Pacific Fruit Express

A former Pacific Fruit Express refrigerator car on display in Sebastopol, California

Pacific Fruit Express (reporting mark PFE) was an American railroad refrigerator car leasing company headquartered in San Francisco. At one point, it was the largest refrigerator car operator in the world.

History

The company was founded on December 7, 1906, as a joint venture between the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads. It began operation on October 1, 1907, with a fleet of 6,600 refrigerator cars built by the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF). In the period of 1901-1913, the Pacific Fruit Express was the largest refrigerator car company and transported perishable fruit and vegetables which allowed for the increased production of produce in California. The refrigeration cars used natural ice from the Rocky Mountains and as late as the 1940s they were still harvesting ice to use for refrigeration.

In 1923, the Western Pacific Railroad joined the venture by leasing its own new fleet of 2775 reefers to PFE. They were painted in standard PFE colors with only WP heralds on the cars instead of the paired UP-SP markings. The WP cars were all retired by the late 1950s, among the last wooden reefers in PFE's fleet. WP ended its partnership with PFE in late 1967 and joined Fruit Growers Express instead.

PFE's assets were divided between the UP and SP when the company was split on April 1, 1978. It is now a UP subsidiary.

On September 1, 2022 Union Pacific closed the final Fruit Express shop in North Platte, Nebraska at Bailey Yard and all personnel and equipment were transferred to the North Platte Service Unit Car Department.

Pacific Fruit Express Roster, 1907–1970:

1907	1910	1920	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970
6,600	8,100	16,000	40,509	36,899	38,840	28,818	17,648

Source: The Great Yellow Fleet, p. 17.

Paint and markings

Modern cars owned by PFE typically carried both UP and SP heralds and either "Union Pacific Fruit Express" or "Southern Pacific Fruit Express". The reporting marks were UPFE for cars operated by Union Pacific or SPFE for cars operated by Southern Pacific.

Legacy

PFE's impact is still seen in Roseville, California, site of a major Union Pacific classification yard, where there is a road named "PFE Road".

There are a pair of PFE tracks in the Union Pacific Albina Yard in Portland, Oregon

There is PFE track in Tucson Yard Tucson, Az.

PFE shops in Pocatello, Idaho are still used by the car department.

A PFE boxcar is on final display in Cody Park in North Platte, Nebraska behind Centennial 6922.

Further reading

• Sacramento History Online (2004), Timeline - Transportation, Agriculture. Retrieved May 18, 2005 — company startup details.
• Thompson, Anthony W. et al. (1992). Pacific Fruit Express. Signature Press, Wilton, CA. ISBN 1-930013-03-5.
• White, John H. (1986). The Great Yellow Fleet. Golden West Books, San Marino, CA. ISBN 0-87095-091-6.

External links

• Pacific Fruit Express Company #11207 — photo and short history of one of the last ice-type refrigerator cars built.
• Pacific Fruit Express Company #300010 — photo and short history of one of the first mechanical-type refrigerator cars built.
• Pacific Fruit Express photo gallery Archived 2005-11-06 at the Wayback Machine at the Union Pacific Railroad official website.