Lettering for 1931 wood refrigerator cars - 1945 gothic style

The SOO leased hundreds of cars from URTX in during the 1930’s. Series 50000-50770 were built by AC&F as Type IV cars of the GAT design. These cars ran into the 1960’s, and were upgraded with AB brakes during the 1940’s and renumbered in the 1,000 series. See URTX 2024 below.

A great many of these cars were repainted once the ICC ruled against billboard advertising. The cars were painted with GATC’s yellow-orange sides, mineral red roof, ends and toe kick and black gothic lettering. Underbody and trucks coated with black car cement. The 2000 Series shown below with steel ends was painted with GATC’s orange-yellow sides with ends, roof, trucks and underframe coated with black car cement. The lettering remained much the same.

Footnote: The original Wisconsin Central (1893-1909) was leased by the MSt.P&SSM in 1909. The word ‘Sault” of Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, is pronounced “soo”, hence the road’s nickname which later became it’s legal name.