A refrigerator car of the Armour company, c. 1917. Note the ice hatches on the roof at the near end. A Refrigerator car (also sometimes called a reefer) is a piece of railroad rolling stock that is designed to carry freight at specific temperatures.
History
Refrigeration aboard railroad equipment was experimented with in the US as far back as the 1860s. Early refrigerator cars, until about the 1950s, all included ice bunkers on both ends of the cars. Hatches on the cars' roofs allowed access to the bunkers for railroad employees to refill them with fresh ice blocks.
In the latter half of the 20th century mechanical refrigeration replaced ice refrigeration. The mechanical refrigeration units proved their worth in replacing the armies of railroad employees that were no longer needed to re-ice the cars periodically.
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