Guide to Lionel's Refrigerator Cars

Part 1: The Postwar Refrigerator Cars

#6672 Santa Fe (1954-56)

Blue Lettering	Black Lettering

Featuring spring-loaded doors, a detailed underbody, and a metal gauge panel with a sliding cover on one side, the 6672 Santa Fe Refrigerator Car was a welcome addition to the Lionel line in 1954.

It was an accurate model of the mechanical refrigerator cars then becoming prominent on American rails in the mid-20th Century. With loads of technical data on the side and a basic white and brown paint scheme, the 6672 had the look of a car that meant business.

The detailed underframe was the cause for a unique assembly method. Previously, all Lionel enclosed freight cars were made same way, with a metal or plastic shell comprising of the roof, ends and sides attached to a metal frame. With the 6672, however, the roof and ends were one piece, and the bottom and the sides were another.

The two parts were attached with a pair of screws on each end. The trucks were each mounted on a metal bar, and the two bars were held in place with a common screw in the middle of the car's bottom. This assembly makes the refrigerator car remarkably solid and sturdy despite its almost all-plastic construction.

Catalogued for three years, the 6672 has three primary variations. The first two are obvious--the car was first made with black lettering, and was then switched to blue.

The third variation is small but its impact on the cars value is significant. Most 6672s have two lines of technical data to right of the door. On some blue-lettered 6672s, however, there are three lines of data. The three-line version is worth about 5 times that of a two-line version.

The common 6672s are pretty easy to locate, but difficult to find in top condition. The roof and ends fade with extended exposure to the sun, and the lettering is more fragile than that on most heat-stamped cars. It is easily rubbed off if care is not taken during cleaning.

#6572 Railway Express Agency (1958-59, 1963)

Early 6572 (1958-59) in Dark Green	Later 6572 (1963) in Light Green

Despite its lower number, the 6572 followed the 6672. Painted in the green color of the Railway Express Agency, the 6572 was a great match for Lionel's passenger cars. In fact, the 6572's first use was in a passenger set.

The early and late 6572s are easily discernable. The first 6572s were painted a dark, forest green, and the later 6572s from 1963 are more of a kelly green color.

The early 6572 has two distinct variations. The 6572s included in the abovementioned set (#1600) were fitted with the heavier trucks found on Lionel 2400-series passenger cars. However, this car can be easily made by swapping trucks, so there is no premium attached to this car.

After the 6572 was discontinued, the refrigerator car went into hibernation along with many other Lionel engines and cars. It would not reappear until Lionel's train operations had been taken over by General Mills and their subsidiary, Model Products Corporation (MPC).

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Part 2: The Beer Cars

Following the MPC takeover, Lionel slowly began to revive Postwar favorites. Announced in late 1972, the refrigerator car returned to the regular catalog in 1973.

However, the refrigerator car reappeared in a much different format than the realistic cars of the Postwar Era. Instead, many MPC-era refrigerator cars carried the names and logos of private companies. Nearly all of these are what the public would consider 'fun' brands, such as beer, liquor, and junk food.

Lionel was able to offer cthese ars with more elaborate graphics thanks to advances in decorating technology. In the Postwar Era, Lionel's only choices were to use paint, rubber stamping, heat stamping, or water-based decals. Painting intricate schemes involved expensive masking.

Heat stamping, though effective, could only be applied in one color. Rubber stamping and decals were more flexible and less expensive methods, but were not as durable.

Electrocal--a type of electrically-applied decal--solved this problem for Lionel. In the early 1970s Lionel started using electrocal extensively throughout its freight car line.

The advantages of electrocal were numerous--it was durable, could be printed in just about any pattern imaginable, and was easy to apply. More than any other development, electrocal permitted the explosive growth of color and variety of Lionel trains.

These cars also featured the changes common among all MPC-era cars, namely the use of plastic door guides instead of metal, and 'fast angle' wheels with beveled wheels and needlepoint axles, giving the cars much improved rolling qualities over their Postwar-era predecessors.

The beer cars were among the first MPC refrigerator models. All were made from 1973 to 1980.

Unlike many other MPC-era pieces, the beer cars have held their value well. The reason is because the logos of alcoholic beverages can no longer be put on toys.

As Lionel still considers itself a 'toy' company rather than the maker of 'collectibles', this meant the end of the Barley and Hops Express. As with most Lionel refrigerator cars, the more popular the name (Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors) the higher the value.

CLICK THE PICTURES TO SEE A LARGER, IMAGE.

9850 Budweiser (1973-75)	9856 Old Milwaukee (1974-76)	9866 Coors (1976-77)
9851 Schlitz (1973-75)	9859 Pabst Blue Ribbon (1974-75)	9871 Carling's Black Label (1977-78, 1980)
9852 Miller High Life (1973-75)	9862 Hamm's (1975-76)	9874 Lite Beer 1978-79

Variations

9850 Showing the period after 'Beer Car' (Compare to the photo above)

The 9850 Budweiser has two main variations. Some cars have a period after "Beer Car" on the lower right on each side, while others do not.

The early cars in the series (9850, 9851, 9852, 9856 and 9859) have a production variation. The early version of these cars retained the truck mounting method of the Postwar Era, with each truck attached to a metal plate, and the plates then screwed to the body with a single screw in the center of the bottom.

The plates were eliminated some time in 1974-75 and the trucks were then attached directly to the body.

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Part 3: The Spirits Cars

The beer cars were a great success and were quite a departure from Lionel's normal line. But in 1983 Lionel upped the BAC level of its line by introducing the 'Famous Spirits' Series, a run of refrigerator cars decorated for popular brands of liquor. Sixteen were made, with four new cars introduced each year from 1983 to 1986.

The cars were so-so sellers when introduced. Unlike the beer and candy cars, which appealed to the mainstream Lionel collector, it seemed a bit jarring for some Lionel fans to see a Jim Beam or Johnnie Walker car made by the same company that made the Mickey Mouse handcar.

However, like the beer cars, the value of the 16 Famous Spirits cars has climbed a bit over the years, as these cars fall under the same laws that prevent the beer cars from being reproduced.

These cars were made after the beer cars, despite their lower model numbers. When Lionel created its new numbering system in the early 1970s, 9850 to 9899 was assigned to refrigerator cars, and 9800 to 9849 was reserved for the new scale-sized 'Standard O' cars.

Lionel made the refrigerator cars at a faster rate than the Standard O cars, so in 1983 Lionel started using the lower 9800 numbers for refrigerator cars, picking up where the Standard O cars left off. To add even more confusion, the first cars made in this series were 9834 through 9837, and 9827-9830 followed the next year.

The 9845 Bailey's is the most valuable car in this series, followed by the Wild Turkey and Old Grand Dad cars. The others all fall into line after these three.

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9827 Cutty Sark (1984)	9834 Southern Comfort (1983-84)	9840 Fleischmann's Gin (1985)	9844 Sambuca (1986)
9828 J&B (1984)	9835 Jim Beam (1983-84)	9841 Calvert Gin (1985)	9845 Bailey's Irish Cream (1986)
9829 Dewar's White Label (1984)	9836 Old Grand-Dad (1983-84)	9842 Seagram's (1985)	9846 Seagram's Vodka (1986)
9830 Johnnie Walker Red (1984)	9837 Wild Turkey (1983-84)	9843 Tanqueray (1985)	9847 Wolfschmidt (1986)

Part 4: The Food Cars

Along with the beer cars, in 1973 Lionel also began to produce refrigerator cars with names of popular types of food, drinks and restaurants. Nearly all of them were made between 1973 and 1982, but two more suddenly popped up in the 2005 catalog, and then went away again save for an uncatalogued car made in 2008.

The first six listed, 7509 through 7514, were part of the Fast Food Freight series, which also included a matching engine (the 8160 Burger King GP-20 Diesel) and Caboose (the 6449 Wendy's). The others were all sold individually, although a few, such as the 9860 Gold Medal, were used in sets.

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7509 Kentucky Fried Chicken 1981-82	9816 Brach's Candies 1980	9858 Butterfinger 1974-76	9879 Hills Brothers Coffee 1979-80
7510 Red Lobster 1981-82	9817 Bazooka Bubble Gum 1980	9860 Gold Medal Flour 1974-76	9881 Rath Meat Packing 1979
7511 Pizza Hut 1981-82	9831 Pepsi 1982	9861 Tropicana 1975-77	9883 Oreo 1979
7512 Arthur Treacher's 1982	9832 Cheerios 1982	9867 Hershey's 1976-77	9884 Fritos 1981-82
7513 Bonanza 1982	9833 Vlasic Pickles 1982	9870 Old Dutch Cleanser 1977-78, 1980	9885 Lipton Tea 1981-82
7514 Taco Bell 1982	9853 Cracker Jack (Caramel Color) 1974-75	9873 Ralston Purina 1978	9886 Mounds 1981-82
9812 Arm and Hammer 1980	9853 Cracker Jack (White) 1973-75	9875 A&P 1978-79	19569 Pillsbury 2005
9813 Ruffles 1980	9854 Baby Ruth 1973-76	9877 Gerber Baby Food 1979-80	19570 Nesquik 2005
9814 Perrier Water 1980	9855 Swift Meat Packing 1973-77	9878 Good n' Plenty 1979	52481 Ben and Jerry's 2008 (Uncatalogued)

Variations

The most notable of all of the variations in this group, and probably of all refrigerator cars period, is the 9853 Cracker Jack car. The car was originally catalogued in caramel color, but when the car began showing up on dealer's shelves, it was white. According to the Lionel Collector's Guide and History, Volume 4, by Touhy and McComas, this was due to an error in the Cracker Jack stamping. When delivered from the subcontractor, the printing tapes of the Cracker Jack logo lacked the white border, so the car was changed to a white body. Later shipments of the tapes were corrected, so the car switched back to its original caramel color. For some time the white car was more valuable, but then the caramel-colored car was in higher demand. In the end about the same number of white and caramel cars were made, but the very first 9853s, which were caramel but lacked the white border around the Cracker Jack logo, are very rare.

Like the beer cars, the early cars in the series (9853, 9854, 9855, 9858 and 9860) have a production variation. The early version of these cars retained the truck mounting method of the Postwar Era, with each truck attached to a metal plate, and the plates then screwed to the body with a single screw in the center of the bottom. The plates were eliminated some time in 1974-75 and the trucks were then attached directly to the body.

Also note that the 19569, 19570 and 52481 were made with the metal plate with the simulated gauges on one side of the car, like the Postwar models. This feature had been eliminated in 1973.

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Part 5: The Prototypical Cars

Of course Lionel did not ignore the real railroads or the companies that actually operated refrigerator cars on railroads. This group includes all of the cars that match this definition that have been made since 1970.

The prototypical refrigerator cars took a back seat during much of the 1970s and '80s, but returned with a vengeance in the mid-1990s and still make an occasional appearance in the line today.

CLICK THE PICTURE TO SEE A LARGER, CLEARER IMAGE.

9811 Pacific Fruit Express 1980	9882 New York Central 'Early Bird' 1979	19500 Milwaukee Road/Union Refrigerator 1987	19565 Burlington '6672' 2003
9818 Western Maryland 1980	9887 Fruit Growers Express 1983	19505 Great Northern 1988	19567 Railway Express Agency '6572' 2005
9819 Western Fruit Express 1981	9888 Green Bay and Western 1983	19511 Western Maryland 1989	19568 Great Northern 2005
9863 Railway Express Agency 1974-76	16131 Texas and Pacific 1994	19520 C&O/CSX 1990	19572 New York Central 2006
9869 Santa Fe 1976	16133 Santa Fe 1994	19524 Delaware and Hudson 1991	19576 Alaska 2008
9872 Pacific Fruit Express 1977-79	16134 Reading 1994	19527 Nickel Plate Road 1992	52135 Santa Fe 1998 (Uncatalogued)
9876 Central Vermont 1978	16146 Dairy Dispatch 1995	19535 Erie 1993	52297 Milwaukee Road 2003 (Uncatalogued)
9880 Santa Fe 1979	17898 American Refrigerator Transit 1998	19564 Santa Fe '6672' 2003

Variations

Only the 9863 REA car has a production variation. The early version of this cars retained the truck mounting method of the Postwar Era, with each truck attached to a metal plate, and the plates then screwed to the body with a single screw in the center of the bottom. The plates were eliminated some time in 1974-75 and the trucks were then attached directly to the body.

Also note that beginning with the cars made in 2003 the metal plate with the simulated gauges on one side of the car returned, like the feature on the original Postwar models. This feature had been eliminated in 1973.

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Part 6: Special Production/Other Cars

The final group of refrigerator cars are the special production cars that do not fit into any of the categories listed above. These can be divided into four subgroups:

The first are the three cars included with the Lionel 75th Anniversary Set in 1975. This set included a diesel and eight cars; three boxcars, three refrigerator cars, a hopper, and a caboose.

All of the cars except the caboose commemorated famous engines, catalogs, accessories, or innovations throughout Lionel's history. These sets are relatively common today but the individual cars are usually not broken up from the set.

The second group are the four Toy Fair cars from 1982-85. These uncatalogued specials were available only at the annual Toy Fair in New York. Very hard to find but not overly expensive, these are among the rarest of all Lionel refrigerator cars.

Lionel also made two cars for collector's organizations, one for the Train Collectors Association (TCA)'s annual convention in Seattle in 1974, and one for the Toy Train Operating Society (TTOS), for their annual convention in 1980, held in Oklahoma City. Both cars are inexpensive and pretty easy to locate.

Lastly we have a straggler, the 9849 Lionel Lines car. It was part of the very popular separate-sale Lionel Lines series from the 1980s and is one of the easier cars in the series to find.

CLICK THE PICTURE TO SEE A LARGER, CLEARER IMAGE.

7502 'Innovations' 1975-77	7507 'Logos' 1975-77	7523 1984 Toy Fair	9864 Train Collectors' Association 1974
7503 'Locomotives' 1975-77	7519 1982 Toy Fair	7524 1985 Toy Fair	9868 Toy Train Operating Society 1980
	7521 1983 Toy Fair	9849 Lionel Lines 1983

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Part 7: Boxes and Packaging

Refrigerator cars used just about every type of Lionel box made since 1954. The 6672 Santa Fe was packaged in the 'Classic' Postwar era box, with the familiar white stripe and blue 'The Lionel Corporation' lettering on the sides, and '6672 Refrigerator Car' printed in black on the endflaps.

6672 with Classic Box	6572 with Later Box

The 6572 REA car came in two types of boxes. The early REA cars came in the Classic boxes, but the later 6572s used a box design developed in the early 1960s, an all-orange box with a blue and white drawing on the front, with printing in blue on the sides and ends. 6572s with the Classic box are harder to find.

The 9800 Series cars came in four types of boxes. The primary two were red with black and white lettering, and white with red and black lettering.

The change from red to white boxes happened in 1976-77, and some 9700s from those years show up in both types of boxes. The 9872 PFE, for example is known to have been shipped with both box types.

Four cars included in limited edition sets, the 9818 Western Maryland, 9881 Rath, 9882 New York Central, and 9888 Green Bay and Western, were packaged in the special gold-colored boxes with black lettering used with limited-edition sets from 1979 to 1983.

Lastly, in 1983 Lionel began using orange and blue boxes similar to the classic Postwar design. The Famous Spirit cars and subsequent regular production cars used this box.

The Modern-Era cars continued to use the orange 'New Classic' design, but a few, like the 19524 D&H, used a black and white box used for a brief period in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Lastly, the 19564 Santa Fe, 19567 REA and 19572 New York Central use a special box designed for the Postwar Celebration Series:

9800s were shipped from Lionel in cases of 12. Unopened cases show up occasionally on the collector's market.