. For hatch hinges, a scale 22 inch drop grab iron and brackets were bent using Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW and installed. MEK Goop was used to form the end portion of hinge bracket attached to roof. To finish the roof, roof grab irons bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW with Yarmouth Model Works eye bolt without shoulder for corner leg were installed.

Ice hatches and roof grab irons installed.

With the car body work done except for uncoupling levers and ice hatch drains, work on the underbody was done. First, kit provided bolsters, bolster cover plates, crossties, cross bearers and cross bearer cover plates were installed. The kit cross bearer cover plates were narrowed to eight scale inches prior to install.

Cross bearers and cross ties installed.

Now basic AB brake components were installed as follows:

Brake cylinder, parts box with #76 drilled hole for piston
Brake cylinder piston, cut off K brake unit in kit
Brake cylinder mounting, parts box
Control valve (AB) with mounting bracket, resin from parts box
Air reservoir, parts box
Air reservoir brackets, cut off plastic sill steps

Basic brake parts installed.

At the next modeling session, other under body details were installed as follows:

Brake Lever, brake cylinder, cut from Evergreen #8108, 1 x 8 strip styrene
Brake Lever, floating (cut) cut from Evergreen #8106, 1 x 6 strip styrene
Brake lever adjustment plate, parts box
Brake lever hangers bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
Train line, Tichy #1103 .020 diameter PBW
Pipping from air reservoir to control valve, Tichy #1101 .010 PBW
Piping from brake cylinder to control valve, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
Brake rods, Tichy #1106 .0125 diameter PBW
Brake rod clevises, MEK Goop (plastic melted in MEK)
Chain, Tichy, #8334, black 40 links per inch

Brake piping and Brake rods installed.

In addition to the brake piping and brake rods, the ice bunker drains from my parts box were installed. Ice bunker drain location pads were molded into the underbody casting.

Ice Bunker drains installed.

After the built car was moved to the paint shop where the under body was airbrushed with Vallejo Surface Primer 73.601. Once primer was dry, the underbody was hand painted with Vallejo Model Color Black Grey #70.862.

Under body hand painted.

The sides were airbrushed Vallejo Model Color Light Orange 70.911. After paint was dry and the sides had tape applied, the ends and roof were airbrushed Vallejo Model Color Cavalry Brown 70.982. Once all paint was air dry, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 to provide a gloss decal base.

Car ready for decals.

Decals provided in the kit were used to letter car except for ARA class "RS" obtained from an Oddball Decals set and the reweigh date. The reweigh date "WI" was made from weight data by cutting portions of the letter "T" to make an "I". And, the reweigh date obtained from a Mather Car Muncie & Western set.

I used photo of URTX 4760 as a guide to apply decals.

URTX 4760
Tim O'Connor Collection

Decals were soaked off in distilled water and applied to the car body where MicroScale Micro Set had been applied with a brush. After the decal was applied in the Micro Set and positioned the edges had MicroScale Micro Sol applied. Any excess solution was sucked away with the torn edge of a paper towel.

After setting overnight to air dry, car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish, 70.510, to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling. Again after air drying, the car body was airbrushed with Model Master Acryl Flat Clear, #4636, to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering when applied.

Decals applied.

Before putting Union Refrigerator Transit Lines 4982 in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, URTX 4892 was weathered with Pan Pastels. Pan Pastels used to weather URTX 4982 were as follows:

Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1 was used on the roof and lightly over car body.
Paynes Grey Tint 840.7 was used around roof hatches.
Burnt Sienna Shade 740.3 was used on the truck springs.

URTX 4982 weathered.

Union Refrigerator Transit Lines was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.” A car card was made for URTX 4982, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

URTX 4982 spotted at McGregor Co-op Creamery
in Northfield, Minnesota

I want to say, “Thank You”, to Bob Heninger for allowing me to purchase this Sunshine Models kit that Bob was also going to buy. A "Thank You" to Ted Cullota and Tim O'Connor for photos from their collection to use on my blog.

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Lester Breuer

Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Modeling

Friday, January 9, 2026

URTX Refrigerator 4982 Leased To M&STL