Pacific Fruit Express (reporting markPFE) was an American railroadrefrigerator car leasing company that at one point was the largest refrigerator car operator in the world.
A former Pacific Fruit Express refrigerator car on display in Sebastopol, California
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).[1]
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.[2]
On September 1, 2022 Union Pacific closed the final Fruit Express shop in North Platte, Nebraska at Bailey Yard and all personal and equipment were transferred to the North Platte Service Unit Car Department.[3]
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 markingsedit
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.
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